Parkland Too Generous to Former Superintendent, State Audit Says

Paying former Parkland School District Superintendent Louise Donohue for unused sabbatical leave was "a questionable use of taxpayer funds," according to an observation made in a performance audit report by the state Auditor General's Office.

Donohue, , was eligible for a payment of $81,721 for leave that she didn't use over a three-year period, the report said. It also said Donohue was eligible for an administrative agreement retirement incentive totaling $28,417 to be paid out over two years into her 403(b) account.

"The taxpayers have the right to expect that their hard earned money will be spent on the education of the District’s students and not on excess benefits to individuals," the audit report said.

"Furthermore, the information in these agreements should be more transparent to the public so that the taxpayers can consider such information when determining whether the Board has made decisions in the best interest of the District, the taxpayers, and the students."

The observation was contained in the audit, which covered March 17, 2009 through April 20, 2012.

Overall, the audit found the district in compliance with state laws, contracts, grant requirements and administrative procedures. 

The auditor general's office recommended the district not enter future employment agreements with administrators that have "overly generous early termination provisions" that could hurt the district and its taxpayers.

The district, in its response, disagreed with the auditors' observation that Donohue was paid for a benefit she chose not to take. Her severance was not payment for unused sabbatical under the school code, it said, but rather part of an overall economic package that had been offered to attract and retain the most qualified person for the superintendent's job.

"The compensation paid to the former superintendent as severance was instead intended to be part and parcel of an overall economic package rather than a benefit that she elected not to take," according to the district's written reply.