Investigators Say a Teacher Certification Cheating Ring Headed Up By an HISD Coach Made More Than a Million Dollars

A veteran head boys basketball coach and two assistant principals — all in the Houston ISD — were among five people charged with running a teacher certification cheating ring, it was announced Monday by Harris County DA Kim Ogg’s office and Houston ISD.

What this means is that an unknown number of people certified to teach paid to have someone else take the state certification test and are now in classrooms across the state. This apparently started in May 2020 and was only detected after as former coach who knew about the scheme went to authorities, Ogg said.

Investigators found that applicants were driving across the state to test in Houston and that these applicants — some of whom had failed the test several times before — were suddenly able to pass with “flying colors,” said Mike Levine assistant DA in the public corruption division of the DA’s office.

“This was used to certify more than 200 unqualified teachers … in districts across the state,” Ogg said. “Worse yet, the teachers included two sexual predators who once falsely certified, had access through their employment to underage kids on campus and off. Once had been charges with indecency with a child, another with online solicitation.”

The criminal charges announced Monday carry penalties of two years to life in prison, Ogg said. The HISD employees arrested include Vincent Grayson, head boys basketball coach and teacher at Booker T. Washington for 20 years Nicholas Newton, assistant principal at Booker T. Washington High School and LaShonda Roberts, assistant principal at HISD’s Yates High School.

Two additional people arrested were employees of testing sites where the certification exams were administered: Tywana Gilford Mason, former director at the Houston Training and Education Center and Nikole Wilhite, proctor at Tactix Consulting Group and Testing. According to Levine, Gifford Mason had been previously prosecuted for bribery in Harris County 20 years ago in an unrelated case.

Each of the five were charged with two counts each of organized criminal activity. “All face first or third degree felony charges,” Ogg said. She called Grayson “the kingpin and organizer of this scheme.”

Ogg said applicants would pay $2,500 for a proxy to take the test for them. They would arrive at the testing site, sign in and leave. Then a hired proxy, said to be Nicholas Newton, would step in and actually take the test. The testing proctor would allegedly allow the switch, Ogg said. According to the charges filed, that would have been Gifford Mason and later Wilhite who were paid to look the other way and facilitate the cheating, according to investigators. According to authorities Roberts recruited business for the enterprise.

“LaShondra Roberts, an assistant principal at Yates High School is charged as a recruiter and referral agent who brought in many individuals who sought the services of the of the impersonator test taker,” Ogg said.

According to Levine, Grayson accumulated more than a million dollars from the scheme. He would pay Gifford Mason 20 percent of the money he received and she took in more than $125,000, Levine said.  Newton was paid more than $188,000, according to Levine, from May of 2020 to February of 2024. “Our best estimates are that he took more than 430 certification tests fraudulently.” He said Wilhite was paid $250 in cash each time she let the alleged deception take place.

HTEC was shut down in mid 2023 for other reasons and according to Levine that’s when operations were moved to Wilhite at Tactix.

HISD Chief of Public Affairs and Communications, Alexandra Elizondo in a written statement said: ” HISD was made aware of the investigation into an alleged cheating conspiracy shortly before arrests were made. Any educator who engages in conduct of this nature abdicates their responsibility to our students and to our staff and represents a complete betrayal of the public trust. HISD will cooperate fully with the Texas Education Agency and state and local law enforcement as the investigation progresses. All three of these employees have been arrested and will be receiving notifications relieving them of their duties effective immediately.

“Additionally, if it is determined that any teachers currently working in HISD participated in this scheme or passed their certification exams fraudulently, we will take swift action to terminate their employment with the District.”

Elizondo emphasized that it is the TEA not HISD that maintains controls over the teacher certification process and its testing.