Akron Superintendent Michael Robinson was placed on paid administrative leave Tuesday after the board of education said an investigation found he had bullied, intimidated and retaliated against employees.
That report, relying on interviews with 16 current and former employees along with other witnesses, alleges Robinson "created a toxic and fearful working environment where employees are subject to pervasive ridicule, unjustified verbal abuse, and are under a constant threat of losing their jobs."
The investigation describes Robinson as a vindictive person who berated others for perceived slights, said he was religiously "anointed," and failed to recognize that his leadership style caused harm, according to a copy of the report obtained by Ideastream Public Media.
In interviews with investigators, Robinson denied allegations his leadership and communication styles were offensive or that he retaliated against employees, said staff was not accustomed to being held to high standards and stated the teachers' union and media conspired to publish negative stories about him.
Attempts to reach Robinson have been unsuccessful.
The 24-page report, done by Akron law firm Brennan, Manna & Diamond, notes that Robinson's actions violated the district's policies, including its code of ethics and standards of professional conduct. Those violations, it says, subject him to discipline by the board.
The allegations in the report are "highly concerning," said Pat Shipe, president of the Akron teachers' union.
"Certainly, the more serious charges clearly spell out how people have been intimidated and retaliated against," Shipe said, "and made to be fearful not only of their jobs, but of anything that's coming around the corner. So I think it's a pretty damning report."
What employees and witnesses said
The investigation dove into allegations that Robinson regularly humiliated staff, threatened to fire them and retaliated against them.
Often, it says, Robinson would do so during weekly "Think Tank" meetings with senior staff, especially with regard to the district's former communications director.
"Nearly every witness described a specific time they saw and heard Dr. Robinson verbally abusing and admonishing the Communications Department," according to the report. "Witnesses described a time where Dr. Robinson took the Communications Department out of a Think Tank meeting into an open hallway and berated them so loudly that people from two floors up came downstairs to see what was happening."
Witnesses also said the district's human resources department staff directly witnessed Robinson's alleged abusive behavior but never did anything about it, leading employees to believe they could take no recourse against him.
Multiple staff reported retaliation, saying they were demoted or had job titles changed after speaking up about Robinson's behavior. The director of facilities management reported his email access was revoked along with his oversight over facilities staff after complaining to the board.
The investigators reported that the workplace culture at the central office is "toxic." Witnesses also called it "horrible," "as bad as it can be," "hostile," and "intimidating," according to the report.
Four witnesses cried in their interviews as they described Robinson's conduct, it said.
The investigation also quoted witnesses who said Robinson used derogatory language to refer to students.
"Dr. Robinson admittedly uses words like 'ghetto' when describing the behavior [of] children but not calling a specific child 'ghetto,'" the report reads. "Other witnesses have heard Dr. Robinson refer to a female student as a 'heifer,' refer to kids as 'thugs' or imply they are criminals."
Robinson allegedly made threatening statements about Board Member Rene Molenaur and her children, according to the report, including a statement that he "could just ring her neck."
"Witness No. 9 heard Dr. Robinson make other threatening statements about Dr. Molenaur after she accused Dr. Robinson of unprofessional and bullying behavior in an open letter to the Board," the investigation notes.
"This witness reported Dr. Robinson saying, 'She better watch out, she has kids.' When questioned about this during his interview, Dr. Robinson admitted saying, to Dr. Molenaur herself, that if Dr. Molenaur 'doesn’t live long enough' that her 'children, and her children’s children' will reap what she (Dr. Molenaur) sows."
Molenaur declined to comment on the report Wednesday.
The stakes are high for a district that has had two superintendents in less than four years and is considering more than $10 million in budget cuts.
"If the status quo is maintained, APS is at significant risk of losing long time, experienced educators," the report reads. "Two former employees stated that a part of their decision to leave APS was due to Dr. Robinson’s behavior. Other employees have admitted to seriously considering looking for alternative employment in different districts because of Dr. Robinson."
Robinson's defense
When interviewed by investigators, Robinson denied that his “direct” communication and leadership style are offensive or problematic, according to the report.
"He [Robinson] stated that he enjoys coaching subordinates but sets high expectations for himself and his staff. Dr. Robinson believes that APS staff are not used to meeting high expectations and have not been held accountable for their work in the past," the report reads.
Robinson also stated he is not a "retaliatory" person, noting there were multiple occasions where he could have fired employees he's complained about, but did not do so. He also said he believes the media conspires with the teachers' union to print negative stories about him, describing it as a "playbook" also used against former Superintendent Christine Fowler-Mack.
The investigators said that assertion is not corroborated by any evidence or witnesses.
Board Member Diana Autry, the lone "no" vote on placing Robinson on leave Tuesday night, said she believes Akron Public Schools has deeper problems with its culture and administration, referring to a transition report issued in May 2024 that raised concerns with anonymous complaints being used to attack individuals with little recourse.
"I don't believe the superintendent walked into a perfect situation, and I don't think he demonstrated perfect behavior," Autry said after the board vote, when asked if she believed Robinson did anything wrong.
That transition report was mentioned in the investigation as well.
"Although witnesses credited Dr. Robinson for his good ideas for APS, his inability to work with others hinders progress," the investigation notes. "One witness stated that Dr. Robinson is 'a problem,' but perhaps is not the source of the problem, citing the Transition Report’s findings about pre-existing dynamics in APS. However, the witness interviews and documents overwhelmingly establish that Dr. Robinson cannot see how his behavior is problematic or unprofessional."
