PRJUSD Addresses Misleading Credit Card Allegations, Calls for Corrections from News Outlets
PRJUSD Addresses Misleading Credit Card Allegations, Calls for Corrections from News Outlets
PASO ROBLES, Calif. (November 6, 2026) — Paso Robles Joint Unified School District Superintendent Jennifer Loftus and Board President Joel Peterson have issued updated statements in response to recent reporting on District credit card expenditures that has omitted important facts and context regarding the purpose and funding of several transactions.
Despite the District's willingness to provide clarification and supporting information, serious allegations have been published and repeated without incorporating the District's explanations or publicly available response. Rather than seeking a complete understanding of the transactions in question, recent coverage has presented allegations without the supporting context necessary for the public to make an informed assessment.
Statement from Superintendent Jennifer Loftus
PRJUSD is fortunate to receive generous contributions from private donors who support our educators and staff. These donations are presented publicly to the Board of Trustees for acceptance and, once approved, are deposited into designated fund balances. These contributions have supported employee recognition and appreciation activities, including celebrations honoring outstanding employees, recognizing retirees, and welcoming new staff members. Staff may use District-issued CalCards to make purchases for these activities, with expenditures charged to the appropriate donated funds. The acceptance and administration of donated funds through District accounts is a standard practice among school districts.
Other expenditures questioned in recent reporting relate to official District business. For example, PRJUSD Chief Business Officer Brad Pawlowski serves on the Self-Insured Schools of California (SISC) Board in his official capacity as a District employee, which requires regular travel to Bakersfield. Recent reporting has misleadingly associated meal expenses incurred in Bakersfield with Mr. Pawlowski's separate consulting work for the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT), which is located nearby. District records establish that these expenses were incurred in connection with Mr. Pawlowski's official SISC responsibilities as a District employee, not his separate FCMAT consulting work. Employees conducting authorized District business may incur eligible travel and meal expenses, subject to established policies and per diem allowances.
District staff may also participate in working meetings during meal periods. Meals provided during these meetings are subject to District purchasing and documentation procedures, including requiring agendas and attendance records. This is a standard practice among school districts.
The existence of a credit card charge does not, by itself, establish that an expenditure was improper or made for personal benefit. An accurate assessment requires an understanding of the purpose, funding source, and supporting documentation for each transaction. Yet recent reporting has drawn conclusions without seeking clarification, independently verifying the allegations, or presenting the facts and context necessary for the public to make an informed assessment.
The District has formally contacted both CalCoast News and California Post to request corrections and clarifications to their reporting.
The District has retained an independent investigator to examine the allegations and to verify that the expenditures complied with applicable policies and requirements. The findings will be made available for public review.
Responsible stewardship of District resources is fundamental to the public trust. PRJUSD remains committed to transparency, accountability, and ensuring that our community receives a complete and accurate accounting of the facts.
Requests for Corrections and Clarifications
On November 6, 2026, PRJUSD submitted formal requests to the following publications regarding inaccuracies and omissions in their reporting:
Request to CalCoast News — November 6, 2026
Request to California Post — November 6, 2026
Jennifer Loftus
Superintendent
Paso Robles Joint Unified School District
Statement from PRJUSD Board President Joel Peterson
Last week, CalCoastNews published a story alleging that PRJUSD administrators improperly used District credit cards. The story has since been picked up by other outlets. Our community deserves the facts.
The story appears to be based on a complaint Trustee Kenney Enney filed with the California State Auditor, the California Department of Education and the District Attorney, and shared with several news outlets. Trustee Enney did not bring this complaint to the District before filing it with outside agencies and sharing it with the media. Releasing unverified allegations this way undermines public confidence in our District and unfairly damages the reputations of our superintendent and her team.
District expenses are subject to internal approval and documentation requirements, as well as an annual independent audit that tests spending against supporting records and state and federal requirements. In each of the years covered by the story, our independent auditors issued their reports without findings related to these expenditures. These expenses fell within budgets adopted by the Board and were reported to the Board in public session as part of our regular approval of District expenditures. Every transaction reviewed so far has been routine District business.
Our community is incredibly generous. Our annual staff celebration is made possible by a private donation and is held at a local venue that happens to be a winery. The charges identified in the complaint are the venue fees for this event, which are fully paid for by that donation. Food and beverages for this event and similar ones are donated by local businesses. Our administrators are not charging personal expenses at wineries to District credit cards.
Many of our staff also travel for District business. When they do, lodging, mileage and meals are covered within approved per diem limits. A meal eaten while conducting District business is a legitimate business expense, not a personal one, and it is covered only up to the approved per diem amount. Travel is approved in advance, and receipts and documentation are required for every expense.
To ensure a full and impartial review, the District has retained an independent investigator to examine each of the transactions raised. This investigation should never have been necessary. These charges were budgeted, approved by the Board in public session, and reviewed by our independent auditors. We will share the findings publicly, along with what this investigation has cost our taxpayers. In the meantime, our focus remains where it belongs: on the students of our community.
Joel Peterson
President
PRJUSD Board of Trustees
PRJUSD Leadership Responds to Concerns Regarding Public Expenditures
PASO ROBLES, Calif. (November 2, 2026) — The Paso Robles Joint Unified School District has issued the following statements from Board President Joel Peterson and Superintendent Jennifer Loftus regarding allegations recently reported by CalCoast News.
Statement from Board President Joel Peterson
Over the weekend, CalCoastNews published a story alleging that PRJUSD district administrators improperly used district credit cards. The stewardship of public funds is a responsibility this board takes seriously, and our community deserves clear answers.
The story appears to be based on a complaint Trustee Kenney Enney filed with the California State Auditor, the California Department of Education, and the District Attorney, and shared with several news outlets. The complaint was not submitted to the District, and the District did not have an opportunity to provide documentation for the expenses before they were made public. The District has since received a copy. Trustee Enney did not raise these concerns with me as Board president, with his fellow trustees, or with the superintendent. Releasing unverified allegations this way undermines public confidence in our District and unfairly damages the reputations of our superintendent and her team.
District expenses are subject to internal approval and documentation requirements, as well as an annual independent audit that tests spending against supporting records and state and federal requirements. In each of the years covered by the story, our independent auditors have issued their reports without findings related to these expenditures. These expenses fell within budgets adopted by the Board and were reported to the Board in public session as part of our regular approval of District expenditures. Nothing reviewed to date indicates that funds were spent outside of those approved budgets.
Whatever his intent, Trustee Enney's approach sows distrust and distracts from the important work our school district is doing. To ensure a full and impartial review, the District has retained an independent investigator to examine each of the transactions raised. We will share the findings publicly. In the meantime, our focus remains on the education of the students in our community.
Joel Peterson
President, PRJUSD Board of Trustees
Statement from Superintendent Jennifer Loftus
Over the weekend, CalCoast News published an article questioning expenditures made by me and members of my cabinet. The allegations appear to originate from a complaint filed by Trustee Kenney Enney with several outside agencies and distributed to news outlets. Notably, Trustee Enney did not submit his complaint directly to the district, which only recently received a copy.
I want to be clear: I welcome legitimate questions about how our district spends public funds. As superintendent, I am accountable to our Board of Trustees and to the families, employees, and taxpayers of Paso Robles. Responsible financial stewardship is not optional. It is fundamental to the public trust.
What concerns me is Trustee Enney's pattern of publicly circulating unsubstantiated allegations rather than working constructively to establish the facts. Trustee Enney is not an outside observer. He is an elected member of the governing board responsible for overseeing this district. With that responsibility comes an obligation to approach questions of financial accountability with diligence, fairness, and a commitment to establishing the facts before making unscrutinized public accusations.
Our district has established procedures for documenting and reviewing expenditures, along with external safeguards that include annual independent financial audits. These processes exist precisely because public spending demands accountability.
The district has now retained an independent investigator to review the allegations. I welcome that review as I believe the public deserves a careful, objective examination of the facts rather than conclusions drawn before that examination has occurred.
I am proud of the work our leadership team does every day on behalf of our students, teachers, and families. We will continue that work while these allegations receive appropriate scrutiny.
The community deserves accountability from its district leadership. It also deserves accuracy, fairness, and responsible conduct from every individual entrusted with governing its schools.
Jennifer Loftus
Superintendent
Paso Robles Joint Unified School District
About Paso Robles Joint Unified School District
Paso Robles Joint Unified School District serves approximately 6,200 students throughout northern San Luis Obispo County. Guided by its core values of integrity, accountability, collaboration, innovation, compassion, and belonging, PRJUSD is committed to providing a safe and supportive environment where every student feels valued and empowered to discover their strengths, build resilience, and develop the knowledge, character, and confidence to thrive in their future.
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For media inquiries, please contact:
Paso Robles Joint Unified School District
Melissa Godsey
Public Information Officer