DES MOINES, Iowa (WHO) — Newly obtained internal emails suggest there were early warning signs during the hiring of former Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts, though their significance was unclear at the time.
More than 260 pages of documents were secured as a part of public records request, including dozens of emails exchanged between Roberts and district administrators during his onboarding process in 2023. The records also include the resume and cover letter Roberts submitted to the district.
The emails show that a couple of small discrepancies were noted before Roberts’ hiring was publicly announced, and that at least one inaccurate addition was made to a DMPS announcement by Roberts himself.
Resume Discrepancies
Roberts’ resume lists a doctorate degree from Morgan State University, which WHO 13 has since confirmed to be false. The document also references a “Principal of the Year” award from The George Washington University, an accolade the university previously confirmed to WHO 13 does not exist…