Paradise Valley Unified School District fires superintendent following investigation

The Paradise Valley Unified School District has fired its superintendent.

Todd Cummings was placed on administrative leave in October, just a few months after starting his job there. He left his previous school district in Indiana amid allegations that grades had been manipulated. Paradise Valley’s governing board later adopted a statement of 14 charges against him, including failing to disclose pertinent information on his job application.

At a meeting Tuesday night, the district’s attorney, Susan Segal said an investigation into Cummings found there was good and just cause to terminate his contract.

“Dr. Cummings engaged in conduct that was in breach of the board policies and the agreement that he had signed with the district. He did not fulfill his duties," she said. "He created an unprofessional and counterproductive work environment. He did not encourage collaboration among his administrators and made decisions without input from them.”

Cummings had requested a hearing to appeal the board's initial decision to move forward with his termination. Segal said that hearing has been completed.

"Notably, Dr. Cummings did not testify at all on his own behalf," Segal said. "Notably, he would not allow Mr. Hixenbaugh, who was his attorney in South Bend when he negotiated his buyout contract, to testify about conversations he had with the South Bend attorney, which were clearly not confidential in our opinion."

After hearing the findings, the governing board voted unanimously to fire Cummings.

In a written statement about the decision, Governing Board President Tony Pantera said:

"We’d like to thank our community for their patience as we have worked through the statutory process with a goal of reaching a resolution in an appropriate, fair, and timely manner."