In my line of work, I’ve met individuals who are worth hundreds of millions of dollars. And yet the richest man I know is an educator and public servant.
Larry Powell climbed the educational ladder from teacher to principal to Fresno County schools superintendent.
Now, thanks to a heroic and heartwarming gesture, the 63-year-old educator has become a national celebrity, returning $288,241 in salary and benefits for the remaining 3½ years of his contract. He then retired — for one day — and then came back to work for about $31,000 a year with no benefits.
2,000 emails and 5,000 messages on Facebook told him he had restored the student’s “confidence in elected officials.”
(READ the Op/Ed in the Mercury News)