Kathy Augustine, a former top administrator in Atlanta Public Schools, had just started her new job in the DeSoto district in Texas when news broke of a widespread cheating scandal in her former district.
The board placed Augustine on paid leave from the $188,000-a-year position, and since early August has been trying to work out an agreement to part ways. On Friday, the board voted to terminate Augustine’s contract after her one day of service—but it is not releasing any terms of settlement without a public-records request. From WFAA-TV, the ABC affiliate in the Dallas-Fort Worth area:
Five of the six board members in attendance voted to accept the voluntary service agreement from Kathy Augustine. Kenzie Moore, the board's vice president, voted against the agreement. But afterward, the publicly elected official refused to say why. "We'll speak through one voice," Moore said, pointing to board president Warren Seay. Seay did not disclose how much Augustine's severance cost taxpayers. When pressed, he said the district is transparent, but that the Attorney General would have to order that figure released. "As soon as we get the go, we're certainly a transparent organization and so that will be public information at that time," Seay told News 8.
The investigators’ report from Atlanta suggested that Augustine, who served as deputy superintendent for curriculum and instruction, knew or should have known that teachers and principals were altering test sheets in order to boost scores. In a statement to the school board, Augustine unequivocally denied knowing about widespread cheating.