A former principal at the Coast Tsimshian Academy school in Lax Kw’alaams has had his teaching licence revoked after using up to $337,000 school funds for his own purposes between 2015 and 2018.
Kelly Joseph Rambeau was fired in 2018, sued by the school and, in 2022 forced to partially repay the funds he siphoned.
The B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation posted the public notice of the licence loss on Tuesday, Sept. 12, saying, “Rambeau’s conduct had the potential to undermine the reputation of the profession, including in relation to truth, reconciliation and healing.”
Rambeau misappropriated between $286,287 and $337,133 from 2015 until 2018 according to a forensic accounting report done by the school.
After being taken to the B.C. Supreme Court by the school, Rambeau settled with the school out of court by paying $175,000 and apologizing to the school in 2022.
“I was careless with the school finances and benefited from those reimbursements for personal expenses that I was not entitled to,” he said in court.
READ MORE: Coast Tsimshian Academy principal fired after financial irregularities discovered
The former principal agreed to forego his licence on Aug. 15, though there is nothing to stop him from applying for a licence again.
In the public notice, Rambeau was deemed to have “compromised his position of trust and improperly benefited from his position of authority.