Atascadero High School principal’s leave prompts retaliation allegations

The halls of Atascadero High School have felt different these past two weeks. On Oct. 15, Principal Nikki Baca was suddenly placed on administrative leave by the Atascadero Unified School District, and by the following evening, ACE Academy Principal Libby Madding had stepped in as interim principal. No public explanation followed — just a short message from Superintendent Tom Bennett to staff, obtained by the New Times SLO, citing the confidential nature of personnel matters.

What happened next says a lot about how much Baca means to her school. At the district's Oct. 20 school board meeting, students, teachers, and family members packed the room demanding answers — and the principal's husband stood at the podium to accuse district leadership of retaliation.

A Husband's Accusations at the Podium

Joseph Baca told the board his wife was placed on what he described as nondisciplinary administrative leave without ever being given a reason, and he accused administrators of retaliating against her for questioning leadership decisions and raising concerns about student safety.

"You call it a personnel issue, but this looks personal," he told the board, according to the New Times report.

His most pointed allegations involved a pattern he said stretched back before the leave itself. He claimed his wife had been removed from strategic planning for asking questions, reprimanded for challenging how leadership would present a narrative to the board, and told to stop putting concerns in writing.

He also leveled serious accusations at Bennett personally, alleging the superintendent made inappropriate comments about his wife's appearance and ethnicity — including remarks about her age, beauty, and Native American features.

New Times noted it could not independently verify the allegations, and the district had not publicly addressed them as of Oct. 21. Superintendent Bennett did not respond to a request for comment before publication.

Questions About Taxpayer Money and Outside Counsel

Beyond the personal allegations, Joseph Baca raised a question that may resonate with Atascadero taxpayers long after this meeting fades from memory: how much is the district spending on outside legal counsel?

He called for an independent audit of the district's spending on Lozano Smith, a law firm that serves as outside counsel for many California school districts. He questioned whether taxpayer dollars were being routed to lawyers for what he characterized as routine administrative decisions "while students and staff go without."

His plea to the board was blunt: "Investigate the spending, investigate the decisions, read the emails before they get deleted, investigate the people in power, not the whistleblower asking questions."

Students and Teachers Speak Up

The Bacas weren't alone at the microphone. Several students and teachers spoke in support of the embattled principal, painting a portrait of a leader who had earned real trust on campus.

Atascadero High senior Jordyn Best, the school's ASB vice president, described Baca as a supportive administrator who made students feel heard.

"Today, I feel betrayed," Best told the board. "I never imagined I would stand before you, watching our school community suffer through a situation that threatens someone who has given so much to me and my peers."

English teacher Mary Corey criticized the district's silence, warning that the lack of communication was corrosive — especially coming on the heels of staffing cuts that had already frayed relationships between administrators and teachers.

"Given that we have no information … we at the high school are going to assume the worst of you," Corey said.

That frustration has spilled beyond the boardroom. An online petition calling for Baca's reinstatement had gathered 213 signatures toward a goal of 250 as of Oct. 21 — a small number in absolute terms, but a quick snapshot of a community mobilizing in the days after the leave was announced.

What Comes Next

For now, the district's official posture is silence. Board President Denise McGrew-Kane acknowledged the public's concerns at the meeting but said the board could not discuss matters that weren't listed on the agenda — a reference to California's open-meeting rules, which generally bar boards from deliberating items not properly noticed to the public.

That leaves Atascadero families in an uncomfortable holding pattern. Personnel matters involving school administrators are largely shielded from public disclosure under California law, which means the district's options for explaining its decision are limited — even if it wanted to say more. The tension between legal confidentiality and community trust is at the heart of moments like this one, and it's a tension playing out in school districts across the Central Coast and beyond.

What's verifiable tonight: Nikki Baca is on administrative leave, placed there Oct. 15. Libby Madding is running Atascadero High as interim principal. And a vocal slice of the school community — students, teachers, and at least one family member — is demanding accountability, an audit of legal spending, and a fuller answer than a one-line statement about confidentiality.

Whether those calls lead to an independent review, a board response, or Baca's return to campus remains to be seen. The next school board meeting will likely draw an even bigger crowd.

805.life will continue to follow this developing story.