Waste Of The Day: Million-Dollar Cheating-Ring At Houston Schools
Topline: Five people, including three Houston school employees, were indicted in October for allegedly running a million-dollar cheating ring that allowed over 200 educators to falsify their teaching certifications.
Key facts: Vincent Grayson, the boys’ basketball coach at Booker T. Washington High School, allegedly organized the scheme. Aspiring teachers would pay Grayson $2,500 to guarantee a passing grade on their certification exam, according to an investigation by Attorney General Ken Paxton’s Criminal Investigations Division.
The teachers would show up to the testing center, sign in, and leave immediately. Nicholas Newton, an assistant principal at Booker T. Washington, would then show up and take the test for them, prosecutors claim.
The results were reportedly upheld by Tywana Gilford Mason and Darian Nikole Wilhite, two test proctors who allegedly received a 20% cut of the money.
LaShonda Roberts, assistant principal at Yates High School, allegedly helped recruit interested teachers.
Grayson made $400,750 in salary between 2017 and 2023, OpenTheBooks found. Newton earned $448,205 and Roberts made $409,455. All three were arrested and fired, and Houston has promised to take “swift action” against any teachers who used their services.
The group made over $1 million from the cheating scandal, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said. She told CNN the full extent will “never be known,” but that at least 200 teachers took at least 400 fake tests.
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/waste-day-million-dollar-cheating-ring-houston-schools
It’s bad enough that the US school system is considered to be among the worst in the developed world but this is just over the top pure corruption! It is the students that suffer from having unqualified teachers.
Just as an aside, Paxton is a guy I hope Trump hires for something important. The guy’s got sand, as they say.
Booker T. Washington…more like Booker T & The MGs. A whole lotta funk goin’ down!