Paso Robles school district officials are hiring new attorneys to respond to a grand jury report that criticizes the previous board for alleged financial mismanagement between 2015 and 2018.
This
is the second time since 2012 the Paso Robles Unified School District has found
itself under investigation by the San Luis Obispo County Grand Jury.
The
report, titled "Paso Robles School District: A Cautionary Tale,"
outlines failures in leadership and financial oversight.
In
a 5-to-1 vote, the board agreed to spend $5,000 to hire outside legal counsel
to respond to the report’s findings.
Board
member Nathan Williams said legal counsel not connected to the school district
is needed to remain unbiased.
I’m
not happy about the $5,000, I don’t like that," Williams said.
"However, I think it’s one of those evil necessities in this situation.”
The
board spent about four hours in a recent special meeting discussing the reports
findings, and writing a draft response to the grand jury, required by
mid-February.
One
of the more serious findings was when the board at the time agreed to pay more
than $200,000 in severance to former Superintendent Chris Williams when he
resigned.
The
grand jury wrote, “The superintendent was not eligible for a severance package
when he resigned. However, the board extended a negotiated settlement without
obligation to do so.”
Current
board member—and a member during the time in question—Tim Gearhart said that
wasn’t the board's fault, as the board was under the impression from legal
advice that they had to pay severance.
“We
were given bad advice as evidence by the attorney who refunded his fee to the
district when requested," Gearhart said.
Former
board member Joel Peterson is one of two to call into the meeting to defend the
actions of the previous board.
"Yes, there were certainly missteps and actions that need to be corrected," Peterson said. "But there are heroes in this who helped figure out budgets, schedules, contracts to help solve these challenges.”
The
board will continue to go through the grand jury's findings and plans to
discuss them point-by-point during this Tuesday's public meeting.
KCBXfm
By Angel Russell
February 1, 2021
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