State releases audit on Signal Mountain uncertified teacher

PDF: Hamilton Co IAR

A state audit investigating the hiring of an uncertified teacher's assistant to teach math classes last year at Signal Mountain Middle-High School says former principal Eddie Gravitte mostly is to blame.

It's the conclusion Hamilton County Schools officials came to, as well, and they removed Mr. Gravitte from his position at Signal Mountain and demoted him to an assistant principal position at East Hamilton School shortly after the start of this school year.

Jonathan Greene was hired and paid as an educational assistant at Signal Mountain for the 2008-2009 school year, but he taught trigonometry and Algebra I and II.

The state's audit also said that the area superintendent -- who, at the time, was Don Beard, Mr. Gravitte's boss -- also knew that Mr. Greene was teaching math classes at Signal Mountain without proper certification or a college degree.

Mr. Beard retired from Hamilton County Schools at the end of last year. Even if he partially were responsible for the situation, there is nothing that could be done, since he no longer works for Hamilton County Schools, officials said.

"He retired and we have no supervisory capacity of employees who no longer work for the system," said Danielle Clark, spokeswoman for the district.

Attempts to reach Mr. Beard Tuesday evening were unsuccessful.

Mr. Gravitte, who received a copy of the report Tuesday, said he stands by the rebuttal statement in his school system personnel file.

"In my first pass through (the report), it says exactly what I've been saying all along. I was given a directive by my area superintendent, Don Beard," he said. "I loved what I was doing as principal, but at this point I have another position in the system. It is what it is."

The report recommends that Hamilton County offer training to its administrators on statutes and standards related to teacher licensing and employment standards. According to the report, that training began Oct. 30.

"They'll do some training with staff, obviously, so that this doesn't happen again," said Amanda Anderson, spokeswoman with the Tennessee Department of Education.

Additional training will be scheduled at the state department of education, Ms. Anderson said. That training will teach state department officials to avoid the appearance of conflicts of interest by not asking local school districts for personal favors.

The recommendation came because Robert Greene, father of Jonathan Greene and also deputy commissioner at the state department of education, called Hamilton County Schools Superintendent Jim Scales, asking if there was any way he could help his son find a job in Hamilton County.

The elder Mr. Greene technically did nothing wrong, the report states, but it doesn't look good.

"The Tennessee Department of Education is responsible for the direction and oversight of (local school systems) and makes decisions about discretionary funding for (them)," the report said. "Making personal requests may create the appearance of a conflict of interest and should be avoided."

The report also stated that someone in Hamilton County's human resources department knew that Signal Mountain Assistant Principal Stephen Perdue was listed as teaching the math classes that Mr. Greene actually taught.

Mr. Perdue himself never was under the impression that he was listed as the teacher for the classes, according to the report, he always knew Mr. Greene was the teacher.

Hamilton County had to re-test all the students who took math classes from Mr. Greene in order to prove the students' competency in the subjects. The report said that all students "taught by the unlicensed teacher at Signal Mountain Middle-High School have demonstrated knowledge ... and they have received credit."