UPPER SAUCON TWP., Pa. — Southern Lehigh Superintendent Michael Mahon is poised to part ways with the school district and get a payout of hundreds of thousands of dollars, pending a vote tonight, July 29, by school directors.
Southern Lehigh School Board will hold a special meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the board room of Southern Lehigh High School to vote on both a separation agreement and mutual general release agreement between the district and Mahon.
If approved, Mahon’s resignation would be effective immediately. That’s about five months after he was placed on administrative leave following critiques by the former board president that he demonstrated “poor leadership.”
Southern Lehigh Assistant Superintendent Karen Trinkle has been serving as substitute superintendent.
Over the past year, Mahon also was the subject of discrimination, retaliation and fraud complaints made by a district employee who reported to him.
When LehighValleyNews.com contacted Mahon for comment Monday, he referred a reporter to a proposed joint news release between himself and the district — a copy of which is posted on the meeting agenda.
It says Mahon’s leadership has been mischaracterized publicly in recent months. It also said a recent review “affirmed Dr. Mahon’s professional judgment and conduct.”
What's in the agreements?
If the joint agreements are approved Tuesday, per the separation agreement, Mahon would receive $93,644.83 — the equivalent of half of his remaining salary payments through the end date of his contract, which is set to expire June 30, 2026.
As of the 2024-25 school year, Mahon’s annual salary was $194,781, according to state data.
Mahon was hired as Southern Lehigh’s superintendent in August 2021 at an annual salary of $180,000, with the opportunity for raises.
He previously was superintendent of Abington Heights School District in Lackawanna County for about 15 years.
Mahon’s proposed separation agreement also states that his unused vacation time amounts to $41,796.81.
Of that total, the maximum allowable amount would be deposited in Mahon’s retirement account; that amount varies based on age. The remaining funds would be paid to Mahon via check.
"Throughout his time at Southern Lehigh, Dr. Mahon consistently demonstrated professional integrity and a student-centered focus."Proposed joint news release between Southern Lehigh School District and Superintendent Michael Mahon
Per the mutual general release agreement, Mahon would be paid $110,992.17. His attorneys also would get $25,000 for legal fees.
The agreements call for the district to provide Mahon with a letter of recommendation.
Additionally, the district and Mahon would agree to the joint news release posted on the meeting’s agenda.
It says that under Mahon’s leadership, “the district reversed years of structural deficits, invested in school facilities and expanded academic opportunities.”
“His tenure saw major progress in early literacy, access to college-level coursework, and the development of strong community partnerships,” according to the release.
“Throughout his time at Southern Lehigh, Dr. Mahon consistently demonstrated professional integrity and a student-centered focus.”
Public criticism
Still, Mahon faced public criticism of his work from a board member just this year.
At a February board meeting, then-board-President Emily Gehman said Mahon’s tenure was marked by “intentional miscommunication and last-minute changes in plans,” as well as “incomplete information” on agenda items.
She also said Mahon intentionally caused division among board members, who have publicly acknowledged their difficulties working together.
At a meeting last month, Gehman was voted out of her leadership role over charges of “neglect of duty, incompetence, intemperance and improper conduct.”
Gehman refuted the claims, but still was ousted in a 5-4 vote. She remains a school director, but was replaced as president by Director Stephen Maund.
Gehman isn’t the only person who has raised concerns about Mahon’s leadership as superintendent.
Over the past year, Southern Lehigh Human Resources Director Ethan Ake-Little, who currently is suspended with pay, filed multiple complaints against Mahon at the district, state and federal level.
“The Board acknowledges that a number of inappropriate and unfounded public statements and disclosures led to mischaracterizations of Dr. Mahon’s leadership."Proposed joint news release between Southern Lehigh School District and Superintendent Michael Mahon
When asked for a comment on Ake-Little’s complaints, Mahon directed LehighValleyNews.com to the same news release published on the agenda for Tuesday’s special board meeting.
The release, which has not yet been approved by school directors, says: “The Board acknowledges that a number of inappropriate and unfounded public statements and disclosures led to mischaracterizations of Dr. Mahon’s leadership.
“These actions did not reflect the professional views or position of the Board of Directors, which has acted consistently to uphold fairness and organizational integrity.
"The matter has since prompted changes in district governance.”
Ake-Little declined to comment for this story.
HR Director's complaints
The history of Ake-Little’s complaints against Mahon, as laid out based on documents obtained by LehighValleyNews.com, is:
In July of last year, Ake-Little filed a discrimination and hostile work environment complaint against Mahon with the school board, according to the documents provided by a source on the condition of anonymity.
In the complaint, Ake-Little, who is Indian American and married to a same-sex partner, said Mahon targeted him by issuing four letters of reprimand in a 10-week period in 2024 and giving Ake-Little an unsatisfactory annual evaluation.
Ake-Little claimed in the complaint that Mahon’s letters of reprimand were “misleading and persecutory,” aimed at painting Ake-Little as incompetent, impulsive and insubordinate.
In regard to his evaluation, Ake-Little said the superintendent "deliberately chose to neglect the vast bulk” of his achievements and gave Ake-Little “negative disparate treatment” in how his evaluation was conducted compared with that of his heterosexual, white peers.
An internal district investigation conducted by an attorney found there was insufficient evidence that Mahon discriminated against Ake-Little, but the performance actions taken against Ake-Little were unjustified.
As a result, the letters of reprimand and unsatisfactory evaluation were removed from Ake-Little’s personnel file, and he was granted a retroactive raise.
He also was authorized to bring concerns about any future evaluations and disciplinary action to the school board president.
Ake-Little later filed another internal complaint against Mahon, saying the superintendent retaliated against him for his initial discrimination complaint.
An attorney who investigated the matter found “multiple performance deficiency issues on the part of Dr. Mahon in connection with the allegations made by Dr. Ake-Little,” but that the evidence did not amount to retaliation, according to documents obtained by LehighValleyNews.com.
Mahon instead exercised “extreme caution” to avoid the “appearance of retaliation” and involved legal counsel to an extent he may not have otherwise.
Complaints escalated
Ake-Little escalated his concerns about Mahon and the school board to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Ake-Little filed a discrimination and retaliation complaint there, citing instances of “harassing behavior,” according to a document reviewed by LehighValleyNews.com.
Ake-Little said he once again faced “false accusations of wrongdoing” from Mahon. Additionally, he said some school directors began “questioning the quality and legitimacy” of his work on the policy committee, which they subsequently suspended.
The district was served Ake-Little’s PHRC complaint in May, and its response was due July 23.
Ake-Little also filed an internal fraud complaint against Mahon in November 2024 related to the superintendent’s “calculation and payroll disbursement of [fiscal year 2025] administrator salaries, specifically for those employees covered” under the ACT 93 agreement.
Act 93 provides administrators, such as principals, with discussion opportunities to negotiate their salaries and benefits with their districts as a group.
According to documents obtained by LehighValleyNews.com, Ake-Little alleged Mahon engaged in fraud related to his implementation and interpretation of the district’s agreement with its administrators.
Specifically, Ake-Little said Mahon made unauthorized alterations to the 2022-25 Administrative Compensation Plan that distorted salary calculations, misappropriated funds and created salary ranges that created an “equal pay disparity.”
An attorney investigating the fraud complaint for the district found no evidence of fraud, but noted “multiple performance deficiency issues on the part of Dr. Mahon in connection with the fraud allegations.”
Following his complaints, Ake-Little was suspended with pay in June and given a separation agreement for consideration that would have released the district from all claims Ake-Little made against it — even as his state and federal discrimination and retaliation complaints remain pending.
