Former TDSB chair Donna Quan took home more than Premier Wynne in 2015

FormerToronto District SchoolBoard director Donna Quan,who resigned under a cloud of controversyin 2015, made more money last yearthan Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, according to this year's Sunshine List.

• Search Ontario's 2015 Sunshine List

• Ontario Sunshine List released

Quan, who stepped down from her position at the helm of the TDSB18 months before her contract was up, earned$587,225in 2015, according to the public list of Ontario's highest earners. Those total earnings include a base salary of $272,000 and a $315,225 payout for unused vacation days.

Wynne, by comparison, earned a salary of $208,974 last year.

After she left the school board, Quan was seconded to a new position with a joint venture between York University and Ontario's Ministry of Education.

In a statement issued soon after the list went public, the school board explainedQuan's earnings for 2015.

Spokesperson Ryan Bird said in an email thatthe additional paymentwas not severance, but rather "unused vacation days that were owed to her as per her employment agreements during the 14 years she was a Supervisory Officer."

Issues surroundingQuan'stenure at the TDSBsurfaced ina scathing report ordered by the provincial government, which found Quan negotiated a salary almost double that which school board trustees were prepared to pay, then kept the contract a secret when serious questions arose.

Before they began their search for a new director of education, TDSB trustees had signed off on a $272,000 salary,but voted yes to a $315,000 salary instead when they finalized Quan's contract in Oct. 2013.

They only agreed to the higher salary conditionally, though. Trustees wantedprovincial government approvalon the salary, as well. But they didn't get it. Instead, according to the report, trustees said they didn't see a copy of a letter from the ministry of education saying the salary had to match the much smaller number earned by Quan's predecessor.