Jurors in the Atlanta Public Schools cheating trial returned Tuesday from an unscheduled break, hearing from three defense witnesses called to counter prosecutors’ portrait of a former principals accused of racketeering.
Three defense witnesses testified former Dobbs Elementary School principal Dana Evans was an effective leader and that they were unaware of cheating on the Criterion-Referenced Competency Test at Dobbs in 2009.
Twelve former educators, including Evans, are on trial for racketeering for allegedly conspiring to change wrong answers the 2009 CRCT. The alleged conspiracy was hatched as a way to improve standardized test scores, especially at poor-performing schools, prosecutors contend.
Prosecutors portrayed her as demanding and threatening, telling teachers who could not hack it that “Wal-Mart is always hiring.”
Her witnesses countered that narrative. Sixth-grade math teacher Warren Edwards, said he considered Evans’ management style to be “top notch.” He said he never saw her pressure any of his colleagues.
Former Dobbs kindergarten teacher Jaclyn Wallace said Evans came to Dobbs with the purpose of changing the culture. Evans listened to the opinions of her staff, and “she wanted the kids to be treated with respect,” testified Wallace, now teaching in South Carolina.
Wallace’s daughter was in the 5th grade classroom of one of the former teachers who has since pleaded guilty to lesser charges to avoid the risk of a felony conviction and 20 years in prison. Wallace said she saw no evidence that Shayla Smith, her daughter’s fifth grade teacher, had cheated on the 2009 CRCT.
“I saw nothing unusual in her assessments or CRCT scores,” Wallace said of her daughter.
Smith pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor count of obstruction and was sentenced to a year on probation plus 250 hours of community service.
Wallace also testified that she never heard Evans pressure teachers who were not meeting testing goals with the Wal-Mart comment.
While Judge Jerry Baxter has insisted on keeping the trial moving, almost two days of testimony have been lost since last week.
On Thursday, court was suspended mid-morning when a juror fell ill. There was no testimony on Monday because the courthouse was closed in anticipation of winter weather. Court started an hour late on Tuesday to allow time for any lingering frozen places on the roads to melt.
Jury selection began in early August and the actual trial started in late September. Expectations are that the jury could begin deliberating the massive and complex case in late March or early April.
So far, only the lawyer for one of the 12 defendants has called witnesses.
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