Lorain Schools CEO David Hardy will be paid through Jan. 3 departure, receive performance bonus

The Ohio Attorney General's Office finalized the separation agreement Friday that will see Lorain Schools CEO David Hardy Jr. out of a job as of Jan. 3. The Academic Distress Commission announced the CEO's pending departure last month, though negotiations were still in the works. Under the agreement, Hardy will receive an amended total salary of $170,000 — from an original $190,000 — and the remaining Professional Growth Funds for the year, $544.70. In addition, he will get $18,000 in performance bonuses: $9,000 each for his first two years. Those sums are paid by the state, not Lorain Schools. The CEO's evaluation, completed in August, saw him go down in standing between his first and second years in the district. For the 2017-18 school year he received a 2.6 on a 4 scale from the ADC; for the 2018-19 school year he earned a 1.6. Chairman Randall Sampson said the performance bonuses were not tied to the evaluation, but instead movements made on the Lorain Promise — the strategic plan developed by the CEO in 2017 as required by the state. "Lorain showed a great increase in graduation rate, closing the achievement gap and performance index rose dramatically, compared to previous years," he said. "So the student outcomes have really grown overtime during his tenure and that's what that's indicating." Between the 2017-18 and 2018-19 state report cards, the district saw a 1.3 percent increase in its performance index. Its four-year graduation rate increased 6.2 percent between the two years and its gap closing jumped more than 50 percent. "We're in a lot better place than what we have been in the past and Mr. Hardy has served a great role in helping the district move forward," Sampson said. "And now it's time to pass the baton to the next person to pick up and make it even better." Commission members Steve Cawthon and Diane Conibear-Xander declined to comment on the performance bonus. Hardy did not return a request for comment Friday evening. School Board president Mark Ballard disputed whether Hardy should receive the $18,000, but like Cawthon and Conibear-Xander, he said he was looking forward to move the district ahead "with a spirit of cooperation and collaboration." "Bonuses should be tied to performance," he said. "And based on the performance that the ADC gave him, it was less than stellar and I believe it was a failing grade of a performance. ... In corporate America, which this is their CEO model, how would you be able to get a performance bonus when you performed at a failing rate?" Also part of the contract is a nondisparagement clause, barring both Hardy and members of the ADC from vilifying or making disparaging remarks of each other. Sampson said that is a standard part of separation contracts. Hardy signed the agreement Tuesday, with Sampson and state Superintendent Paolo DeMaria signing it Friday. This is the first time a separation agreement has been reached for schools under state control. When Youngstown Schools CEO Krish Mohip left abruptly in May prior to his July 31 contract expiration, it was via Family and Medical Leave Act. Also for the first time, the school board and Academic Distress Commission will hold a joint meeting 6 p.m. Wednesday. The interim CEO will be announced. "I am just pleased at the efforts of the Academic Distress Commission to finalize the deal for the community of Lorain, especially as we near the holidays," Cawthon said. "It is a time for looking forward to the future and moving on and that really is a very gratifying and pleasing feeling for myself." Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.