COMPTON : College Board Fires Dean in Misuse of Federal Funds

The Compton Community College board has voted to fire Dean of Instruction James Willard and accept the resignation of Associate Dean Velta Jones, both implicated in the mismanagement of nearly $500,000 in federal money at the college.

Willard and Jones were among four administrators placed on paid leave in October after a U.S Department of Education report uncovered fiscal mismanagement in three federally funded programs.

Willard approved all budgets and expenditures in the programs, which were intended for low-income students. Jones was responsible for their day-to-day management and reported to Willard.

Neither Willard nor Jones could be reached for comment.

The federal report blamed the administrators for allowing improper expenditures on items such as clothes and building materials, and found evidence that Jones hired two relatives for jobs they were not qualified to perform and paid them nearly three times the recommended salary.

The audit led to the removal of Warren A. Washington as the school’s president in March, but the other suspended administrators were reinstated when the board concluded that neither was responsible for the misspent money.