The Atascadero Unified School District held its board of trustees meeting Tuesday night, officially announcing Tom Bennett as the district's new superintendent unanimously.
Bennett begins his new position starting July 1. The contract ends June 30, 2028.
The salary over the next four years begins at $233,188 with an annual increase of 4%.
Bennett is currently still serving as an interim superintendent at Hughes-Elizabeth Lakes Union Elementary School District in Southern California.
Lake Hughes is a three-hour drive from Atascadero, but the newly appointed superintendent will be working on visiting during the weekends to make for an easy transition.
Prior to his current position, Bennett served as the Rancho Santa Fe School District superintendent from 2023-2024 where he says he helped address critical issues in their special education program.
Bennett says he plans on hitting the ground running by doing one thing in particular:
“Connecting with people," Bennett said Tuesday night. "I lead through relationships. Education is a people business, right? What I'm looking to be able to do is establish relationships with the people within the community. And I'll be doing that over the next few months.”
Bennett is taking over for current superintendent Tom Butler, who recently announced his retirement.
