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Judge to give new sentences in Atlanta cheating trial

By Ty Tagami
April 28, 2015

Three of the highest-ranking educators convicted in the Atlanta Public Schools test-cheating trial will get new sentences Thursday.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has covered the trial more thoroughly than any other news source since it began. Come to myajc.com or ajc.com at 2 p.m. to keep up with live coverage of what happens after Judge Jerry Baxter reconsidered his order to send the three former administrators to prison for seven years.

The re-sentencing for Michael Pitts, Tamara Cotman and Sharon Davis-Williams is scheduled to take place in Fulton County Superior Court. Baxter said long prison sentences were warranted because thousands of children were harmed by the cheating. But many of those convicted said the verdicts against them were based on lies from witnesses with grudges, and they vowed to appeal.

Most of the other teachers got a year or two in prison, in line with the prosecution’s recommendations. The seven-year sentences for the former School Reform Team executive directors far exceeded the prosecutors’ request of three years.

About the Author

Ty Tagami is a staff writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Since joining the newspaper in 2002, he has written about everything from hurricanes to homelessness. He has deep experience covering local government and education, and can often be found under the Gold Dome when lawmakers meet or in a school somewhere in the state.

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