Paula Crew Named Interim Superintendent
The Tecumseh Board of Education voted Saturday morning to initiate the termination of Superintendent Brad Martin’s contract of employment with the district.  Under Ohio law, Mr. Martin can request a hearing regarding termination of his contract in front of a referee appointed by the State Board of Education.  “In the meantime, he will continue on unpaid suspension” the School Board said in a statement.  The Board would not comment with any further specificity of Mr. Martin’s contract.

In separate action, the Board approved employment of Assistant Superintendent Paula Crew as Interim Superintendent. “The Board is confident that she will ably handle the duties of superintendent as the district moves forward in the New Year,” the Board said in a statement.  “It is the sincere hope of the Board that its actions this morning will enable the District to turn its focus to the many outstanding programs and initiatives that benefit our students and community.”

When asked about checks and balances and how Martin’s behaviors were capable of happening under the Board’s watch, the district replied:

“Mr. Martin engaged in numerous types of dishonesty and deception, including falsification of documents and dishonesty about his whereabouts, to keep his misconduct from being discovered. This misconduct ultimately came to light because of the checks and balances maintained by the District and the Treasurer’s office.”

In the wake of the allegations against Martin, many longtime community members have come forward, claiming that Martin has struggled with a gambling addiction for quite some time.  We asked the Board of Education to discuss its presumed ignorance of Martin’s alleged gambling problem despite so many in the community being quick to accuse the former Superintendent of just that.

“The Board is unable to share more details about what has been uncovered through investigation, due to the on-going criminal investigation by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of BCI,” reads a district statement.  “In addition to the letter issued to Mr. Martin outlining the allegations against him, the Board can say that Mr. Martin engaged in numerous types of dishonesty and deception, including falsification of documents and dishonesty about his whereabouts, to keep his misconduct from being discovered.”

In reference to Martin’s alleged 100 days or partial days missed from school, the Board stated that Martin’s behavior was “deceptive,” saying his actions made it difficult for those close to him to determine if he was leaving work for legitimate reasons.

“With respect to Mr. Martin’s absences from work, the Board’s letter containing allegations against Mr. Martin reference absences from work on more than 100 work days or parts of work days.  Of course, a Superintendent does not punch in and out on a time clock and can have many legitimate reasons for being somewhere other than at his desk during the course of a normal work day,” said a statement from the Board.  “Again, Mr. Martin’s deception made it difficult for his subordinates and the Board to determine when he was not engaged in school business on work days and parts of work days.”

Concerning the money Martin allegedly took for the purchase of iPads that were never accounted for, the Board said Martin’s longstanding employment with the district and his lack of prior discipline led them to believe he could be trusted.  Representatives of the Board also said district Superintendents and Treasurers are not required to report to one another, as they both are held accountable by the Board alone.  When asked how Martin could obtain monies from the district Treasurer with seemingly no questions asked, the Board responded:

“Under Ohio law, the Superintendent and the Treasurer both report directly to the board of education, and neither position reports to the other. When the Superintendent requested the purchase of eight iPads for urgent needs, the Treasurer’s office accommodated the chief executive officer of the district’s requests for these purchases, given that he was a 20-year employee with no prior concerns and was employed by the Board to carry out the educational needs of the district.”