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Cayucos Elementary superintendent to retire following controversial raise

February 4, 2022

Scott Smith

By KAREN VELIE

Cayucos Elementary School Superintendent Scott Smith announced on Friday plans to retire, less than a month after he received a controversial 10% pay raise.

Smith, the superintendent of both Cayucos Elementary and Coast Unified school districts, received a 10% raise in January, which angered some parents. Prior to the 2019-2020 school year, Smith served as the superintendent of only the Cayucos Elementary School District, with a salary of $150,255.

Smith’s current $220,085 salary is split evenly between the two districts.

In an update to parents in Cayucos, Smith announced plans to submit his retirement notice before the end of the month.

“I want to thank the Trustees for their vote of confidence and pay increase that they have provided for me,” Smith said in his announcement. “Despite their best effort to get me to delay my retirement a little longer, I intend to submit my retirement notice before Feb, 30 as required by my contract (120 day notice).

During a school board meeting  in January, several Cayucos community members accused Smith of intimidating and harassing people who wore masks at school and at prior board meetings. Those speakers said Smith did not do enough to enforce the California Department of Health’s indoor mask mandate.

Public commenters also spoke against Smith’s pay raise and the shared services agreement between the two school districts.

When asked if Smith was planning to retire from both school districts, Coast Unified School District staff said they did not know, and that no further information would be provided at this time.


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Isn’t this what all taxpayer supported agencies do , when an employee is about to retire .The employee either receives a job promotion or pay raise .In my opinion if a close as possible honest survey of public funded employees that asked if the reason they got themselves hired and showed up to hang out for 8 hours or so a day , was their reason to make government more efficient and provide the tax payers with a hard working employee ?? or did they just get hired ,show up , and hang out just to milk the system ?? I think most of us know the honest answer to the survey .


9

Oh god, I can see it now. His next announcement will be that he is running for for political office, on the “Herman Cain Award” ticket.


-8

How many citizens in opposition does it take to make something a controversy? One..two..three..ten? Fanning flames again CCN.

Isn’t any pay raise of a public official controversial to someone? Loud complaints from a few doesn’t make a raise controversial.

Giving him a raise when the schools are in decline would be. CCN please make the case that the Administration of these schools are askew. A dispassionate examination of these districts would tell you that they have been run well since Mr Smith’s arrival.


It is time to start reporting on issues fairly. Focusing the anger of the community on an individual public servant because of the general dislike of bloated state bureacracy is cheap shot reporting at best.


Tell us this man had more than a few detractors and has been malfeasant in his duties otherwise you should be apologizing for driving a good person out of public service.


-10

Were there inaccuracies in the reporting? If so, can you please tell us what they are? And, what in your opinion, makes this man such a “good person”?


2

What makes him a bad one?

He attended the school as a child in the 1970s. High school in Cambria.

He worked for years as a teacher then an administrator in Greenfield. By all accounts he gave exemplary service. Do you have another accounting of his public service? No.

He returned to his hometown to administer the school. He has done a good job while there.


The inaccurate information? Implying a few loud voices is representative of the school at large. His contact saves Cayucos money.


Please. Prove me inaccurate.


8

Your answer to “what makes him such a good person?” is “what makes him a bad person?” I don’t know and I don’t remember saying he was. And your answer to my asking you what is inaccurate about the reporting is to claim that CCN is IMPLYING a “few loud voices is representative of the school (district?) at large”? You made a claim and now you expect ME to do the proving? Come on, Mr. Yan. Do you see what the problem here is? Now, if you had a poll or something that you’d taken – some good solid facts and numbers, YOU might have a case.


1

I didn’t ask you to do anything Camus. I think you are confused.

I asked CCN to do thorough reporting, not you. It is their job as a publication to deliver pertinent information. Information like the numbers of people who are complaining, not just that complaints have been made. Without any of that information an accurate description is IMPLYING.


You questioned what makes him a good person. (Sounds like you had doubts). Rhetorically I wondered what would make him a bad one (the other side of your coin-dude). Then I thoroughly answered your questions with facts about him-not opinion. You should try it sometime.


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