Pittsburgh Schools Superintendent Pick Tries To Clear Air Over Résumé Discrepancies

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Embattled Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent-pick, Dr. Anthony Hamlet, sought to clear the air Tuesday about discrepancies on his résumé.

"So, I understand there are questions about information contained in my résumé," he said.

He told reporters he did in fact turn around tough school in Florida as a principal and administrator.

"The academic environment, the behavioral environment, the engagement with teachers, the positive culture, all of that has transformed under my leadership," said. Dr. Hamlet.

He admitted to only one misstatement. As principal of JFK Middle School, Dr. Hamlet claimed to have improved overall performance from an F grade to a C grade.

"I made an error in that JFK was not an F, but a D. Went from a D to a C. My apologies," he said.

But even this explanation runs counter to Florida state records.

KDKA's Andy Sheehan: "The state Department of Education has it at a C when you got there and a C when you left."

Dr. Hamlet: "I don't want to go back and forth with you. But we have the documentation that I was at the school."

The difference may seem slight, but Dr. Hamlet - in a PowerPoint presentation, provided other data that is at odds with the numbers provided by the state, including graduation rates.

"What we knew at the school level related to numbers of graduates who would differ at the state level, based on the information that was taken," Dr. Hamlet said.

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During his tenure as a high school principal, he claims graduation rates went from 59 percent to 72 percent when state records show a modest jump of 63 percent to 67 percent.

Dr. Hamlet said the state records don't account for students who graduated in the summer, but the state says they do.

Still, School Board President Regina Holley says the board is satisfied with the explanation and that the district needs to move on with Dr. Hamlet as superintendent.

"We hold Dr. Hamlet accountable to the commitment he has made, our shared vision for our schools, and the needs of our students," said Holley.