Several Antioch Unified School District employees are coming forward with concerns of constant bullying by their supervisor, AUSD Director of Facilities, Maintenance and Operations Kenneth Turnage.
They believe Turnage’s close relationship with AUSD Superintendent Stephanie Anello and her husband, Antioch’s former police chief Allan Cantando, is the reason why he has not been properly disciplined.
At least 10 AUSD employees have complained about Turnage to district officials, the Investigative Unit has confirmed with some of the employees themselves and a district official.
In January 2023, Turnage instructed two people to use heavy equipment to move Jim Kesser’s desk to a roof in AUSD’s maintenance yard where Kesser works, according to several employees. Kesser told NBC Bay Area he believes the display was meant to publicly humiliate him for pushing back against his supervisor over instructions to do electrical and mechanical work when he’s a general maintenance worker.
“And he literally blew up at me…He went from zero to 60 in five seconds,” Kesser said.
Kesser said he was not at work the day Turnage had his desk trashed and moved to a roof. He learned about it through photos and messages from colleagues.
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“I literally was in the emergency room the next weekend. My wife said you’re having panic attacks…I thought I was having a heart attack,” Kesser said.
Kesser is one of four current and former AUSD employees who spoke with the Investigative Unit about Turnage. Kesser and two other employees went on medical leave for stress caused by their supervisor, they said. Former AUSD locksmith Bruce Courtemanche, the fourth employee, said Turnage’s behavior caused him to retire early.
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“I said, ‘I honestly feel like you’re disrespecting me’… [Turnage] stomped behind his desk, clenched his fist, and says, ‘I don’t respect you. I don’t respect you at all,’” said Courtemanche.
“[Turnage] has charged up on me…I thought he was going to physically assault me,” said AUSD Carpenter Steve Hessler.
“I asked [Turnage] where I could put my printer, and I was told I could put it on the roof,” said AUSD Purchasing Technician Kim Atkinson. “[It made me feel] small, violated.”
The Investigative Unit reached out to Turnage multiple times over the past two weeks. He hasn’t responded.
He did speak with NBC Bay Area in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 shutdown. The interview was right before he was removed as Antioch’s planning commissioner for writing a lengthy social media post advocating for ending the shutdown even if that allowed the virus to kill off the weak and elderly.
“Is it something I’m advocating for to happen? No, but it’s nature’s course,” Turnage said at the time.
Also on social media, photos that AUSD employees believe reveal a bigger problem – why, 15 months after the desk incident, Turnage still has not been held accountable.
“Because of his relationship with the superintendent’s husband and the superintendent,” Courtemanche said.
“They go golfing together every weekend,” Atkinson said.
“I’ve seen them on the golf course. I golf. I literally saw him playing with Cantando and Stephanie Anello,” Kesser said.
The Investigative Unit took the allegations that Superintendent Anello is failing to discipline Turnage because of his friendship with her and her husband. After multiple emails and calls, they did not respond. Instead, NBC Bay Area received a statement from the district’s Human Resources Director Robert Martinez.
“The district takes all matters concerning our employees seriously and has processes and procedures in place to protect employees' rights, whether they are being alleged of any wrongdoing or accusing others of any wrongdoing. As this is a personnel matter there will be no further comment on these matters,” Martinez said.
NBC Bay Area still wanted to hear from the district’s top official, so a reporter attended last week’s public school board meeting and asked the superintendent multiple questions – all of which she did not answer during or afterwards.
One hour after that board meeting, Turnage sent an email to about 80 employees saying he’ll no longer be their direct supervisor. He’ll still oversee the department but now focus on managing $195 million in voter-approved, AUSD bond funding.
In a second, separate email to the Investigative Unit after the meeting, AUSD’s human resources director said the district investigated the employees’ concerns and took appropriate action. When asked what kind of action, Martinez did not respond.
Hessler, Kesser, Atkinson and Courtemanche said the silence from the superintendent and human resources director makes them more uneasy.
“I’m ready for complete retaliation,” Hessler said.
“I’m scared of what [Turnage] is going to do to me,” said Atkinson.
They feel this problem is bigger than them and may negatively impact Antioch schools. As AUSD’s carpenter, former locksmith, purchasing technician and maintenance worker, they represent nearly seven decades of experience maintaining school facilities.
Candice Nguyen was the investigative reporter who worked on this story. If you want to contact her about this report or have another investigation tip, email her at candice.nguyen@nbcuni.com.
