School & District Management News in Brief

Board Chairman Accused of Cheating on GED Resigns

By The Associated Press — May 10, 2016 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The chairman of a Kentucky school board, who dropped out of high school at 17, has been accused by Kentucky state police of cheating on the GED exam.

State police found surveillance video showing another person taking the test in the name of Dexter Smith, the Knox County school board chairman.

The issue erupted when a local newspaper reported that the online school listed on Smith’s diploma is an unaccredited “diploma mill,” described by the Better Business Bureau as a scam.

The Kentucky education department requires that school board members have a high school diploma or a GED. Police say Smith signed a statement declaring he met the requirements when he ran for office three years ago. He has since resigned from the board.

A version of this article appeared in the May 11, 2016 edition of Education Week as Board Chairman Accused of Cheating on GED Resigns

Events

Teacher Preparation Webinar What Teacher Education Should Look Like in the Age of AI
Explore the current trends around the use of AI in teacher preparation and continuing education with data from the EdWeek Research Center.
English Learners Webinar How Can School Districts Better Support English Learners With Disabilities?
Join this webinar to hear recent findings from the EdWeek Research Center and discover practical strategies for improvement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Classroom Technology Webinar
Better Tools, Not More: What Educators Say About Teaching and Technology
Optimism is up. AI use is rising. Coherence is the next challenge. Hear what the 2026 Educator Confidence Report reveals about the field.
Content provided by HMH

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management Principals Are Stressed Out. Here's What's Plaguing Them—and What Can Help
Principal mental health is suffering from ‘work spillage,' a new study finds.
5 min read
Man in suit, collaged with thorny branches in front and behind him.
Collage by Laura Baker/Education Week + Canva
School & District Management From Our Research Center What We Know About School Board Members, In Charts
Many school board members are retired and have never worked in education before, survey shows.
1 min read
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 21, 2026 : A board meeting at the Los Angeles Unified School District headquarters on Tuesday, April 21, 2026 , in Los Angeles, CA. The LAUSD met to discuss a resolution calling for development of a Screen Time Policy setting time limits by grade, including elimination of student digital devices for early education through first-grade, prohibiting device use by elementary and middle school students during passing periods, lunch and recess. The board unanimously voted to approve Board Member Nick Melvoin's Resolution to limit student screen time.
The Los Angeles Unified School District school board meets on April 21, 2026, to discuss whether to develop a policy to limit students' screen time. A new EdWeek Research Center survey shows that many school board members nationwide are retired and have never worked in K-12 education.
Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles Times
School & District Management The Best Books About Leadership These Educators Have Ever Read. What's Yours?
Critical lessons learned from books (and one TV show) about leadership.
8 min read
School & District Management Mamdani Says NYC Public Schools ‘Failed’ Nikole Hannah-Jones’ Daughter
In a recent essay, Hannah-Jones recounted her decision to enroll her daughter in a high-need school.
Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News
•
3 min read
Journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones poses for a portrait at the headquarters of The Associated Press in New York on Dec. 10, 2021.
Journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, shown at the headquarters of The Associated Press in New York on Dec. 10, 2021, recently wrote an essay in the Atlantic describing her selection of a high-poverty school in New York City for her daughter, and their subsequent disappointment with that experience. Hannah-Jones' piece received widespread attention, and this week Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the piece "devastating" and said it pointed to a need for improvements to the school system.
Robert Bumsted/AP