Kimberley College principal Paul Thomson suspended amid claims of financial mismanagement

THE embattled principal of a college south of Brisbane has been suspended and barred from entering the school grounds.

Kimberley College principal Paul Thomson has been suspended.

• College funds 'unauthorised trips'

The embattled principal of a college south of Brisbane has been suspended and barred from entering the school grounds.

Kimberley College principal Paul Thomson was suspended from duty along with his wife Jennifer Thomson, two daughters Debbie Horn and Amy Ferguson and son-in-law Kevin Ferguson.

A letter sent to the college community this afternoon by the College’s deputy principals Chris McAlpine and Ystyn Francis also revealed that the board directors were also “considering their own positions” after a review found issues with governance.

“The appropriate response for the Board is to suspend those employees who have been named in the report, and to provide them with an opportunity to respond to the findings before any further steps can be considered,” they said.

“The College has not reached any finding of misconduct against the individuals concerned, and they remain employees of the College.”

Security guards were site at the school this morning.

Security guards were also on site at the college grounds this morning.

On Friday, the findings of an independent review into the college’s financial management were released and raised concerns about mismanagement.

Among the issues raised was that principal Paul Thomson, his daughter, chief financial officer Amy Ferguson, and her husband, business manager Kevin Ferguson, had taken a six-week trip to Finland and the United Kingdom in 2016.

The trip cost more $350,000 of which only $141,000 was considered by the review to be employment-related.

The review by GT Advisory and Consulting also raised concerns about the governance of the college “at both executive and Board levels”.

Mr McAlpine and Ms Francis said the findings of the review had been “upsetting” for the college, but their priority remained with the students.

“Our primary aim as educators is to ensure the school has a strong and sustainable future, and remains true to the vision to provide the highest standard of independent education,” they said.