This afternoon, the Paso Robles school district resumes work on the grand jury report. They’re going point-by-point through the grand jury’s recommendations on ways to improve the district.
The grand jury finding fault with the previous board which gave superintendent Chris Williams unbridled power to spend as he saw fit.
In four years, Williams went through the district’s 7 million dollar budget reserve. He also went through three chief business officers. Most quit because of he ignored proper protocol and state law in the way he spent district funds.
Ironically, another debate continues over a proposal to pay the current superintendent’s executive secretary $500 a day, which is substantially more than other school secretaries receive. The pay was rejected by the board at the meeting one week ago after newly elected trustee Dorian Baker raised questions about it. The board voted against the secretary’s pay proposal, then voted to table the motion until the pay was changed.
After the meeting was over last week, county schools superintendent Jim Brescia berated the board for rejecting his proposal, although her pay was about double what district secretaries make in the Paso Robles school district. Friday, Brescia wrote a letter of apology to the school board members for his outburst. That issue still hangs in the balance.
But the point the county grand jury made in their report, blasting the previous Paso Robles school board. The board of trustees are ultimately responsible for the superintendent’s spending and it’s their job to prevent overspending like the $10 million dollar aquatic complex pushed by superintendent Chris Williams. $1.3 million in parts remain in metal containers on the high school campus.
The current board may visit the aquatic complex in their discussion today of the grand jury report. That was one of the big issues they addressed in their report on “The Paso Robles School District, A Cautionary Tale”.
