Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Anthony Hamlet, who has faced increasing criticism in recent weeks following a state report that accused him of several ethical violations, informed the school board that he will resign as district chief effective in October.
Mr. Hamlet’s decision was announced Wednesday during a virtual news conference with district solicitor Ira Weiss and several members of the school board.
“Members of the board reviewed the Pennsylvania Ethics Commission report with diligence, discussed its findings in detail, assessed the overall situation, and remain steadfast in the belief that this outcome is unfortunate but necessary,” school board President Sylvia Wilson said in a statement at the news conference. “Most importantly, this course of action creates an opportunity to remain focused on providing quality education for district students while eliminating unrelated distractions.
“We look forward to moving ahead and keeping our students safe and engaged in their learning. The board would like to thank Dr. Hamlet for his five-plus years of service and wish him well.”
The school board is expected to accept Mr. Hamlet’s resignation — effective Oct. 1 — at a special legislative meeting on Tuesday.
Mr. Hamlet, in his resignation letter to Ms. Wilson and the rest of the school board, called his time as superintendent “the great privilege of my career.”
But he later wrote that, “After much thought and consideration and because, in light of current circumstances, I think it is presently the best thing for our students and families, I believe that now is the time for my tenure to come to an end and to embark upon a new chapter of my professional life.”
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Read Anthony Hamlet’s full letter of resignation as Pittsburgh Public Schools superintendent:
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The school board said Wednesday that it plans to announce an interim superintendent at a meeting Sept. 29 and start a national search for a new leader in December. Mr. Hamlet pledged his support and cooperation to help ensure a smooth transition to a new administration.
School board members met several times after the ethics report was released to discuss its findings and try to determine what needed to be done.
Ms. Wilson declined to discuss what the board talked about in those meetings, calling it a personnel issue. But she said Mr. Hamlet had choices and was not forced into resigning.
“He chose to do this on his own,” she said.
Mr. Hamlet has been the city schools superintendent since July 1, 2016. Last year, the school board extended his contract through June 30, 2025.
In accordance with Pennsylvania school code, Mr. Hamlet will receive a payout of one year’s salary, plus the actual value of his benefits, amounting to $399,687.
Mr. Hamlet has come under fire recently after the state Ethics Commission found that he violated the Public Official and Employee Ethics Act by improperly receiving travel reimbursements, getting payments for appearances related to his job, and incorrectly filing financial documents.
He has defended his actions, arguing that the report showed he was negligent but had no willful intent of wrongdoing.
But Robert Caruso, the executive director of the state Ethics Commission, said he disagreed with how Mr. Hamlet has characterized the findings of the report, noting that the superintendent had a course of conduct over several years that was “an egregious violation of the public trust.”
The commission ordered Mr. Hamlet to pay close to $8,000 — almost $3,000 to reimburse the school district, another $3,000 to the Pittsburgh Promise for contractual obligations, $1,000 related to investigation expenses and $750 for technical errors on paperwork — and also directed him to forfeit 14 vacation days, valued at more than $12,000.
Since the release of the report, Mr. Hamlet has faced sharp criticism from the public and politicians, including some who said the district needed a change in leadership.
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto last week called the report “concerning” and questioned whether Mr. Hamlet should remain the city schools chief. However, he did not call for the superintendent’s outright removal. The mayor declined comment Wednesday through a spokeswoman.
City Controller Michael Lamb said last week that the school board “must now make appropriate changes to leadership.”
Shortly after Mr. Hamlet announced that he would resign, Mr. Lamb released a statement that said, “It is time to turn the page and move forward. With a renewed focus on improving student success and eliminating the racial achievement gap, there are bright days ahead for the children and families of Pittsburgh Public Schools.”
State Rep. Ed Gainey, the Democratic candidate for mayor, said in a statement prior to Mr. Hamlet’s resignation that he has “great respect” for school board members and trusts in “their collective judgment as they decide how to address this situation.” Republican mayoral candidate Tony Moreno, a retired city police officer, had called for Mr. Hamlet to resign and for law enforcement to open a criminal investigation into the matter.
The Allegheny County district attorney’s office had also said it planned a “thorough review” of the ethics violations.
Mr. Hamlet, however, had some support. The Western Pennsylvania Black Political Assembly said the ethics report simply found errors that were made on financial documents and in payments and do not warrant substantive discipline. The group said the report was being overblown by white officials who were racially prejudiced against Mr. Hamlet.
The release of the Ethics Commission’s report was not the first time that Mr. Hamlet found himself embroiled in controversy.
Before Mr. Hamlet was even sworn in as superintendent, questions arose about inaccuracies and plagiarism in his resume about student progress data from his previous job in the Palm Beach County schools.
In addition, the school board investigated Mr. Hamlet in 2019 after he and several administrators took an unauthorized trip to Cuba during professional development training in Florida.
The investigation was completed, but the results were never released. The Cuba trip later became a central part of the Ethics Commission’s inquiry.
On a school level, Mr. Hamlet’s supporters say he increased culturally responsive practices, college and career preparedness, and boosted student voice during his tenure.
“Dr. Hamlet has done quite a bit to involve student voice,” Ms. Wilson said. “When we were doing the search for the superintendent initially, that was one of the main points that many people in the community — but specifically students — wanted to make sure that someone would listen to their point of view. And Dr. Hamlet has done a great deal to include student voice in what was going on in this school system.”
But critics said Mr. Hamlet did little to improve academic outcomes for students or close the achievement gap between Black students and white students — a longstanding problem that preceded Mr. Hamlet’s tenure.
Perhaps Mr. Hamlet’s fiercest critic, board member Sala Udin said last year that it was “inexcusable that we have not found a way to significantly improve the performance scores of Black children in this school district, and we are forced to brag about incremental, tiny improvements that really do not improve their ability — It only improves the statistics.”
“When I look at the record of failure, especially in reading and mathematics for African American students throughout the entire Pittsburgh Public Schools district, it is abominable. It is unforgivable,” Mr. Udin said.
Mr. Hamlet also endured criticism for numerous issues that occurred as the district responded to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Parents decried the lack of in-person learning during the 2020-21 school year, the slow rollout of laptops and iPads to students when the district was in a remote setting, and, recently, the delay to the start of the school year because of a lack of transportation. All of that was coupled with what many parents said was poor communication from the district throughout the pandemic.
James Fogarty, director of A+ Schools, said the district faced a crisis of confidence and trust. And while Mr. Hamlet’s resignation was not the only path forward, he said, it may help the district address the issues it has without having the worry of further distractions.
“What the resignation will allow the community to do is move forward and try and solve as many of the problems that we’re facing as possible,” Mr. Fogarty said. “I give Dr. Hamlet credit for recognizing that it makes sense to step aside so that the board can focus on the problems at hand.”
Andrew Goldstein: agoldstein@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1352.
First Published: September 8, 2021, 3:18 p.m.
Updated: September 8, 2021, 6:08 p.m.
