Muñoz censured by Minnesota Board of School Administrators

The Minnesota board charged with overseeing licensing for public school administrators has voted to censure Rochester Public Schools Superintendent Michael Muñoz.

The public reprimand, approved Monday by the Ethics Committee of the Board of School Administrators, follows reports of plagiarism on the part of Muñoz, ranging from letters to staff to graduation speeches.

“The Board holds administrators to the highest ethical standards,” Board Chair Nancy Antoine wrote in a letter. “It is a privilege to represent a Minnesota school district as a licensed administrator and with that privilege comes the responsibility to conduct oneself as required by the Code of Ethics for school administrators. The Code of Ethics requires that a licensed school administrator not engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, or misrepresentation in the performance of professional duties…

“The Board finds that your actions violated the Code of Ethics. Based on the facts of this case, the Board concluded that this letter of censure is the appropriate form of discipline.”

In February, Muñoz apologized for the plagiarism and resigned from his position as superintendent, saying his actions had “set a poor example for our students and have caused a distraction from our mission.”

His final day on the job is this Wednesday. Muñoz will be replaced by Kent Pekel, who will serve as interim superintendent for at least one year.

What does the censure do?

While the censure does not have any bearing on Muñoz’s ability to work for a Minnesota district, the action does stay on file for one year. It is then removed “if no other such behavior is reported,” according to Dr. Anthony Kinkel, executive director for the Board of School Administrators.

Kinkel said the board only issues about 3-4 censures a year — out of more than 7,000 licencees across the state. More severe actions the Ethics Committee could have considered included revoking or suspending Muñoz’s license, or putting him on probationary status.

Muñoz’s response

In a March letter to the Ethics Committee, Muñoz’s counsel acknowledged the “severity” of the behavior and described the conduct as “poor choices.”

He has also apologized directly to the public, his staff, and students.

"Like most of us, I was not perfect," Muñoz said during a recent Rochester School Board meeting. "What I hope is people will look at my entire 10 years here, my work in full, and say the good offsets the bad and that I've made a difference in the lives of our students and community."

Muñoz leaves behind a varied legacy for his tenure with Rochester Public Schools. Some of his notable accomplishments included the launches of the Career and Technical Education Center (CTECH) and INCubatoredu program; the 2019 approval of the district’s largest bond referendum in history; and improved graduation rates among students of color.

Sean Baker is a Rochester journalist and the founder of Med City Beat.