Ex-BHUSD Superintendent Pleads Not Guilty

The former superintendent of the Beverly Hills Unified School District pled not guilty on Monday to two charges of misappropriation of funds, according to news reports.

The charges stem from that Hubbard gave two $10,000 stipends to former BHUSD facilities director Karen Christiansen without Board of Education approval. He also is charged with increasing Christiansen’s car allowance without board approval.

Christiansen, meanwhile, is charged with two counts of misappropriation of funds and four felony counts of conflict of interest. The conflict of interest charges stem from accusations that she negotiated allegedly secretly negotiated an independent contractor agreement while performing the same duties as a staffer, according to the district attorney's office. Christiansen was paid more than $5 million by BHUSD between 2006 and 2009, records show.

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge that there was enough evidence for the case to go to trial. Both Christiansen and Hubbard were scheduled to be arraigned Monday, although it isn’t clear if Christiansen’s arraignment took place. Hubbard pled not guilty, the Daily Pilot reported.

Hubbard has worked as superintendent of the Newport-Mesa Unified School District in Orange County since leaving BHUSD in mid-2006. At his request, he is now on paid administrative leave to prepare for his trial.

Hubbard is scheduled to be back in court for a pre-trial conference on Feb. 28, the Daily Pilot reported. He is facing a maximum sentence of five years in state prison if convicted of all charges.

Check back with Patch later this week for news on Christiansen’s arraignment.