Jury chosen in cheating trial of former Atlanta educators

By David Beasley ATLANTA (Reuters) - A jury was chosen Monday in a trial of a dozen former Atlanta educators charged in one of the nation's largest school test-cheating scandals, court officials said. The former teachers, principals and administrators on trial are accused of conspiring to alter standardized test scores to boost their own bonuses. The high-profile Atlanta case is one in a string of cheating cases affecting 39 states over the last five years. Some 600 potential jurors were questioned in a selection process that took nearly six weeks, with the trial itself likely to last several months, prosecutors said. Prospective jurors were questioned individually rather than in groups because of the significance of the case, said Rhonda Dobbs, a court administrator. Opening statements will not begin until next week to give jurors time to prepare for the expected length of the trial, Dobbs said. The alleged wrongdoing was uncovered in 2009 during a state investigation of suspected cheating at 44 Atlanta public schools. If convicted, the former Atlanta educators could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison, prosecutors said. Former Atlanta school Superintendent Beverly Hall was scheduled to stand trial along with the other defendants, but her case was delayed indefinitely after advanced breast cancer left her too sick to attend court proceedings. Hall was named national superintendent of the year by the American Association of School Administrators the same year prosecutors contend widespread cheating took place. She received a $78,000 bonus in 2009 from the school system for improving its test scores, prosecutors said. (Reporting by David Beasley.; Editing by Jonathan Kaminsky and Andre Grenon)