Interim schools chief finds housing

The Newport-Mesa Unified School District has found temporary housing at the cost of $79 a day for interim Supt. Rob Barbot, the acting superintendent said Wednesday.

Barbot, a former superintendent for the district, starts Feb. 23 and will live in Orange County, but acting Supt. Paul Reed wouldn’t say in which city he will reside. School board members have said Barbot lives in Northern California, and that the stipend will cover his housing costs while the search for a permanent superintendent is on.

Bringing Barbot back to the district to both be superintendent and search for the replacement will save the district $120,000 when compared with paying former Supt. Jeffrey Hubbard and hiring an independent search consultant, Reed said.

Hubbard, who was terminated Jan. 23 after being convicted of two felonies related to his previous superintendent job in Beverly Hills, made $305,920. Hubbard has not applied for retirement benefits, California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) officials said.

Hubbard replaced Barbot, who retired in July 2006 with just under 40 years of service credit for retirement.

During his last year as superintendent, Barbot made $236,265, according to CalSTRS.

The school board unanimously approved Barbot’s contract Tuesday night for $985 a day, but asked Barbot to waive vacation, sick leave and health benefits.

Barbot already receives $228,158 annually in retirement benefits before taxes, according to CalSTRS.

His contract expires July 31.

britney.barnes@latimes.com

Twitter: @britneyjbarnes