The dirty half-dozen

TOP: Beverly Hall, Kathy Augustine
BOTTOM: Sharon David-Williams, Michael Pitts, Robin Hall, Tamara Cotman

Hall, top lieutenants face sanctions in cheating scandal
[ajc] The names of Beverly Hall and five high-ranking Atlanta Public Schools officials were turned over to a state licensing board, officials confirmed Thursday, where commissioners will determine whether the educators should be barred from classrooms due to their involvement in a widespread cheating scandal. Former Superintendent Hall, former Deputy Superintendent Kathy Augustine and former Area Superintendents Sharon Davis-Williams, Michael Pitts, Robin Hall and Tamara Cotman will face the scrutiny of the Professional Standards Commission, which polices Georgia educators.

Pictures of Beverly Hall and Kathy Augustine are easy to find, but these "area superintendents" (SRT Directors, they call 'em) stayed out of the spotlight and put nothing in writing. Cotman's infamous directive to her principals to "tell the GBI to go to hell" was delivered verbally. (Her mistake there was saying it in an open meeting, rather than one-on-one behind closed doors where she could credibly deny it.)

I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to this. Although, as I've said, barring them from classrooms is no punishment at all, as they would rather chew ground glass than set foot in an actual classroom.

None of these six people must ever again draw a paycheck working in education.

Investigators going after administrators' certifications over cheating scandal

[WSB-TV] Channel 2 Action News has learned the Atlanta Public Schools CRCT cheating investigation is leading to a different investigation that could cost former school executives their teaching credentials, which would mean APS could stop paying three of them while they are on administrative leave. Investigative reporter Mark Winne spoke to John Grant, the chief investigator for the Ethics Department of the Georgia Professional Standards Commissions, about complaints filed by the Governor’s special investigators against five high-ranking APS officials. Grant confirmed Special Investigators Bob Wilson, Mike Bowers and Richard Hyde referred former Superintendent Dr. Beverly Hall, former Deputy Superintendent Kathy Augustine and SRT Executive Directors Tamara Cotman, Dr. Sharon Davis-Williams and Michael Pitts to the PSC this week for possible action against their Georgia education certificates.

Yes, I realize that this is really a paraphrasing of the same information covered in the AJC story. Partly I'm including it because it makes clear that once the SRT Directors' teaching credentials are revoked, they lose the APS paychecks they are collecting for doing nothing.

And, I'll admit, partly I'm repeating it because I never get tired of hearing it.