An independent referee determined that the Columbus Schools executive at the center of its insurance "disaster" should not be fired and should receive back pay after the district moved to terminate her.
An independent review conducted on behalf of the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (ODEW) obtained by the Dispatch found that CCS human resources executive Courtney Hale made administrative mistakes by signing documents without approval, but CCS did not prove intentional misconduct, ethical violations or neglect to justify firing her.
The recommendation, which was provided to the parties on Oct. 5, is that she be reinstated with
back pay and that any discipline be limited to corrective measures short of dismissal. Hale hasn't been paid her $145,000 salary since January.
The decision needs to be either accepted or rejected by the Columbus Schools board. The agenda for the board's upcoming Oct. 20 meeting does not appear to include any action on Hale's employment as of Oct. 14.
The Dispatch reported exclusively on July 27 that CCS was considering firing Hale after it found she had improperly signed contracts and failed to maintain records regarding her dealings with London-based consultant firm Aon. The health insurance consultant helped the district navigate its employee health insurance benefits package in 2024, but an external audit determined that Aon "generally treated the district as a taxpayer-funded cash cow."
The deal with the insurance company led to over $20 million in cost overruns and has led to the district's teachers union protesting meetings and declaring no confidence in the board following an increase in premiumsapproved by the district Joint Insurance Committee.
Hale declined to comment on the story. Columbus City Schools declined to comment.
External findings found no just cause for firing
The report, conducted by arbitrator Dennis Grant on behalf of ODEW, recommended CCS not fire Hale during her contract term, reinstate her with back pay and expunge her record of the termination proceedings. It did, however, recommend that Hale could be disciplined in some other way other than firing, including a letter of admonishment or a "last chance" agreement.
"This recommendation does not mean the board must disregard Hale's innocent but careless conduct in signing, without proper authorization, documents that could have arguably become binding upon the district," Grant wrote.
The decision centered on the question of whether the district had "just cause" for firing Hale. The report determined that Hale had not intentionally attempted to harm the district.
The arbitration found that after a dispute between Hale and another employee regarding stop-loss insurance, the other employee began her own investigation into the agreements with Aon, and began studying information from the consultant. Eventually, the district hired a forensic auditor with the actuary skills.
The October arbitration noted neither Hale nor the other employee had the actuary skills necessary to assess the accuracy of Aon's claims forecasts. The report found CCS failed to prove she operated "unfettered by district oversight."
The report found that while Hale did improperly sign contracts, they were eventually approved after she informed others she had signed them. even after the district discovered the unauthorized signings in 2025, supervisors gave her the "highest possible" performance review and did not suspend her until 2026.
CCS exec said firing process was retribution for speaking out about pay raises
Hale told The Dispatch in July she believed that the district initiated the investigation into her as retribution for whistleblowing about the pay raise of former chief of staff Mike De Fabbo, and said she was "going against the machine." The Dispatch reported exclusively on July 11 that the district's internal audit department investigated De Fabbo in 2025 about whether he had given himself a pay raise in 2023.
On Jan. 5, 2023, Hale emailed the district's labor relations executive, saying she disagreed with De Fabbo's salary increase and that it needed board approval. She noted, however, that the district legal team said it was OK. In August 2025, Hale emailed the internal auditor, saying she enacted the pay increase with objection.
The CCS internal audit into the pay raise determined that De Fabbo had been overpaid around $54,000 over four fiscal years, and it recommended the findings be forwarded to the Ohio Auditor of State and the Ohio Ethics Commission. De Fabbo was the district's second-highest paid employee in 2025, The Dispatch reported in July.
But the Ohio Auditor of State report found that the board did not need to approve the administrative salary raise. The board "voted and approved on De Fabbo’s contract addendum noting his new daily rate." District officials and the internal legal team also determined that his pay raise was above board, although it wasn't as transparent as it could have been.
Cole Behrens covers K-12 education and school districts in central Ohio. Have a tip? Contact Cole at cbehrens@dispatch.com or connect with him on X at @Colebehr_report
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio review finds CCS shouldn't fire exec at center of insurance fiasco | Exclusive
