Do you think Rhee would stay under Gray?

[Anonymous]

To my understanding the way her contract reads...it would be more beneficial to her if they will fire her as her severance pay would be lucrative (as long as it is not for an egregious act). If she quits...she would probably not reap as much. Her contract has some incentives that are quite remarkable...I am pretty sure if she completes her 3rd year...she will be given credit as a 20 year employee. Therefore, when she reaches the age of retirement at 50...she will be able to draw a pension from the District for life. So in other words...we either pay her now or pay her later.

[Anonymous]

I think she's in her late 30s/ early 40s. I can't imagine her making it as a DC employee to 50, under whatever political climate.

[Anonymous]

No way progressive staff with national reputations like Rhee and Klein will stay under Gray.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To my understanding the way her contract reads...it would be more beneficial to her if they will fire her as her severance pay would be lucrative (as long as it is not for an egregious act). If she quits...she would probably not reap as much. Her contract has some incentives that are quite remarkable...I am pretty sure if she completes her 3rd year...she will be given credit as a 20 year employee. Therefore, when she reaches the age of retirement at 50...she will be able to draw a pension from the District for life. So in other words...we either pay her now or pay her later.

Wow, and there are people who think teachers are greedy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All you Grey voters are naive. Whatever works. When the city shuts down, and we can't get our mail, the schools slide back to the bottom rung of the nation's ladder, the city govt balloons again etc, you'll remember that having a touchy feely mayor is no substitute for a manager type that just wants to get the job done.

Oh that's right, I forgot. Vote for Gray and Marion Barry will be made King for life. Yeah, yeah, I know he is at death's door already but they're going to bring in a vampire to bite Marion so he'll never die and the city will be doomed for eternity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:While I haven't made a decision regarding who I will vote for, I don't believe all Grey voters are naive as the pp wrote. Many don't like the way Fenty has decided to make decisions or the fact that most of his decisions seem to involve bringing in outsiders. Personally, I have no problem with Fenty's croneyism--it happens all the time. But his selection of Rhee to run the school system was a mistake. She may have been a great choice as COO of the schools, but she has demonstrated a lack of understanding of how inner city schools operate effectively and should have never been put completely in charge. Consistently changing school leadership, bringing in young teachers who cannot manage a classroom and being a bully don't bring long lasting change. The academic changes were put in place by her predecesor. As a DCPS parent, I see the benefit of keeping her--frequent changes of the guard are a huge problem. But her attitude (which I think was promoted by Fenty) needs an adjustment.

Well-said, pp. I'm concerned about the disruption I have seen Rhee spread in my dd's schools. I don't think it bodes well for the long-term health of DCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All you Grey voters are naive. Whatever works. When the city shuts down, and we can't get our mail, the schools slide back to the bottom rung of the nation's ladder, the city govt balloons again etc, you'll remember that having a touchy feely mayor is no substitute for a manager type that just wants to get the job done.

First, the US mail is the responsibility of the Federal government. When my mail starts failing, I won't blame someone local. And don't worry; Mississippi's schools will always be worse than ours.

More seriously, I remember the Barry years and I don't understand why Fenty is being given credit for the turnaround that Anthony Williams orchestrated. From my point of view, Fenty's cronyism is a return to the bad old days, and is the chief reason I want him out.

The one thing the Fenty administration has given me has been some lovely playgrounds--which I now know the city had built via no-bid contracts that were padded with goodies for Fenty's friends.

[Anonymous]

Amen, 17:40.
Tony Williams was the best mayor DC has had.
Williams spent years instituting systemic reforms to try to get the bloated and unresponsive DC bureaucracy to function better, e.g., neighborhood services coordinators. The Fenty administration dismantled those systems almost immediately.
I'm not a huge Gray fan, but the Fenty cronyism over those Parks & Recs contracts has pushed me over the edge. That kind of crookedness is vintage Marion Barry era graft.

[Anonymous]

I would have unending respect for Rhee if she did stay under Gray. I doubt it. But it's pretty clear that Fenty has no way to guarantee she'll stay either. So I won't hinge my vote either way on Rhee.

Gray's comment that reform cannot be about one person reminds me a lot of what Rhee has said repeatedly. That change is not just her and that Janney started improvements that her tenure has captured as low hanging fruit. The council under Gray approved mayoral takeover and the teacher contract. While I don't think she will stay, I think she could. But that would mean she has to continue to improve the ommunication issues and actually deliver on the contract.

Fenty's council bashing and Barry repeat fear mongering make me nervous. How can he get things done if he's pissing everyone off even more? I'm not saying be warm and fuzzy (that's Kwame's job), just lose the hubris and prioritize. (God forbid I are another game field with Adrian's name on it.)

So who are the faves to replace Rhee assuming she leaves for love or politics in the next 6 months.

[Anonymous]

Oh. This is easy to predict. The same people who are bashing Fenty are the very same ones who'll be bashing Gray if (heaven help us) he gets in.

These people are always going to blame it on the other guy. I look around me and I see new buildings (including a beautiful new library in NE and lots of improvements for the underserved in this city) improved recreational facilities, bike paths, a green initiative, less crime, better test scores and a better quality of life under Fenty.

Maybe you've got more options than most in this city that is, by the way, comprised of neighborhoods reaching way past NW's privileged enclave. You have the freedom to sit at your desk and despise Rhee (who in my opinion is brilliant and doiing an incredibly difficult job with integrity and focus) precisely because your schools aren't sinking and desperately in need of a lifeboat (or heat for that matter). Ask the folks who can't afford a computer or who work at jobs where they don't have access to a computer so they can chime in themselves! What do they think of the prospect of schools continuing down this path and striving for more? Or would they rather a wrench be thrown in the wheel?

The equation is simple. Kids pass tests + gain proficiency in math and reading = more employable population and less enrollees in "Future Criminals of America" (not to mention what this does for the morale of the entire city and not just

I hope they both get to stay. Big changes happen slowly. You folks are mad if you don't see this. Those who are jumping on the anti-Fenty bandwagon come off as having the same mentality of a crash dieter; one that lacks patience and sets itself up disappointment every time. It took us a long time to get into this mess and it will take more than one term to untangle it. Of course there are kinks. Of course neither is perfect. At least we are headed in the right direction.

[Anonymous]

Please don't flame the typos. I need to get some sleep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All you Grey voters are naive. Whatever works. When the city shuts down, and we can't get our mail, the schools slide back to the bottom rung of the nation's ladder, the city govt balloons again etc, you'll remember that having a touchy feely mayor is no substitute for a manager type that just wants to get the job done.

(snort)

Who channeled Tallulah Bankhead?

Funny!

(now can you make the drama queen go away?!)

[Anonymous]

More seriously, I remember the Barry years and I don't understand why Fenty is being given credit for the turnaround that Anthony Williams orchestrated. From my point of view, Fenty's cronyism is a return to the bad old days, and is the chief reason I want him out.

Absolutely - Williams would get my vote over either Fenty or Gray in a second, although I suspect that sentiment isn't shared in other parts of the city (those that are less well-represented on DCUM). And I am troubled by the cronyism exhibited by the Fenty administration, as well as his obvious arrogance and that of his chief hatchet man, Peter Nickles. (I have a generally favorable impression of Rhee.)

Having said that, as this moment I'm inclined to vote for Fenty (again). Why? Because I have not heard any reason to vote for Gray other than "he's not Fenty." As far as I can see, that's his entire platform thus far - run against Fenty, not for anything. While that's understandable, to a point, you have to be for SOMETHING. Maybe I've just missed it (and if so, I'd appreciate it if someone could educate me), or maybe it's coming in the near future, but until Gray gives me a reason to vote FOR him, and not just against Fenty, I'll stick with the devil I know.

[Anonymous]

Under Rhee you see neighborhood schools -- third tier, fourth tier-- becoming desirable to middle class families for the first time in literally decades. She fired a ten-year crappy principal who was ruining our local school and had for years, and put in a dynamite person who's gotten grant after grant. The new principal has reached out to neighborhood families and a lot of them are putting their 3-4 year olds in the school. In a few years time it'll be one of those schools with 200+ waiting lists. I'm thrilled.

I liked Clifford Janey a lot and I was upset when he left under Fenty, but I don't think he could go as far as Rhee has. Yes she's ascerbic, and she makes these very odd communication blunders, and yes, mistakes, but we're talking 40 years of failure here. Without that kind of boat-rocking major change won't happen.

Do you really think the teachers would have gone for the current contract without the threat of the previous contract before it? No. She does these things that are so far out there that when she does something just s[i]omewhat[/i] controversial it doesn't look like it. In the past, people would picket school board members over portions of the curriculum AT ONE SCHOOL. That's how change was measured-- I saw this in the 80s. Now she closes entire schools down with nary a picket sign anywhere, or picks 13 "catalyst" schools that get millions in extra funds and nobody protests over why their school didn't get picked or why their school did get picked. Janey in comparison was a thoughtful, considerate person who lost all the time because he chose moderate, considered positions. It wasn't enough to rock the establishment.

[Anonymous]

Provide free childcare to yuppies in order to increase overall enrollment. Brilliant!