Front Page  »  

Exodus continues at Paso Robles school district

February 2, 2019

Just weeks following the resignation of the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District superintendent, the principal of Paso Robles has announced he is resigning. [Cal Coast Times]

On Thursday, Principal Eric Martinez announced he will resign from his position when the current school year ends in June. Martinez’s announcement comes amid a wave of resignations by top district officials.

In December, superintendent Chris Williams left the district less than four months after receiving a new contract with a base salary of about $215,000. Williams announced his resignation on the same day that the district’s athletic director and student services director also announced their resignations.

Williams’s resignation also came at about the same time officials revealed the school district was faced with a $2.1 million shortfall for the 2019-2020 fiscal year and an additional $800,000 shortfall in 2020-2021. The district’s reserves were also depleted over Williams’s tenure from about 10 percent of the general fund to 1.73 percent, which is below a state-mandated minimum reserve level.

Nonetheless, Williams received $113,409 in severance pay.

Last week, the Paso Robles school board halted the district’s approximately $10 million aquatic center project because of rising costs and continued district financial woes. The aquatic center was expected to be built on the Paso Robles High campus.

In recent years, there have also been multiple controversies involving the Paso Robles High football team. Two head coaches resigned in a span of less than one year.


Loading...
Related:


8 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Who is going to start the pool as to when the district will start the doom and gloom talk after all these payouts and say they are going to need a bond passed or they are going to have to start laying off teachers and support staff. Again they never start with having to layoff administration.


10

It used to be said that “those who can’t, teach.” While I believe that’s true to some measure, the real money is supervising those that can’t. All you need to do to make REAL money in education is reach the ranks of Principal or higher, spend the school dry, then quit.


11

It would difficult to attract the right kind of “talent” if the job of principle or supervisor was connected to performance.


Therefore, payouts will continue.


5

interesting that education is based upon performance until I guess it comes to those who are expected to achieve that? VVery poor example that failure is rewarded.


6

Doc T thinks more payouts will continue at PRJUSD…let’s hope that Julian Crocker & the new school board work to prevent that.


And besides, disgraced former superintendent Chris Williams’ overly generous contract had allowed for a six-figure payout but school principals (not principles) like Eric Martinez usually don’t get such generous treatment.


3

There needs to be true transparency. Their contracts address being released with cause or without cause. That is what determines what the payoff will be. There is always a reason why the person is leaving and the easy way out is to pay them off and close the book on what really has happened for the person to leave. It’s just that elected officials and governing bodies have no guts to stand up to these people that rape the system and continue to steal the taxpayers money.


2

Will there be another taxpayer’s gift paid out for this resignation? My belief is that when someone normally resignd they have terminated themselves and leave the job. But the PR School District and other local agencies seem to have the tendency to give these large gifts away when someone resigns. Well folks the real answer here is that these people are being paid off to just disappear and not stir the pot up and reveal what has really been going on where they work. We’ll wait and see if this person will be paid off too.


18

Got that right. Called hush money.


18