Updated: Superintendent disciplined for extramarital affair

widman@sanduskyregister.comClyde-Green Springs school board members disciplined their top official Tuesday for engaging in a long-term extramarital affair with a district principal.The consequence: a written reprimand, with no further punishment pending.During a lengthy investigation, district superintendent David Stubblebine and McPherson Middle School principal Rachael Aldrich confessed their secret relationship, according to the document.Stubblebine is Aldrich's direct supervisor.In their written reprimand — crafted Monday night during a closed-door meeting — board members scolded Stubblebine for violating two district policies.The first: The pair created a conflict of interest, because Stubblebine is responsible for evaluating Aldrich's performance, according to state law.The second: Stubblebine did not immediately report this conflict of interest to board members, creating an atmosphere of mistrust and an image of impropriety for Clyde-Green Springs Schools."It's frustrating," school board president Matt Jenne said. "After two months of investigating, all we have is a piece of paper, and a trust factor that's been lost. Legally, we've done all we can do."District treasurer Joyce Dupont will likely ask North Point Educational Service Center for a replacement evaluator for Aldrich, at no cost to the district, Jenne said.Once that arrangement is complete, it's possible Aldrich could also be disciplined."The school board doesn't reprimand principals, the superintendent does," Jenne said. "Obviously that's a problem in this situation. We had to take care of this first."Based on the investigation's findings, Stubblebine and Aldrich didn't misuse any district equipment — such as email accounts or computers — to further their secret relationship.Additionally, they did not engage in any inappropriate activities on district property, during school time or at district-sponsored events.Board members launched their investigation in mid-August, after "rumors" circulated throughout the community and on social media, Jenne said.District employees also fielded several phone calls about the alleged affair."It's a board's job to hire the superintendent and treasurer and enforce school policy," Jenne said. "We don't say 'who sleeps with who' and 'who does what,' but when it does affect the school and possibly job performance, we have to step in and do our job."Clyde-Green Springs Schools hired both Stubblebine and Aldrich in August 2013. His contract expires July 31, 2016, and her contract expires June 30, 2016.At the time of his hire, Stubblebine's annual salary was $103,500. The Register has requested Aldrich's annual salary amount from the district's treasurer.At what cost?When contacted Tuesday night, Jenne said he couldn't yet confirm how much investigating Stubblebine and Aldrich's inappropriate relationship has cost Clyde-Green Springs Schools.The Register has left a message with Dupont seeking additional information.When contacted earlier this month, Dupont said the district pays for its legal services through Pepple and Waggoner law firm on an as-needed basis.