DRAMA ON THE BOARD
“Everything on the table” for Hamlet ethics investigation.
Pittsburgh Public Schools board members will reconvene next week to continue their review of ethics violations by Superintendent Anthony Hamlet.
The board met privately for more than two hours Friday to discuss a two-year investigation of the superintendent by the Pennsylvania Ethics Commission. The commission’s findings were detailed in a report made public Thursday, but board members did not decide on any disciplinary action and wants more time to examine the matter, district solicitor Ira Weiss said.
“Everything’s on the table,” Mr. Weiss said. “The board is considering all options.”
The Ethics Commission found Mr. Hamlet 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.
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 directed him to forfeit 14 vacation days, valued at more than $12,000.
During a news conference Thursday morning, where Mr. Hamlet appeared with his attorney, the superintendent said the commission’s report vindicated him and showed “no findings of intent on my part to deceive the families, my staff and the taxpayers of Pittsburgh.”
But Robert Caruso, the executive director of the state Ethics
Commission, said he disagreed with how Mr. Hamlet and his attorney characterized the findings of the report, saying that the superintendent had a course of conduct over several years that was “an egregious violation of the public trust.”
Board members met for close to two hours Thursday afternoon before they decided to meet again on
Friday in executive session. They will meet again to discuss the matter next week, but they have not decided on a time, according to Mr. Weiss.
“This is a significant matter and they are giving it the time it deserves,” Mr. Weiss said. “They don’t want to rush it.”
Board members have deferred all comment on the matter to Mr. Weiss.
The Ethics Commission launched its investigation after City Controller Michael Lamb filed a complaint with the agency because Mr. Hamlet failed to file required documents for 2017 and 2018. The filings require the disclosure of information such as income sources, creditors and costs related to transportation, lodging and hospitality.
Mr. Lamb, who also acts as the school district’s controller, called on the board to make changes in leadership. Board President Sylvia Wilson, however, has signaled that she was opposed to that idea.
Mr. Hamlet has served as superintendent of the Pittsburgh Public Schools since 2016. In August 2020, the board extended Mr. Hamlet’s contract through the 2024-25 school year.