Accused of falsifying grades, wasting $100k D.C. Public Schools removed the principal of McKinley Technology High School amid allegations that he doctored students’ transcripts and misspent a $100,000 award.
Acting Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson placed Principal David Pinder on paid administrative leave Wednesday. Spokesman Fred Lewis said the decision, “which follows a series of investigations, is not a finding of misconduct.”
“However, it is a necessary precaution given additional information which we received this week,” Lewis said.
The Washington Examiner first reported Tuesday that DCPS was investigating Pinder for allegedly falsifying credits and assigning phony grades to seniors.
Pinder declined to comment on the charges on several occasions. The Washington Examiner emailed Pinder following DCPS’ decision Wednesday and received an automated out-of-office reply.
Current and former McKinley employees told The Examiner that Pinder instructed data clerks to doctor transcripts for several years at the application-only Northeast magnet school. McKinley’s 2009 graduation rate was 96.5 percent, the second-highest among D.C.’s public high schools.
Transcripts obtained by The Examiner of 13 12th-grade students in the 2008-2009 school year show “David Pinder” listed as the teacher of courses such as Programming for Multimedia, Intro to Digital Media, Interactive Media, and Principles of U.S. Government. In some cases, students received grades for the classes — never below a C. Most were given a P for passing.
Multiple McKinley employees said Pinder does not teach classes.
A current staffer said Pinder directed the school’s data clerks to assign students credits that they did not earn. “He did it kind of quite often, and my reaction was pretty contained, but I thought it was ridiculous,” the staffer said.
Allegations about Pinder’s grade tampering emerged during a probe into a missing $100,000 award to help senior citizens that McKinley received from AARP in 2008. Sources close to the investigation say $35,000 was spent on a bus that was used five times. An additional $10,000 went to new furniture for the school’s administrative offices. Thousands more dollars were spent on invitation-only, three-course buffet dinners held in the gymnasium. Still more money could not be accounted for at all.
Investigator Eastern Stewart also uncovered that former McKinley teacher Patrick Kelsey took about $13,000 in laptops from the school. Kelsey was arrested and entered a first-time offender program earlier this month.
Acting D.C. Attorney General Irvin Nathan handed over these findings to federal investigators last week. “Information developed during this investigation suggests that these funds may have been mishandled,” Nathan said in a letter to Ronald Machen, U.S. attorney for the District.
The DCPS investigation into grade doctoring is ongoing, Lewis said. Earlier this week, he said DCPS expects the investigation to wrap up “soon.”
McKinley Assistant Principal Michael Moss will be in charge while Pinder is on leave; the amount of time has not been specified.
