Christina Howley had a hunch.
When it was learned that former Palm Beach County School District Chief Academic Officer Jeffrey Hernandez used more than seven weeks of paid leave to work as an educational consultant for the Memphis School District, she started digging deeper.
“It didn’t sit right with me that he was in Memphis while getting paid here,” said the Royal Palm Beach mother.
In early September, Howley, along with three other parents, made an official records request with the school district. The parents say those records show that on at least one occasion, Hernandez, who resigned June 30 from his $180,000-a-year post with the school district, was working in Memphis when he was supposed to be on the clock in Palm Beach County.
The parents are now requesting an audit of Superintendent Art Johnson and his office, charging that Johnson was “negligent” and wasted taxpayers’ money by allowing Hernandez to work in Memphis while he was a paid employee here. The parents also allege there was a “significant” drop in Hernandez’s SunPass usage while he was working in Memphis. SunPass is a pre-paid toll program that can be used on Florida’s toll roads and most bridges. Less usage might indicate Hernandez was spending more time out of the state.
“There appears to be a cover-up,” Howley said.
Johnson, however, dismissed the charges.
“They’re politically motivated,” he said. “You know who they support and what their agenda is.”
Johnson said he would welcome an audit.
“I’m looking forward to getting that started as soon as possible,” he said.
Howley also claimed the district deleted several of Hernandez’s employment records, including his access control records. Those records document the times employees come to and leave work.
According to Howley, the district’s chief of police told her in an e-mail that those records no longer existed.
“The response to my public records request said that those records were deleted,” Howley said.
James Kelly, the district’s chief of police, wasn’t available for comment.
Hernandez was the architect of an unpopular new curriculum last fall that had both teachers and parents fuming. Last December Johnson stripped Hernandez of his power, but Hernandez still retained his salary and title until June. He was assigned to an office in Lake Worth High and given the task of working with more than 30 low-performing schools.
Hernandez took off about 36 days and consulted in Memphis from February until June, earning $1,500-a-day. Hernandez earned $693.60 a day during his employment with the Palm Beach County School District.
One payment invoice dated May 19 and obtained by The Palm Beach Post from the Memphis School District, showed Hernandez was paid more than $21,000. His contract ended June 30.
The Commercial Appeal newspaper in Memphis reported Hernandez was re-hired, but not at the same rate. His contract dropped from $93,600 to $48,300, including travel expenses.
When the consultant job came to light in August, Hernandez denied any wrongdoing.
“What I do on my own time, that’s my business,” he told The Palm Beach Post at the time.
Calls to Hernandez on Thursday about a possible investigation into his work records were not returned.
But Howley said the investigation isn’t about Hernandez.
“It’s about the character of our superintendent,” she said. “If we can’t trust him to keep an eye on taxpayer funds and follow school board policies when it comes to his employees, how can we trust him with our children?”
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