CHICAGO — A Calumet City District 155 School Board investigation of Superintendent Troy Paraday regarding claims of padding his own salary, altering and destroying documents and distorting the district's financial status, has resulted in his termination.
According to a recent Chicago Tribune article, Paraday, who was the highest-paid superintendent in the state and earned over $430,000 this past year, was about a week from retirement.
Paraday was on paid leave during the board's investigation, according to the article, and was fired for 11 reasons as stated on a notice of discharge obtained by the Chicago Tribune's Daily Southtown through a Freedom of Information request.
Paraday's attorney, Steven Glink, told the Chicago Tribune's Daily Southtown that the board's investigation stemmed from a Chicago local Fox affiliate news report that showed Paraday had cashed in unused vacation and sick days and received over $762,000.
“Once his contract came to light on television and they were criticized because they gave him a very good contract…they were embarrassed and now they tried to find what they think is a legal way out of paying him,” Glink said in the article.
Glink, who said his client is innocent, referred to the board's investigation and firing of Paraday as “a dog and pony show" in the article.
The district alleges that Paraday destroyed and altered district records and documents and misrepresented information in the district's 2019 budget, which was presented to the board, the article states.
Also according to the article, other allegations against Paraday include improperly giving himself a six percent increase in total creditable earnings for 2019, implementing a "compensatory time scheme" in which only the superintendent would get a substantial financial gain as well as misrepresenting facts to the district board attorney.
Paraday is considering whether he will file a lawsuit, according to the article.
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