The Akron Board of Education appears to have violated its own policies April 28 when it hired Mary Outley as its new superintendent, pending a valid contract, without a formal search process.
The policy, passed in 1998 and never amended, outlines a protocol for the board to conduct a superintendent search while mandating that it checks several boxes during the process.
According to the school board’s administrative policy, members are obligated to “actively seek the best qualified and most capable candidate” for superintendent, a process that typically takes several months or longer from start to finish.
Hiring former superintendent Michael Robinson took approximately three months, from the hiring of search firm Ray & Associates in May 2023 to his hiring in July of that year.
The board’s policy also requires it to:
- Lay out how it should conduct the search.
- Create a written job description.
- Consider candidates from a wide geographic area.
- Interview all qualified and serious candidates.
None of these policies appears to have been followed when board member Diana Autry motioned for Interim Superintendent Mary Outley to be appointed as the new superintendent of Akron Public Schools.
The policy also lays out the tools at the board’s disposal to aid its search for a new district leader. Those tools include a board committee, consultants, or “the participation of staff, parents, and students, as well as members of the community.”
How Akron school board members respond
Board President Carla Jackson did not reply to inquiries about the board’s policy. Autry, who made the motion to appoint Outley, told Signal Akron she “said what I needed in the board meeting,” and did not respond to further questions.
Board member Barbara Sykes, who voted against Outley being named superintendent, implored fellow board members to take time hiring a new superintendent.
“As I said on Monday, we need to engage the community in this process too,” Sykes said. “It was clear we were not following the policy.”
Outley appointed minutes after board agrees to Robinson’s resignation
On April 28, Outley was hired minutes after the board voted to accept Robinson’s resignation — including a $200,000 payout to avoid a potentially lengthy and expensive termination hearing.
After a contentious debate, Autry’s motion passed 4-3, showcasing a divided board. Jackson and fellow board members Bruce Alexander and Summer Hall joined Autry in supporting the motion. Board members Gregory Harrison, Rene Molenaur and Sykes voted against it, urging colleagues to table the motion for a future board meeting or at least conduct a private conversation in executive session.
While Outley was interviewed for the top education job in Akron in 2023 — she was named a finalist before Robinson earned the position — she was not interviewed this time. Nobody was.
At least one board member, Molenaur, said at Monday’s meeting she had not spoken with Outley about her desire to be superintendent since her candidacy two years ago. She said she would be uncomfortable voting to put someone in a position they had not asked to be in.
Colleagues and community members spoke highly of Outley after she was named interim superintendent on April 15. The 1985 Buchtel graduate worked her way up from classroom teacher to principal, district administrator and, ultimately, superintendent.