AKRON, Ohio — Akron Public Schools Board of Education accepted the resignation of Superintendent Christine Fowler-Mack during its meeting on Monday evening.
According to a statement from the district, Fowler-Mack's resignation will be effective on March 4, 2023. Mary Outley, who serves as the director of elementary education for Akron Public Schools has been appointed as the district's interim superintendent.
"While the Board remains appreciative of Ms. Fowler-Mack's service as Superintendent, it has accepted her voluntary resignation," the APS statement read. "We are excited for her next chapter and excited for new leadership to guide Akron Public Schools in the future."
Fowler-Mack departs as the safety of Akron Public Schools has been called into question after several instances of violence. Since the beginning of November, students have been stabbed at both Firestone and Buchtel, and in the same week, both Firestone and Litchfield CLC were briefly placed on lockdown after a seventh-grader was found with a gun inside the latter school. A student was also found with a gun on campus prior to a Firestone-Buchtel boys basketball game in December.
In December, Akron Public Schools approved $3 million in safety equipment upgrades, including new surveillance cameras in all schools and new metal detectors.
Dr. Derrick Hall, Akron school board president, said the change in leadership did not have to do with safety concerns, adding that it was a mutual decision.
“I think both parties had gotten to the point where we realized that it made sense for us to move in different directions, and we wanted to do so in a way that was productive and positive, and so it was a mutual decision," Dr. Hall said. "But I would tell you, from a student discipline and teacher safety standpoint, no, that was not a factor at all in this.”
The concerns over safety in APS schools threw a wrench into labor negotiations between the district and its teachers. The two sides went to federal mediation before agreeing to a new contract last month.
"It's no secret that we've, over the last year, particularly during negotiations, voiced our disappointment and concern that things were not being addressed by that administration," said Pat Shipe, president of the Akron Education Association. "We feel that now, hopefully we can move forward and address them."
Looking ahead, Shipe said the "AEA will work with whomever the board determines to be the right person" for the superintendent position.
"We are cautiously optimistic," Shipe said. "I say that because in education, things are cyclical. We've been here before. Our educators certainly, and I, believe that - the old adage, that actions speak louder than words."
The district's executive director for elementary education, Mary Outley, will serve as interim superintendent. According to Dr. Hall, Outley has more than three decades of experience with the district as a teacher, principal, and administrator, and was a student of the district herself.
"She's really walked in the moccasins of a lot of people, so she knows what it's like to be there in the trenches, and she hasn't forgotten that," Dr. Hall said. "I think that's what makes her such a fantastic administrator, is the fact that she does have that wealth of experience."
Dr. Hall said there will be a search conducted to find a permanent superintendent, and said the board will encourage Outley to apply for the role. He said the goal is to have a superintendent in place by August.
According to a separation agreement, Fowler-Mack was contracted to serve in the role of superintendent from August 1, 2021, through July 31, 2024. The agreement also states that Fowler-Mack will be paid $462,585.68, which includes the remaining portion of her 2022-2023 salary, and her 2023-2024 salary.
"It is never easy to leave a place we love," Fowler-Mack said in the APS statement. "My decision to separate at a time of such pivotal change and opportunity for APS was made with careful thought, prayer, and discussions with my family."
Last summer, the Akron Beacon Journal reported that several members of the Akron Public Schools Board of Education gave Fowler-Mack harsh reviews after her first year on the job.
According to the ABJ's reporting, then-APS Board President N.J. Akbar notably referred to Fowler-Mack's tenure as a "failure" and an "insubordinate employee" amongst other criticisms. "This relationship has completely failed solely due to her unwillingness, inflexibility and resistance which is quite irreparable," he wrote.
In September, Akron City Council narrowly passed a resolution giving its support to Fowler-Mack. The resolution called for the APS board to "withdraw and revisit" its comments about Fowler-Mack, calling the criticism "unfair." It notes that Fowler-Mack took over the helm of the Akron Public Schools at a time when the district was "reeling from a global pandemic, labor issues, and 23,000+ students and families desperately seeking normalcy."
Monday's announcement ends two turbulent years for Fowler-Mack, who became the first female superintendent in Akron Public Schools history in April of 2021. A graduate of Akron East High School, Fowler-Mack began her career as an APS teacher back in the 1990s before becoming an assistant principal and principal in both Kent and Cleveland Heights-University Heights. She spent nearly a decade as a top administrator in the latter district and even served as acting superintendent in 2009 before leaving for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District a year later.
The APS statement says the search for a new superintendent will focus on candidates "who will unify our parents, students and community by leading with sensitivity, collaboration, and an equity-centered approach."
You can watch Monday's Akron Public Schools Board of Education meeting below: