Boss says performance concerns led to leave for Dist. 46 biz chief hire
Grayslake Elementary District 46's recently hired finance chief has been on paid leave for 14 months at a Wisconsin school system because of what his boss now says were "serious concerns" about his performance as business manager.
Edward Towle is supposed to start July 1 as chief school business official at District 46, with a $98,000 annual base salary. However, officials said they never heard any concerns about Towle, and only learned of his paid leave at Brown Deer School District after his hiring April 7.
Neither Towle nor Brown Deer Superintendent Deb Kerr disclosed his cloudy employment status during the hiring process, District 46 officials said. Kerr wrote a letter of recommendation on behalf of Towle.
Originally set as a subject of discussion at District 46's board meeting tonight, Towle's appearance is delayed to May 10, Superintendent Ellen Correll said. Towle cited a family emergency in seeking postponement.
Towle, 53, has not returned messages seeking comment. His Brown Deer resignation, accepted last week, is effective July 1.
At a Brown Deer school board meeting Monday night, Kerr mentioned her letter to Grayslake as part of a statement regarding Towle. It was the first public comment by Brown Deer officials about Towle's paid leave that began in February 2009.
Kerr said she placed Towle on leave "pending an investigation into serious concerns about business office operations." Towle has been collecting a $107,449 base salary in the suburban Milwaukee school district but not working.
She then explained why she tried to help Towle secure employment at District 46.
"Regarding a letter of recommendation written for Mr. Towle," Kerr said in a statement, "I wrote the letter only as part of an agreement with Mr. Towle and his attorney and upon the advice of our legal counsel. The letter was drafted - appropriate to the circumstances at that time - in an attempt to protect the (Brown Deer) district from further expense and to avoid litigation.
"I do want you to know that I offered to speak with leaders of the (Grayslake) district that recently hired Mr. Towle to describe my experience in working with him. Unfortunately, I was not contacted after making several offers."
Correll said Tuesday she did contact Kerr and never heard any concerns from her about Towle, who listed his boss as a reference on his resume.
"In the interviews with him, all conversations indicated that he was working in the present tense," Correll said. "I did not ask him if he was on paid leave.
"As I said, I did not ask her (Kerr), either. She did not indicate that there was any problem. The letter of recommendation was extremely positive with no indication of any problem."
Kerr said she's not permitted to discuss specifics about Towle's Brown Deer situation. Towle bested about 40 candidates for the Grayslake job. He was hired to replace Brad Goldstein, who starts July 1 as director of finance and operations at Hawthorn Elementary District 73 in Vernon Hills.
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<li><a href="/story/?id=375385">Grayslake Dist. 46 finance chief offered fast rise through the ranks <span class="date">[4/23/10]</span></a></li>
<li><a href="/story/?id=375118">New Grayslake Dist. 46 finance chief has been on leave from current job <span class="date">[4/22/10]</span></a></li>
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