Palomar College Places Superintendent/President on Leave

SAN MARCOS – At an official meeting Dec. 17, the Board of Trustees of the Palomar Community College District placed Superintendent/President Joi Lin Blake, Ed.D., on paid administrative leave effective immediately pending an investigation.

The Board made it clear that this action is not disciplinary and is being taken as a precautionary measure to protect all parties.

Jack Kahn, Ph.D., has assumed administrative responsibility of the District by the operation of Board Policy 2432. In short, the policy provides for administrative responsibility to reside with specific District administrators when there is an absence of the Superintendent/President and when an Acting Superintendent/President has not been named.

“It is my request that we all respect the privacy of all parties at this time,” Khan said in a campus wide email. “Doing so will allow us to focus on the important work of the District. Together, we will remain focused on student success, our response to the FCMAT report and building toward a successful spring semester.”

Kahn also serves as the Assistant Superintendent/Vice President of Instruction for the District. The referenced FCMAT report was generated by the Fiscal Crisis Management Assistance Team (FCMAT), which was recently invited to evaluate the fiscal health of the District.

The district is currently examining ways to address the recommendations in the report.

Submitted by Palomar Community College District.