After a 10-day suspension imposed by the Mingus Union High School District governing board on Oct. 25, pending an investigation into MUHSD Superintendent Penny Hargrove’s conduct by the law firm Gust Rosenfeld, Hargrove resigned from her position on Saturday, Nov. 10.
At a board meeting Saturday morning, an out-of-the-ordinary time for the board to meet, the board accepted Hargrove’s resignation, as well as a separation agreement, providing Hargrove with payment equal to base pay and stipend through Thursday, Feb. 28, and providing her with COBRA coverage for dental and health insurance until that date as well.
The agreement also includes mutual release for any claims the district has against Hargrove or vice versa, though it does not waive state claims. The agreement was negotiated between MUHSD attorney Susan Segal, of Gust Rosenfeld, and Hargrove’s attorney.
Hargrove wrote a letter tendering her resignation on Thursday, Nov. 8, on the condition of being provided the separation agreement. The board approved the separation agreement in a 4-0 vote on Saturday, with board member Anthony Lozano abstaining.
The board opened the investigation into Hargrove’s conduct following the downgrading of MUHS from a B to a D in Arizona Department of Education evaluations for the 2017-2018 school year, due largely to technical problems with AZ Merit testing in the spring. The board expressed dissatisfaction with Hargrove’s explanations and conduct at the board meeting on Oct. 25, leading to board placing Hargrove on administrative leave pending the investigation by Gust Rosenfeld.
“During the investigation, issues other than AZ Merit issue came up,” Segal said. Segal did not reveal what those issues were, due to attorney-client privilege, and members of the MUHSD board declined to comment on them while the process is ongoing.
“I think they all weighed equally,” Segal said
“As always, we want the absolute best fit for Mingus Union High School, with our vision of moving forward for our kids and our staff, and that’s from the heart,” Governing Board President Anita Glazar said after the meeting. “I liked Dr. Hargrove and it saddens me that this has happened.”
This is the fourth change in the MUHSD superintendent position of the past three years — Superintendent Paul Tighe voluntarily resigned in April 2016 to take over the Saddle Mountain Unified School District in Tonopah; interim Superintendent Eric Harmon was placed on administrative leave in January 2017 and fired in February; and Jack Keegan served in an interim position through June 2017 before being replaced by Hargrove.
At a board meeting on Thursday, Nov. 8, the MUHSD board unanimously approved MUHS Principal Genie Gee as acting superintendent indefinitely.
“I’ll do anything for this school and district,” Gee said when the board inquired whether she would accept that role. “I’m happy to serve.”
According to Glazar, the board has not yet made any decisions about the search for a new superintendent. With three of the current board’s members leaving (Glazar, James Ledbetter, and Steve Gesell) at the end of this year, to be replaced by three new members (Carol Anne Teague, John McTurk, and Chip Currie). Glazar expressed a desire to let the future board make its own decisions about the future of the district.
“Genie’s a person that will do anything for the school and now we’re asking her for more,” Glazar said at Thursday’s meeting. “We appreciate that very much. I hope everyone does support her during this time.”
“We’re a family here, so when something like this happens, it’s tough for all of us,” Gee said. “But we serve our students, we serve our community, and that’s what we’ll continue to do.”
When asked if she was interested in becoming superintendent full-time, Gee said that she has no current intention to apply, but intends to serve the school in whatever way she is needed.
“I absolutely love being a principal, so I haven’t thought about it,” Gee said. “But if the school has a need, I’ll do what I need to do. If people think that’s the right spot for me and it’s the time, okay, but ultimately I love being a principal. That’s what I love doing.”
“I think there is a phenomenal amount of trust that the staff has for Ms. Gee,” said Stephen Renard, a Mingus Union math teacher and Mingus Union Education Association co-president, on Gee’s appointment. “She has bled Mingus red for years. We respect and appreciate everything she’s done and the culture she has been instrumental in creating.”
Jon Hecht can be reached at 634-8551, or email jhecht@larsonnewspapers.com
