Antioch School Board Accepts Separation Agreement With Superintendent

On Wednesday, the Antioch Unified School District Board of Trustees agreed to a separation with Superintendent Stephanie Anello in a 5-0 vote.

According to the District, Anello had requested she be released from the remainder of her employment contract without cause. She will receive a payout of 9-months made over the next 9-months due to the separation agreement (Termination Without cause) effective 8/21/24.

Anello released the following statement to the District, its staff and the community:

Dear AUSD Families, Staff, and Community,

It is with mixed emotions that I announce I will be leaving the Antioch Unified School District (AUSD). I have been fortunate to have such a long and meaningful career in AUSD for the past 25 plus years beginning as a substitute teacher and culminating in these past eight years as Superintendent.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of the students, Board Members past and present, staff, and community members for their support over the years. It has been an honor and privilege to serve you, and I look forward to your future success.

With sincere gratitude and appreciation,

Stephanie Anello
Superintendent

Also, In a statement released Wednesday by the District:

“We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Superintendent Anello for her 25 years of dedicated service to our District, beginning in 1998 when she first served as a substitute teacher. Ms. Anello is only the second female superintendent to lead the District and is the longest-serving Superintendent in the history of AUSD. Some of her notable achievements as superintendent include:

• Increasing accessibility for parents and guardians who speak languages other than English by ensuring bilingual assistance at all school sites and the District office;
• Expanding social-emotional support for students by reintroducing and increasing the number of counselors and mental health support at every school
• Instituting a comprehensive restorative justice program throughout the District, providing secondary sites with access to restorative justice coaches;
• Expanding special education programs and supports, enabling hundreds of students with exceptional abilities to attend school on AUSD campuses with their peers;
• Championing music and the arts, even as similar programs were being cut in other districts throughout the state;
• Enhancing parental engagement across the District by ensuring all sites had functioning parent groups with authentic decision-making authority;
• Writing and implementing the District’s first Local Control Accountability Plan;
• Increasing accountability, transparency, and support for existing and proposed charter schools in the District;
• Focusing on and supporting instructional accountability throughout the District.
• Navigating the unique challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, making AUSD one of the first Districts in the country to offer free meals, computers, hotspots, and remote instruction;
• Supporting the opening of over 100 learning centers during COVID-19, allowing struggling students to attend in person if needed;
• Successfully managing the return to in-person learning and the opening of one of the only school-of-choice online schools in the country, ultimately serving 1,200 students from both AUSD and surrounding districts.
• Overseeing the implementation of Measure B to upgrade and renovate Antioch High School
• Settling 14 employee group contracts with minimal labor unrest, resulting in the largest wage increases in the District’s history;
• Successfully passing Measure B, which will bring over $195 million in much-needed upgrades and repairs to school sites.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Ms. Anello for her service and wish her all the best in her future endeavors.

In the coming days, the Board will convene to discuss hiring a firm to conduct a comprehensive search for a new superintendent, which will include community and staff input on the qualities they most value in the next AUSD Superintendent.

Notes:

Anello has served as Superintendent since November 2015. Prior to the appointment, she served the District for 18-years first as a classroom teacher and as the Associate Superintendent of Educational Services

In May, the Antioch Unified School District announced Dr. Robert Martinez will serve as acting Superintendent. The announcement of Dr. Martinez came after the closed session in a 3-2 vote.

“First off, let me just say thank you to the board for the trust you have placed in me to serve as acting superintendent during Superintendent Anello’s absence. I will hold that responsibility with great care, compassion and commitment for all of our students, staff, families and community.”

Superintendent Stephanie Anello has been out on medical leave since April 24, 2024.

Previous Stories:

• May 17, 2024 – Podcast: Ken Turnage Responds to “Bully Boss” Accusations
• May 16, 2024 – Third-Party Investigator Confirms Antioch School District Handled “Bully Boss” Claims Appropriately
• May 9, 2024 – Attempt to Oust Antioch School District Superintendent Fails
• Sept. 22, 2021 – Antioch School Board Takes No Action in Discipline or Removal of Superintendent
• Sept. 20, 2021 – Antioch School Board President Calls for Removal of Superintendent Stephanie Anello
• Dec 21, 2021 – Ahead of Antioch School Board Meeting, More than 1,400 Have Signed Petition in Support of Superintendent
• Nov 13, 2015 – Antioch School Board Appoints Stephanie Anello as Interim Superintendent