The Akron Board of Education on Tuesday evening voted 4-1 with two abstentions to suspend Superintendent Michael Robinson, one day after it received an investigative report examining allegations that he bullied, harassed and retaliated against district staff, creating a hostile work environment.
“The allegations of this behavior were substantiated by interviews with 16 current and former APS employees and supported by information from many witnesses,” said Board President Carla Jackson. “Much of Superintendent Robinson’s negative conduct is in clear violation of the APS Code of Conduct and is simply not acceptable conduct by a school official.”
Following a more than two-hour long discussion in executive session, the board voted to place Robinson on paid administrative leave, effective immediately. The embattled superintendent was reportedly escorted from the district administrative building.
Summer Hall and Vice President Bruce Alexander abstained because they said they had not read the report. Diana Autry, the lone board member to vote against the motion, took issue with the investigation’s anonymous complaints. Instead, she encouraged community members to review a transition report which she said detailed its culture less than one year ago.
“I am disappointed that we are at this place, in this district,” Autry said. “And I am disappointed that we are experiencing this together. But I hope we can eventually come together.”
Board member Rene Molenaur quickly responded to Autry’s statement. “As people are watching this and reading this,” Molenaur said, “and reading that report that member Autry asked everyone to read … consider everything in the report and the people who enable and defend behaviors that are inexcusable.”
Outley becomes interim superintendent for second time
In the interim, the board appointed Mary Outley as the acting superintendent. Outley previously served as the interim superintendent between former Superintendent Christine Fowler Mack, who resigned in February 2023, and Robinson.
Outley is currently the executive director of school leadership in the district and sits on the district’s negotiating team for union contracts.
Robinson was hired as superintendent of Akron Public Schools in July 2023 — he makes $240,000 annually.
The investigation into Robinson’s conduct began on Dec. 19, when the board hired a law firm, Brennan Manna Diamond, to conduct a fact-finding mission into allegations that Robinson created a toxic environment. Robinson remained on the job during the investigation as the board spent hours in several lengthy executive sessions called to discuss personnel matters.
The report was expected to be paired with suggestions compiled by a second law firm, Bricker Graydon, to help the board decide what disciplinary action, if any, is appropriate for it to take in response to the findings.
Akron Public Schools, one of Ohio’s largest public school systems, serves more than 20,000 students and employs approximately 4,500 people. Its annual budget is about $500 million.
Following Tuesday’s special meeting, the report was not yet public, although board members had access to it Monday.
This board member first publicly called for superintendent to be placed on leave
At Monday’s full board meeting, board member Gregory Harrison called for the superintendent to be placed on paid administrative leave. He explained his reasoning with four points: proximity to the problem, duty of care, fiduciary responsibility and supervision.
“As this thing, this fact finding, has progressed, we continue to find out more,” Harrison said Monday night. “And it just comes down to, at what point has that threshold been met? And for me, it has been met.”
Akron Education Association President Pat Shipe said Tuesday’s developments were no cause for celebration.
“You know,” Shipe said, “if the board continues to look at superintendents with an ‘us against them’ mentality, I don’t know how we change what they perceive to be the culture.”
Freelance reporter London Green contributed to this article.