Board members at Poway Unified School District unanimously voted Sunday to fire Superintendent John Collins, accusing him of spending more than $345,000 without approval.
The vote, which happened during closed session, comes after Collins served in the leadership role for six years. He was one of the highest paid public educators in California, earning a total compensation of $457,347 a year.
In a statement, Board President Michelle O’Connor Ratcliff said an audit was done “after being informed of potential irregularities, placed Dr. Collins on administrative leave for the duration of a more comprehensive investigation. Although that audit took longer than anticipated, the Board was trying to be as thorough as possible.”
“The Board was dismayed when the final audit report identified $320,769 in ‘overpayments and unauthorized payments’ made to Dr. Collins, and an additional $24,494 in other transactions that ‘violated District policies,” Ratcliff said. “The severity of the findings justified terminating the Superintendent’s contract for cause, so in accordance to the procedure outlined in his employment contract, Dr. Collins and his attorney took part last night in a Closed Session conference with the Board.”
Board members also voted to initiate litigation to recover money owed to the district by Collins.
The termination of Collins comes after a rocky career at Poway Unified. Five years ago, school leaders were criticized for issuing a $105 million construction bond that ultimately resulted in nearly $1 billion in costs to the district. Collins also faced foreclosure on his Poway home in 2011.
Edward Velasquez, who served as superintendent for the Montebello Unified School District, will serve as interim superintendent for Poway Unified beginning Aug. 1. He will be paid $75 per hour.