Tracy Ellis-Weit named new president of Atascadero school board
New board members sword in on Dec. 17
– The Atascadero Unified School District Board of Trustees selected its board president and clerk who will serve for the next year after swearing in newly elected and re-elected trustees: Corinne Kuhnle, Joey Arnold and Jodi Taylor. Kuhnle was sworn in for her seventh four-year term on the board on Dec. 17. Trustee Tracy Ellis-Weit will serve as board president and Trustee Denise McGrew-Kane as board clerk.
“Just for you new to the board to know, it doesn’t have to be this way, but what I learned when I came on was that Atascadero has the history of whoever’s clerk becomes president,” McGrew-Kane said to new board members Arnold and Taylor during discussion on who to select as the next board president.
She then nominated Ellis-Weit as president. Trustees Rebekah Koznek and Vy Pierce both seconded the motion. The board unanimously voted to appoint Ellis-Weit as president. Ellis-Weit followed that by nominating McGrew-Kane as clerk, seconded by Koznek.
At the conclusion of appointing members to committees for 2025, McGrew-Kane asked about creating a new committee. She specifically asked for one about Career Technical Education (CTE) pathways.
Superintendent Tom Butler said that district staff could bring it back at the next meeting on Jan. 14, 2025, and suggested that it be more broad on pathways to include other career-based pathways, as it would be inclusive of trades, community colleges and universities.
Committee appointments for 2025
Budget Sub-Committee
• Arnold
• Taylor
• Pierce
Facilities Committee
• Ellis-Weit
• Koznek
• McGrew-Kane
District Representative to Annual Governing School Representatives’ Meeting
• Ellis-Weit
Liaison Representative to SLO County School Boards’ Association
• Koznek
City-School Representatives
• Koznek
• Pierce
• Taylor
Goals & Self Evaluation Committee
• Ellis-Weit
• McGrew-Kane
• Pierce
Superintendent’s Goals Committee
• Arnold
• Ellis-Weit
• Taylor
District LCAP Steering Committee
• Arnold
• Koznek
• Pierce
Housing/Property Committee
• Arnold
• McGrew-Kane
• Taylor
Superintendent’s Parent Advisory Committee
• Koznek
• Kuhnle
• Pierce
“This is such a great part of our society,” Butler said before swearing in Arnold, Kuhnle and Taylor. “We’re so fortunate to have such a strong citizenry in our school district’s boundary. And to have people who are running for office that want to serve with dedication, putting our students first, means so much to all of us.”
The three board members repeated the oath after Butler, swearing that they would each “support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties upon which I am about to enter.”
Between swearing in new board members and reorganizing, the board also recognized outgoing board president and trustee, Terri Switzer, who did not run for re-election after 22 years on the board. During Switzer’s time on the board, she served as board president four times.
“One thing about Terri, that I think so many of you know in our town, is that she’s always put our kids first,” Butler said. “She made decisions based on that consistently and was really part of the glue of our community around prioritizing students and families and staff. I know that meant the world to me and so many of the families and students we serve.”
Kuhnle, who served with Switzer for all 22 years, said she was honored to serve with Switzer. “[Switzer] has been a pillar in this school district, she’s a pillar in our community, and I am dependent on her for her knowledge in business,” Kuhnle said. “She has that element of common sense and her heart is truly for the students. They are the No. 1 stakeholder and Terri has honored that throughout her 22 years.”
Several of the other board members echoed the sentiments that Switzer is no-nonsense, doesn’t sugarcoat and puts the kids first.
“There have been so many emotions being on the school board,” Switzer said. “I’ve been very proud to be on the school board. We’ve had challenging times. … I’m really glad we got through those times.”
