Audit Says Gravitte ''Most Responsible'' for Bad Hire

A state audit shows that former Signal Mountain Middle-High School principal Eddie Gravitte is most responsible for hiring an uncertified teacher's assistant with no bachelor's degree to teach upper-level, high school math courses.

Hamilton County schools officials earlier demoted him to an assistant principal position at East Hamilton Middle/High School.

Gravitte has told the Chattanooga Times Free Press he was following a directive by the then-area superintendent, Don Beard, who has since retired. The audit says Beard also knew about Jonathan Greene teaching without proper certification.

All affected students were retested and passed.

Greene resigned in July after being indicted on drug charges. He is a son of deputy Tennessee education commissioner Robert W. Greene.