Akron Public Schools Board of Education said Thursday that it will hire an independent firm to investigate "personnel" issues related to Akron Superintendent Michael Robinson.
The news comes after several lengthy closed-door executive sessions by the board during its meetings in December. Steve Keenan, director of facility services, accused Robinson of unprofessional conduct in a letter last month, allegedly belittling him and other staff, Signal Akron and the Akron Beacon Journal reported, while a school board member had accused Robinson of "bullying" behavior earlier this year.
The investigation by a third-party firm will be conducted "promptly," Board President Diana Autry said in an emailed statement late Thursday afternoon.
"The top priority for the Board is to ensure continuity of high-quality education for Akron kids," Autry wrote. "Our full focus will be on fulfilling that mission every day. Further comment on these issues will be deferred pending results from the ongoing review."
Other questions have been raised about Robinson, now in his second year with the district, including his use of Gmail’s confidential mode to send emails that disappear after a limited period of time and cannot be forwarded, and about his resume and work history.
The Akron Education Association, the union representing Akron's teaching staff, has had a contentious relationship with Robinson, accusing him of union busting. It has filed four unfair labor practice complaints against him over the last year. Robinson has said he is pro-union and otherwise denied allegations of unprofessional conduct.
The union in a press release Thursday said the board of education is making a mistake in allowing the superintendent to remain in his role while the investigation is ongoing, rather than being place on administrative leave.
"This decision is an egregious departure from how similar allegations have been managed for any other employee in this district," said Pat Shipe, president of the union. "Employees facing such serious allegations are typically placed on immediate administrative leave, stripped of email access, instructed not to contact any other APS employees, and barred from APS property. The fact that the Board has chosen a different standard for the superintendent is deeply troubling and blatantly inequitable."
The allegations against Robinson represent a pattern of behavior "that has eroded trust, created a toxic work environment, and harmed the morale" of staff, the union argued in the release.
