Atascadero schools superintendent Deborah Bowers to retire
Atascadero Unified School District Superintendent Deborah Bowers is retiring at the end of June, capping off a lengthy career in education.
“My 36 years in education, 20 years as a teacher and 16 years as an administrator have been rewarding,” Bowers said in an email Monday. “I am grateful to have had the opportunity to serve as the superintendent of the Atascadero Unified School District for the past four years.
“Now, I look forward to the next phase of my life, spending time with my husband, and experiencing new adventures.”
She’ll retire June 30 and likely will be succeeded by Tom Butler, the Lucia Mar Unified School District’s assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction. He has accepted an offer from the Atascadero district.
The Atascadero Unified board of trustees will consider his contract June 9. If approved, Butler would start July 1. Terms of his salary and benefits were not immediately available.
Butler has worked for the Lucia Mar district for 14 years, serving as principal of Arroyo Grande High School, Paulding Middle School, and Oceano and Branch elementary schools.
As Atascadero Unified superintendent, he would oversee the education of more than 4,700 students at eight elementary schools, including the Fine Arts Academy, which serves fourth through eighth grades, a junior high school, two high schools and two alternative schools.
“I love the family focus in Atascadero, and I’m really pleased to be a part of the team,” Butler said.
“I think right now there are some wonderful opportunities as we have our facilities bond,” he said. “I’m also really excited to see what we can do with our career pathways program for students who want to explore different potential careers.”
In an email to the school community, Bowers said that outgoing Lucia Mar Superintendent Jim Hogeboom “stated that Mr. Butler personifies the phrase ‘relentless optimism’ and has a positive attitude, a great sense of humor, and a focus on students and student learning.”
“Those are attributes that will serve him well as he leads our great district,” Bowers said.
Bowers was hired in Atascadero in 2011 under a three-year contract with a $141,135 annual salary.
Before taking the top spot there, she worked as principal of two of its elementary schools in Creston and Santa Margarita, and she spent four years as the Templeton school district superintendent.
Her experience as an educator also included seven years as principal of Vineyard Elementary School in Templeton, as well as teaching jobs in Anaheim and Bakersfield.
Most recently, she oversaw a successful effort asking voters last November to reauthorize $58 million in general-obligation bonds to complete major upgrades at 10 schools.
“She’s done an outstanding job across the district,” school board member George Dodge said. “I think she’s improved it in many ways and has been very good at communication with the community, the staff and the board. I think that’s one of her strong suits — keeping everyone in the loop.”
School board member Donn Clickard said Bowers, who succeeded former Atascadero Unified Superintendent John Rogers, inherited a well-run district and maintained that over her four-year tenure.
“She had the three things that a superintendent must have: communication, trust and vision,” Clickard said.
Among her accomplishments, he said, was strengthening the district’s Fine Arts Academy; overseeing the beginning of its involvement in Lighthouse Atascadero, a drug awareness, prevention and intervention program; and surrounding herself with a strong administrative team.
“I think the people in the district trust the district,” Clickard said, “and they trust the district because they trust the administration.”
This story was originally published June 1, 2015 at 4:18 PM with the headline "Atascadero schools superintendent Deborah Bowers to retire."