Fired RPS facilities director is hired by one of the district’s contractors

Ronald “Bobby” Hathaway, the former director of facilities for Richmond Public Schools, is now working at Temperature Control Mechanical Services, an HVAC company based in Hanover County that has done contracted work within Richmond schools.

The Richmonder confirmed Hathaway’s job status earlier this month.

Alyssa Schwenk, communications director for RPS, said Hathaway’s new employers were informed that he is not allowed on RPS grounds.

She said the division has also asked them to ensure he is not involved in any RPS projects.

Temperature Control Mechanical Services declined to comment.

The division contracted with the company beginning in 2019. RPS renewed the contract in 2025 for another year, and it had the option of an additional one-year renewal. According to a district website, the arrangement appears to have ended in March this year, but Schwenk confirmed that the company is still doing work for RPS.

Hathaway was put on administrative leave beginning in February this year. He was under investigation for misappropriating school funds and conducting a security breach to return a zero-turn lawn mower to the division’s facilities site undetected. The investigation into his departure was withheld from the media until The Richmonder prevailed in a lawsuit under the state’s Freedom of Information Act law.

Internal investigators recommended terminating Hathaway. He submitted a resignation letter shortly after, but his resignation was denied three weeks later by the School Board, which opted for termination.