AUSD Board Meeting 10/20/2026 - Open Session Board Meeting

Atascadero Unified School District Board open-session meeting, October 20, 2026: The board heard extensive public comments about recent campus safety incidents and the reassignment of Atascadero High School principal Nikki Baka, with students and staff asking for greater transparency and expressing support for her. The teachers’ association also raised concerns about staffing cuts, communication, and safety. A speaker requested an independent audit of spending on outside legal counsel, and another criticized spending on outside keynote speakers; neither request appears to have prompted board action in the transcript. The board unanimously reported approving a stipulated expulsion in closed session and approved a consent agenda covering items 10A–10I.

Procurement and spending-related consent items included an approximately $145,000 open purchase order with Slow Safe Ride for charter transportation if needed; the amount was described as authorization to respond quickly to transportation needs, not a guaranteed expenditure. The board also discussed continuation of a five-year Leader in Me contract. Donations accepted included $500 from the Atascadero Kiwanis Club for a district professional learning day and $650 from the Craig Darnells for Santa Margarita Elementary fifth-grade science camp. The board approved an amendment to its conflict-of-interest code. Enrollment reporting showed 73 fewer students than the prior October census and about 11% fewer than the district’s 2018–19 peak. A proposed teacher-on-special-assignment position for assessment and TK–12 curriculum was presented, but the transcript ends before its outcome is clear.