A California school superintendent has been fired after she failed to discipline a mid-level boss who allegedly bullied employees with impunity.
Superintendent Stephanie Anello's contract was terminated by the Antioch Unified School District without cause on Wednesday after a year-long bullying scandal.
Anello allegedly refused to hold Maintenance Director Ken Turnage accountable because he is friends with Anello and her husband, Antioch's former police chief Allan Cantando said.
At least 10 school district employees complained about Turnage following a January 2023 incident when he instructed two people to use heavy equipment to move employee Jim Kesser's desk on to a roof, reported NBC Bay Area.
'He literally blew up at me… He went from zero to 60 in five seconds,' Kesser told the local news station.
Antioch Unified School District Superintendent Stephanie Anello (pictured) was fired for failing to discipline a mid-level boss who allegedly bullied employees
At least 10 school district employees complained following a January 2023 incident when employee Jim Kesser's desk was moved to the roof of a building
Kesser said Turnage had his desk moved to the roof as an act of retaliation for correcting him about the responsibilities of his job.
'At first I thought he is bullying me for speaking out for a conversation we have a few months earlier where he asked me to do a job assignment and I said 'I'm open to doing whatever you ask me to do but I just want to let you know because you're new, I am not a mechanic and I am not an electrician,'' Kesser said.
Photos of the bizarre 'prank' show the desk on the roof of the school district's maintenance yard building under an orange tent with a sign next to a ladder that said 'Kesser's office.'
'I literally was in the emergency room the next weekend. My wife said you're having panic attacks… I thought I was having a heart attack,' Kesser said.
Other employees recounted similar experiences of bullying and intimidation by Turnage.
District employees alleged that Maintenance Director Ken Turnage (pictured) bullied and intimidated workers
Many workers felt Turnage (right) got away with the harassment because of his relationship with the superintendent (left) and her husband (center)
Bruce Courtemanche said Turnage's behavior caused him to retire early.
'I said [to Turnage], 'I honestly feel like you're disrespecting me'… [Turnage] stomped behind his desk, clenched his fist, and says, 'I don't respect you. I don't respect you at all,'' said Courtemanche.
'[Turnage] has charged up on me… I thought he was going to physically assault me,' said Antioch Unified School District Carpenter Steve Hessler.
'I asked [Turnage] where I could put my printer, and I was told I could put it on the roof. '[It made me feel] small, violated,' said Antioch Unified School District Purchasing Technician Kim Atkinson.
The school district investigated the desk incident and determined it was a prank and not bullying, but many workers felt Turnage got away with the harassment because of his relationship with the superintendent and her husband.
'I've seen them on the golf course. I golf. I literally saw him playing with Cantando and Stephanie Anello,' Kesser said.
'They go golfing together every weekend,' Atkinson said.
Kesser (pictured) said Turnage had his desk moved to the roof as an act of retaliation for correcting him about the responsibilities of his job
Turnage was placed on administrative leave in April and Anello went on medical leave in May.
On Wednesday the school voted to terminate her contract and she will receive nine months of her $353,000 annual salary.
'The board did take action in close session to terminate the superintendent's employment agreement effectively immediately without cause,' Board President Antonio Hernandez said.
Several of the employees who filed complaints were at the meeting and thanked the board for taking action.
'I can't thank you enough. If I could stand here for three minutes and say thank you over and over, I would. You heard us,' Atkinson said.
