A longtime headmaster of a prestigious Connecticut boarding school has been put on leave after school officials learned about a shocking investigation involving him.
Charles Cahn III, who served at Suffield Academy for 23 years, is allegedly under investigation for tax fraud, the board members said.
The school put the principal, who earns over $1 million a year, on leave on Thursday after the trustees learned about an Internal Revenue Service investigation into him.
It assured the members that the school’s finances are not under scrutiny, but Cahn is allegedly in trouble for discrepancies in his own personal wealth.
Board President Frederic Powers sent an email to all the associates and said: ‘We are cooperating fully with the investigation.’
The school or the trustees have not revealed the reason for the investigation, leaving parents and alumni in the dark.
Cahn, who was deemed a transformational figure at the boarding school, was set to retire next summer.
Casey Bobo, a previously named successor, has already taken up Cahn’s duties at the school, The Boston Globe reported.
Charles Cahn, the headmaster of the prestigious Suffield Academy, is allegedly under an IRS investigation
After learning about the probe, the board members of the school decided to put Cahn on a leave. His successor, Casey Bobo has already taken up Cahn’s duties
Cahn, 56, was one of the highest-paid boarding school leaders. The school had hosted a celebration in his honor just a few days before the shocking announcement.
Even when Bobo took over his position, the email sent to the school community did not address the rumors related to him, the outlet reported.
‘Everyone loved Charlie,’ a parent of recent Suffield graduates who wanted to remain anonymous told the outlet.
After the big revelation, the Connecticut school said it hired a crisis public relations agency to deal with the situation.
It has refused to speak further about the investigation.
‘We understand that this announcement may raise questions, and we appreciate your understanding of the limits on what we can share,’ Powers said in his email.
The principal was paid $1,124,088 during the 2024-25 fiscal year, CT Insider reported. He also made just over $1 million in both 2021-22 and 2020-21, according to a 2024 review by CT Insider.
Cahn joined Suffield as an English teacher and lacrosse coach. In 2004, he was promoted to the position of head of school at age 34
The New England school is a nearly two-century-old academy with as many as 420 students.
Boarding students pay an annual tuition of $79,400, with one-fifth of the students coming from abroad.
Cahn joined Suffield as an English teacher and lacrosse coach.
He climbed the ranks and became the head of admissions and dean of the faculty. In 2004, he was promoted to the position of head of school at age 34.
The headmaster met his wife, Hillary Rockwell, at the school.
The couple raised their two children on campus and they soon became the school’s first family. Their photos were used in marketing materials.
Cahn’s fundraising prowess was always the talk of the town, which the school said justified his high pay.
He helped transform Suffield’s 350-acre campus, which included new athletic centers, a dining hall and academic buildings.
Cahn also traveled in the country and abroad for fundraising events.
He was scheduled to appear at alumni events in Seoul, Shanghai, Beijing, San Francisco, Boston and New York City.
The school also had elaborate plans to felicitate Cahn and continue his legacy of fundraising success.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the school for comment.
