Atascadero school district won’t hire controversial superintendent pick. ‘Democracy works!’
The Atascadero school board won’t hire a controversial candidate to replace its outgoing superintendent after community backlash.
During its meeting Tuesday night, school board member Denise McGrew-Kane announced the district would not hire E.J. Rossi, its former top pick for the job.
“The board has taken into consideration a significant amount of public input from the community, and has determined to continue the search for the next superintendent,” McGrew-Kane said as applause sounded throughout the packed meeting.
“At the end of the day, we want to ensure that the board and the community support the next leader of our school district, and we are committed to a process that will work toward building trust,” she said. “We will provide more information on next steps soon.”
Soon after the announcement, a person could be heard yelling from the audience, “Democracy works!”
The decision comes after some teachers, staff and community members voiced concerns about Rossi, who had been identified as the top candidate for the job.
Rossi currently serves as the district’s assistant superintendent of educational services.
Some district employees were concerned by allegations that Rossi previously misappropriated public funds while working for the San Ardo Union School District from 2003 to 2007.
Though no criminal charges were filed, the allegations were examined as part of a San Luis Obispo County grand jury investigation into Rossi’s promotion within the Atascadero school district in 2008.
Rossi has denied criminal wrongdoing in the past.
The district’s search for a new superintendent comes after current superintendent Tom Butler announced his decision to retire in November.
Butler plans to leave the district at the end of this academic year.
Though the board elected not to approve a contract for Rossi on Tuesday night, several members of the public elected to speak and share their thoughts about what had gone wrong.
“The situation went too far,” speaker Anthony Villanueva said. “It should have never taken this many people showing up for you to hear. To hear the staff, to hear the teachers. We showed up to show you that we are here for our teachers, we are here for our children. This decision is a win for all those sitting and standing behind me — and it’s a fight that never needed to happen.”
This story was originally published March 18, 2025 at 7:35 PM.
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