One of Beverly Hall’s last acts before leaving Atlanta Public Schools was to give herself a glowing report card, and it was mailed home just days before the state released the searing results of its cheating investigation.
The system sent a glossy, 12-page farewell to ex-Superintendent Hall early this month to some parents and supporters. The brochure trumpets Hall’s successes in a “chronology of memories, momentum and milestones” marking her 12-year tenure. Double-digit academic gains, $1 billion for new or renovated schools, record number of student scholarships are all highlighted, punctuated with numerous pictures of Hall.
There is almost no mention of test-cheating allegations that had simmered for two years before Hall stepped down June 30.
An 800-page state report released last week by Gov. Nathan Deal implicated 178 APS employees in 44 schools and could result in criminal charges. More than a half-dozen of Hall’s top staff have already lost or left their jobs in the scandal’s wake, with more likely to fall.
“I think this represents an attempt to, what is the song? Accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative?” said parent Cynthia Briscoe Brown, who got the brochure in her mail. “There have been achievements in the last dozen years. We don’t need to lose sight of that. However, producing this piece and distributing it just now is awkward.”
The “legacy” piece, produced June 14 by the district’s communications and chief of staff offices, had been planned to coordinate with Hall’s departure. Hall knew the state report was coming, having warned staff it would be “alarming,” but investigators had never said when it would be made public. That turned out to be July 5.
APS spokesman Keith Bromery said Wednesday it cost about $2,500 to print several thousand copies, with costs shared by the district and outside contributions. There were additional costs for postage, although Bromery did not know how much those were.
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