Columbus School Board Votes Unanimously to Fire HR Executive Hale, Rejecting Referee's Recommendation
The Columbus City Schools Board of Education voted unanimously on November 4 to fire human resources executive Courtney Hale, rejecting the recommendation of an independent referee who had concluded she should not be dismissed.
The district said Hale was responsible for a deal with London-based insurance consultant Aon that produced more than $20 million in cost overruns and forced the district to draw on its self-insurance reserves. In a report delivered October 5, referee Dennis Grant, appointed through the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, found the district had not proven intentional misconduct and recommended that Hale be reinstated with back pay, with discipline limited to corrective measures.
In its resolution, the board said it generally accepts the referee's factual findings but disagrees with his legal conclusion about the unauthorized contract signatures. Hale, whose salary is $145,000, has not been paid since January. Board President Antoinette Miranda and Hale both declined to comment. (Source: Columbus City Schools Board of Education)
Source: Columbus City Schools Board of Education
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 俄亥俄州哥伦布市中心夜景（Downtown Columbus, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons） / Downtown Columbus, Ohio, at night (Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
