KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – More details have been released on last week’s firing of the Kalamazoo Public Schools Operations Director, and it appears some of his alleged misdeeds may have been legal violations.
In documents provided by the school district, an independent investigator found that Jim English was trying to create an independent foundation to support the district, hiring a director, and paying him over $70,000 without board knowledge or approval, possibly in violation of the law.
English had also hired a Director of Finance to work as an outside contractor for the district, over the objections of the district’s Human Services Director, with contract he signed himself.
Interim Superintendent Cindy Green says the person English hired was actually working for another school district, and the contract failed to designate a pay scale or other essential details.
Green says Laura Kayser’s appointment as their new business manager will come with a change to her job description to prevent similar unauthorized expenditures.
Whether this termination had anything to do with the recent resignation of Superintendent Dr. Rita Raichoudhuri remains unclear.
The report also details other concerns about how English’s personal expenses and the time he spent actually doing his job were recorded.
The report says the outside investigation was initiated after more than one of the Board of Education trustees expressed concern about how the Business Department was operating.
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