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ST. CHARLES COUNTY — The state auditor on Thursday said his office will review the nearly $230,000 Francis Howell School District paid its former superintendent, who resigned before ever working a day in the district.

Trevor Fox, spokesman for Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick, confirmed the office will look into the payment as it completes a follow-up on an audit of Francis Howell, which earned the district the lowest possible rating of “poor� by the state agency last December.

A separation agreement with former Superintendent Mike Dominguez surprised parents and staff after the Francis Howell Board of Education voted unanimously to approve Dominguez’s resignation and a $229,166.67 payout on July 31 with no explanation. The payout represents 11 months of Dominguez’s $250,000 salary.

The board hired Dominguez in March to replace outgoing Superintendent Kenneth Roumpos, who left for the Kirkwood School District in July. Dominguez’s July 1 start date was postponed “due to unforeseen circumstances,� the district said in a June 27 statement. Dominguez and the school board reached a deal to separate on July 31.

Fitzpatrick, after the governor’s Ham Breakfast at the Missouri State Fair on Thursday, said his office typically returns to agencies that receive “poor� ratings about a year later to see how they have addressed audit findings.

The auditor’s 35-page on Francis Howell in December mostly revolved around a bungled bidding process and other failures that led to the new Francis Howell North high school costing almost twice what the district originally projected.

“It’s going to be interesting to find out what their decision-making process was that led them to hire somebody they then changed their mind about,� Fitzpatrick told the Post-Dispatch. “I assume it was a firing. If he voluntarily left, then I can’t understand why they’re paying him.�

Dominguez’s separation agreement effectively gagged Francis Howell officials from explaining his departure. It stated that if asked about any employment dispute involving Dominguez, that district employees and board members agreed to respond “‘Dr. Dominguez resigned from the Francis Howell School District effective on July 31, 2025. I cannot comment further on a confidential personnel matter.’�

Fitzpatrick said his office also may examine the selection process that led to Dominguez’s hiring.

“Presuming it was like a termination situation, how did they end up in a situation where they didn’t vet their decision well enough to know before they hired him what problems they were going to have after they hired him?� Fitzpatrick said.

The district hired a Chicago-area consultant firm called School Exec Connect to lead the search for Roumpos’ replacement and completed a background check as part of the hiring process.

The firm has conducted several other searches in the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ area, including the search that resulted in Roumpos’ hire at Kirkwood, and the current superintendents of Ritenour, University City and Rockwood school districts.

Superintendent searches can take more than a year. Dominguez, however, was hired three months after Roumpos announced his departure. Previous school board members who voted to hire Dominguez said they wanted him to work alongside Roumpos before he left for his new job.

Dominguez was one of three candidates the Francis Howell school board interviewed, a spokesperson previously told the Post-Dispatch. The board selected him to become superintendent on a 6-1 vote, with board member Jane Puszkar the only dissenter.

The vote occurred shortly before the board’s makeup switched from a conservative to more moderate majority.

Three days after Francis Howell voted to pay Dominguez to leave, Dominguez landed a new job at Shawnee Public Schools in Oklahoma as assistant superintendent.

Local media there the Oklahoma Department of Education was investigating the hire on Wednesday.

A spokesperson for the department did not respond to messages seeking confirmation on Thursday.

Shawnee Public Schools spokeswoman Amanda Johnson said the district had not been notified of any official investigation by the state’s Department of Education.

In a statement provided by Johnson, the district said it was “proud� to welcome Dominguez, citing his “proven record of leadership.�

“His addition to our leadership team reflects our continued commitment to strong, diverse leadership that serves all students,� the statement read. “We are confident in the contributions he will make and look forward to advancing the standard of excellence our community expects and deserves.