The headmaster of a Pitt Meadows private school was fired Wednesday after taking part in a legal action against the school’s founder.

Bruce Ashton has been headmaster of Greybrook Academy on Old Dewdney Trunk Road for the past two years, but was fired by school founder Nigel Turner after submitting an affidavit outlining his concerns about Turner’s use of school funds. The affidavit was part of a legal petition filed by the school’s parents with the B.C. Supreme Court last month seeking a hold on the school’s accounts, and requesting Ashton himself be appointed as trustee to oversee the management of the accounts.

“I feel like I’ve been hit by a train,” Ashton said.

Greybrook Academy is operated by the registered non-profit Vancouver International Primary and Secondary School Society, which was founded by Turner. The independent school opened in 2005 with 55 students, and currently has an enrolment of close to 200 from kindergarten to Grade 9, with tuition costing parents up to $10,500 per year.

The petition alleges that funds deposited by the parents for tuition payments for the 2009/2010 school year have “been used for other than that purpose,” as have funds donated to VIPSS by Turner for purposes other than the operation of Greybrook.

Ashton said his affidavit outlines his concerns that Turner was using the school society for his own benefit.

This past summer, the Port Coquitlam branch of the HSBC Bank of Canada placed restrictions on VIPSS’s account after a dispute between the signatories on the account, according to the petition. The account was effectively frozen, allowing disbursements only for the day-to-day operation of the school.

On August 31, Turner addressed the school’s parent advisory council, asking parents for an additional $12,000 bond payment to keep the school operating.

The request was denied, and the advisory council, chaired by parent Tricia Stephenson, asked to see the schools books, which Turner refused, states the petition.

It’s a tragic situation for the students and staff of the school, said Ashton.

“This is a great little school,” he added. “The staff are outstanding and through no fault of their own they could lose their jobs.”

Among the requests in the petition are that the school’s accounts be audited, and those accounts continue to be frozen while any cheques for more than $2,500 for anything other than operating costs would require court approval.

Turner did not return requests for an interview, nor did lawyers for the school’s parent advisory council.

Ashton said he was looking in to possible legal action against VIPSS for his dismissal.

A New Zealand native, Ashton was at Greybrook Academy under a foreign worker visa, and may now have to leave the country. His two sons are students at the school, while his wife is a kindergarten teacher there.

“The parents have given me their support,” said Ashton. “We can only go forward from here.”

The petition is the latest setback for VIPSS, which was recently denied a license to operate an English language school in South Korea’s Incheon Free Economic Zone.

The $120-million International School Songdo was built and funded by the New Songdo International City Development company, and VIPSS was to operate the school and create the curriculum for 2,100 students from kindergarten through high school.

However, VIPSS failed to get a license from the South Korean Ministry of Education, Science and Technology after failing to meet nine out of 10 criteria for approval, one of which was the fact VIPSS had no experience in running high school programs.