Four top administrators in the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District are facing questions over roughly $70,000 in district-issued credit card charges made between July 2023 and June 2026, according to an investigative report from Cal Coast News. The disclosure comes just days after voters in the district rejected a $205 million school bond measure.
The four cards under review — belonging to the superintendent and three assistant superintendents — represent only a small slice of the approximately 25 credit cards the district has issued, Cal Coast News reported.
The largest total belonged to Erin Haley, Assistant Superintendent of Education Services, who charged $110,433 overall. That included nearly $39,600 in technology purchases and subscriptions that, under district policy, are supposed to go through a formal purchase-order process rather than a credit card. Her charges also included more than $10,000 in dining and catering, almost $3,000 at a local brewery, and nearly $7,700 paid to a vendor that produces promotional T-shirts and similar items.
Shauna Ames, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, charged just under $37,000, with much of that total going toward winery events, awards, entertainment and meals. A single tab at a San Antonio Winery event came to more than $7,700, and gifts and awards totaled over $5,100, per Cal Coast News.
Brad Pawlowski, the district’s Chief Business Officer and Assistant Superintendent, charged $90 at Sees Candy along with various local restaurant, golf club and coffee purchases. He also had 23 meal and drink charges billed in Bakersfield, near the offices of the state-funded Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, where he does consulting work on the side. Since 2023, Pawlowski has earned roughly $90,000 from that outside consulting in addition to his $316,000 annual salary and benefits package from the district.
Superintendent Jennifer Loftus’s spending drew far less scrutiny — only a couple thousand dollars of her $23,451 in total charges raised questions, according to the report.
District credit card policy bars administrators from using public funds for gifts, flowers, gift cards or personal expenses. Meals and drinks are permitted only in connection with meetings, and only when attendance sheets and agendas are submitted with the paperwork.
Bond measure fails at the ballot box
The spending report surfaced days after San Luis Obispo County voters rejected Measure G-26 on Nov. 3. The measure would have authorized the district to borrow $205 million for classroom renovations, infrastructure repairs and new facility construction.
According to results listed by Ballotpedia, 54.01% of voters — 4,906 ballots — opposed the measure, while 45.99%, or 4,177 ballots, supported it, out of 9,083 total votes cast.
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