The principal of the Mavericks High charter school in Palm Springs is not certified to teach in Florida, according to the State Department of Education.
Thomas Lockett runs a school that serves roughly 500 at-risk students and promises to help them earn enough credits to graduate. Yet he does not have a teaching certificate or list any teaching experience on his LinkedIn online résumé. Prior to joining Mavericks last year, he was an account executive for home health-care and pharmaceutical companies.
He also served six months as a regional director for Revolution Prep, a test preparation and education software company.
Lockett
was not at Mavericks on Friday or today when the Pulp called for comment.
"I don't know when he'll be back," said the woman who answered the
phone.
One former Mavericks employee, who spoke to the Pulp on the condition of anonymity, says Lockett does not have a background in education and relies on other staffers for help. "He's clueless," the employee says.
Mavericks High in Palm Springs is the newest campus of a chain of charter schools run by the for-profit company, Mavericks in Education Florida. The company, headquartered in West Palm Beach, has eight schools in the state. Last year, two former employees at the Mavericks High in Homestead filed whistle-blower lawsuits alleging that the school inflated attendance numbers and failed to properly report grades, among other allegations. Mavericks officials have denied the allegations.
Mavericks manager Lauren Hollander did not immediately respond to a request for comment today.
