Resume Questions Raised About Incoming PPS Superintendent

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- There are concerns that Dr. Anthony Hamlet inflated his achievements before being hired by the Pittsburgh Public Schools.

Hamlet sold himself as a turnaround artist, someone who took struggling schools and put them on the right path. But is that fact or fiction?

Sheehan: Can you explain these discrepancies on your resume?
Hamlet: Oh no, all of these things will be explained tomorrow and you will see there are no discrepancies on my resume.

Hamlet says his resume is accurate, but when compared to figures supplied by the Florida Department of Education, it appears to be full of discrepancies and embellishments.

As principal of the JFK Middle School, Hamlet claims to have improved overall performance from an F grade to a C, but state records show that the school was rated a C when Hamlet arrived and was C-rated when he left two years later.

Hamlet claims the exact same improvement as principal of the Palm Beach Lakes High School, but again, state records say there was no significant improvement.

According to those records, the high school never had an F rating. It too was rated a C when Hamlet took charge and a C when he was reassigned three years later.

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In addition, Hamlet claims that during his tenure the high school, graduation rate went from 59 percent to 72 percent. State records show a modest jump from 63 to 67 percent.

Monday morning at a visit to Dilworth Elementary, Hamlet put off answering questions until to a press conference tomorrow.

Sheehan: You'll be able to say you turned around these schools?
Hamlet: Absolutely, but right now, I'll address that tomorrow but this is about Dilworth and the kids right now.

Despite the discrepancies, school board president Regina Holley said Hamlet has the confidence of the board.

Holley: Yes, he does.
Sheehan: So have you done an investigation of this resume?
Holley: He has the confidence of the board and he will give a presentation tomorrow.

But some parents expressed their reservations.

"You want someone to be honest and truthful. That would be my concern with the credential they say they have," said parent Heather Morris.