Fall River’s school superintendent is resigning, several months after administrators accused him of bullying a disabled employee and making inappropriate remarks towards female coworkers.
The allegations of misconduct were initially investigated by the city’s school committee, which voted this winter to keep Matthew Malone employed as superintendent at a reduced salary. The investigation’s findings were kept private.
City councilors who disagreed with the decision later publicized several complaints against Malone. One came from an employee recently disabled by a stroke, who said Malone insulted him and ridiculed him for using a parking spot once reserved for the superintendent’s car.
Another employee said Malone’s history of berating employees and flirting with female coworkers made her so uncomfortable she refused to meet alone with him.
And City Councilor Trott Lee said in recent months Malone stopped attending public meetings where his input was requested.
“We really had to postpone a couple of capital project deliberations based on the fact that some of the council wanted the superintendent there,” Lee said.
Malone later apologized for his behavior toward school department employees.
“The investigation found no finding of ageism, sexism, or harassment, but did find me at fault for using coarse language and behaving in a blunt manner towards subordinates,” he said in a statement at the time. “I own my behavior and my faults and I am sorry that my passion and intensity crossed the line of acceptable, professional, and winning workplace behavior.”
Malone’s resignation letter did not address the allegations of misconduct. He pointed to his accomplishments, which include negotiating new union contracts and helping Fall River construct a $250 million high school.
“As we have accomplished so much, I have made the personal and professional decision that it would be best for the district, as a whole, that I pass the baton of leadership for a transition, providing the school committee with ample time and opportunity to hire a new superintendent of schools,” wrote Malone, who plans to step down in November.
Mayor Paul Coogan said Malone made the decision on his own.
“With superintendents of schools, those positions have a lifespan,” Coogan said. “When we talk about superintendents that last that long, I’m always amazed because it’s such a challenging job.”
Malone joined Fall River’s school department in 2016, after serving as former Gov. Deval Patrick’s Secretary of Education.
Ben Berke is the South Coast Bureau Reporter for The Public’s Radio. He can be reached at bberke@thepublicsradio.org.
