[B]urlington school district superintendent Yaw Obeng has placed high school guidance director Mario Macias on administrative leave following a damning report from the Agency of Education made public this week.
Macias is facing six licensing misconduct charges from the Agency and the secretary of education has recommended his license be suspended for a year. The charges, which were brought by the Agency on September 7, will now be reviewed by a state licensing board.
Obeng’s statement said that Macias would remain on leave pending the outcome of the board’s review.
“This leave will ensure that all parties involved will have the opportunity to engage in this process without disruptions while maintaining the climate and positive learning and working environment at Burlington High School,” he said.
Macias is accused of creating a hostile working environment; failing to maintain a professional relationship with a substitute teacher; deliberately falsifying a student transcript; bullying employees and being “unaware of the basic functions of the guidance department.”
The Agency’s findings were first reported by the high school’s paper, the Register, which was then ordered to take the story down, prompting a discussion about whether the administration violated a new Vermont law barring censorship of student journalists.
The guidance director’s tenure at BHS, which began in the 2016-17 school year, has been rocky from the start. A year ago, four guidance department employees quit, and publicly complained to the school board about what they described as erratic, bullying behavior and general incompetence.
At the time of the guidance department’s mass exodus, Obeng said he stood behind Macias. And in a Seven Days article earlier this week, BHS principal Noel Green was quoted complimenting Macias’ “stellar” performance.
It is unclear whether the leave is paid or unpaid. Obeng’s statement, sent out at 5:13 p.m., directed press to call his office for follow-up questions, but no one responded to multiple phone calls placed at the number provided. An email also wasn’t returned.
Macias made $92,783 during the 2016-17 school year, according to the city’s annual report. The school district has not yet responded to a public records request from VTDigger for his current salary.
The school board, in the same statement, said it “respectfully acknowledges” the education agency’s charges.
“The law prohibits the board from taking any direct employment action against Mr. Macias. Such action is under the authority of Superintendent Obeng, and the board endorses Superintendent Obeng’s decision to place Mario Macias on administrative leave,” the board said.
