The Southern Lehigh School Board — at a Monday evening meeting so raucous that its president apologized for the lack of decorum — promoted substitute superintendent Karen Trinkle to the role permanently and approved a $215,000 settlement with a district administrator who alleged harassment and discrimination before being put on leave.
Karen Trinkle was promoted from assistant superintendent to substitute superintendent in March, a few weeks after Superintendent Michael Mahon was placed on administrative leave. The superintendent contract approved Monday will go into effect immediately at a salary of $190,000, with up to a 3% annual raise based on performance reviews by the board. The contract will run through June 30, 2030.
Trinkle’s contract includes a post-retirement healthcare provision similar to that granted to Mahon in a contract amendment. The clause states that upon the superintendent’s retirement and completion of at least five years of service the district will provide medical insurance benefits until the age of 65.
The district approved a more than $250,000 separation agreement with Mahon at the end of July.
The same five board members who approved the settlement with Mahon — board president Stephen Maund and members Nicole King, Mary Joy Reinartz, Melissa Torba and Christopher Wayock — voted to approve Trinkle’s contract. Emily Gehman and Candi Kruse voted against it, with Eric Boyer and Timothy Kearney absent.
Maund, Torba and Wayock emphasized that Trinkle has completed a six-month, on-the-job interview in her role as acting superintendent.
“I think she’s undergone a rigorous process,” Wayock said, “and I think she’s done a phenomenal job.”
Torba said Trinkle has “consistently demonstrated qualities of a strong, capable leader” and has “showcased her ability to lead with resilience in the face of constant change.”
Kruse and Gehman said they would have preferred a search process. Forgoing that process shortchanged the community’s ability to participate, Kruse said.
“I don’t think we should avoid an arduous process, or a search, simply because it is arduous,” Gehman said.
Trinkle thanked the board for the chance to lead the district and said she wants to keep students at the center of every decision.
“I see strength, resilience and heart,” Trinkle said, describing the ability of district staff and students to persevere through challenges.
Divisions among board members have proven to be one consistent challenge to district governance. After months of contentious meetings, board members have expressed a desire for renewed unity, but Monday’s meeting featured open hostility, repeated interruptions and aggressive calls for order.
Kimberly Jaramillo, who is running for school board in November, said during public comment that the board’s conduct has meant that Trinkle, a well-liked and trusted leader, is starting her tenure facing unwarranted doubts.
“She deserves to enter this role with the full confidence of the community, but because the majority chooses secrecy, rushed decisions and shady processes, they cast a shadow over her appointment that never needed to exist,” Jaramillo said.
Resolving harassment and discrimination claims
In addition to resolving the superintendent vacancy, the board closed the book Monday on another long-running controversy when it approved a resignation and settlement agreement with Ethan Ake-Little, the district’s director of human resources.
Documents outlining complaints filed by Ake-Little were provided to The Morning Call on condition of anonymity. Shortly after the publication of The Morning Call article that detailed the employee’s complaints, Ake-Little was suspended with pay pending an investigation into his job performance.
In the documents, Ake-Little, who is Indian American and married to a same-sex partner, alleged discrimination on the grounds of race/ethnicity and sexual orientation and claims Mahon unfairly targeted him with increasingly aggressive disciplinary action. A subsequent complaint alleged retaliation by Mahon and board members.
Investigations by outside attorneys hired by the board found no evidence of discrimination or retaliation, but found letters of reprimand against Ake-Little unwarranted and identified performance deficiencies on Mahon’s part.
Monday’s agenda included a separation agreement with an employee identified only by an employee number; that number matches Ake-Little’s employee number contained in the documents shared with The Morning Call, and board members openly named him at Monday’s meeting.
The dollar figure in Ake-Little’s separation agreement was not discussed during Monday’s meeting beyond a reference from Gehman to a “nearly quarter million” payout. Documents provided to The Morning Call show the agreement includes a $215,000 payment, the mutual release of claims and a mutual non-disparagement agreement.
“While it is disappointing that my time at Southern Lehigh SD came to an unexpected end and that I did not get the opportunity to say a proper goodbye to many of my colleagues, I am nonetheless pleased that the Board and I were able to come to an amicable conclusion,” Ake-Little said via text after the meeting.
Reporter Elizabeth DeOrnellas can be reached at edeornellas@mcall.com.
