Grayslake District 46 fires finance chief it just hired

Edward Towle's boss at a Wisconsin school system lavished him with praise as part of his successful effort to be hired as Grayslake Elementary District 46's new finance chief in April.

"Edward has a great number of experiences in his (17) years in school business administration that have enabled him to grow as a professional," Brown Deer School District Administrator Deb Kerr wrote in a form letter submitted to District 46.

"That is something money simply cannot buy and will be an asset to a future employer. He is a good steward of public funds, which is critical in this day and age of public accountability."

But Towle will not begin his new career as District 46's chief school business official as planned July 1. School board members Wednesday night voted 7-0 in favor of terminating the $98,000 contract he was awarded April 7.

Towle has been on paid leave as Brown Deer's business manager since February 2009, collecting his full $107,449 salary. District 46 officials said they didn't know about his Brown Deer employment status until after he was selected from a pool that started with 40 job candidates.

Neither Towle nor Kerr disclosed his paid leave during District 46's hiring process, officials said. Kerr said she agreed to write the seven-paragraph letter of recommendation for Towle as part of an agreement with his attorney.

District 46 board President Mary Garcia said Towle received a two-hour, due-process hearing last week. She said board members and a District 46 attorney met for an hour to discuss Towle in a closed-door session Wednesday.

Garcia declined to reveal specifics, but she said officials concluded Towle wouldn't be a good fit at District 46.

"I will tell you, this has been a learning experience for the board," Garcia said. "We are looking at how we interview candidates and making sure that we're very clear in our questioning techniques."

Towle's lawyer, Robert Shumaker, reiterated his client did not make any misleading statements and wants to fulfill his District 46 contract. Shumaker said he was surprised school board members voted to yank Towle's deal, which offered him a chance to advance to assistant superintendent for business and finance.

Shumaker, who spoke on behalf of Towle after Wednesday's board session, said he hopes to receive written reasons from District 46 today on why the contract was pulled.

"We know of no basis to rescind the contract because Edward was completely truthful in the application process," Shumaker said. "He responded to every question that he was asked after he was given a contract."

Despite lauding Towle for his professionalism and integrity in her letter, Kerr issued a statement three weeks after his hiring in Grayslake, claiming her "serious concerns" about his job performance led to his paid leave at the suburban Milwaukee school district.

Towle followed with a lawsuit he filed May 7 in Milwaukee Circuit Court against Kerr and the Brown Deer district. Unspecified damages are sought in the complaint that in part alleges defamation and breach of contract.

Kerr's statement to the Brown Deer school board placed Towle's ability to retain his District 46 job in jeopardy, according to the lawsuit. Towle's resignation at Brown Deer, effective July 1, was accepted five days after he was hired by District 46.

Towle received a stellar performance review from Kerr roughly two months before she placed him on paid leave at Brown Deer in February 2009.

"We were both faced with many challenges coming into our positions and you have weathered those well: construction budget, planning for renovation and construction, working with a new board and personnel issues, to name a few," Kerr wrote on Towle's feedback report" for the 2007-08 academic year.