Rhee's poll numbers way down -- especially among AAs

[Anonymous]

I saw in today's Washington Post that Rhee's poll numbers are way down especially among AA families. It will be interesting to see if she lasts & whether she marries the former basketball player and current Mayor of Sacramento.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:I saw in today's Washington Post that Rhee's poll numbers are way down especially among AA families. It will be interesting to see if she lasts & whether she marries the former basketball player and current Mayor of Sacramento.

You realize that Rhee and Johnson are engaged with their wedding scheduled for Sept 4, right?

[Anonymous]

I think she'll last because no one wants to take on Fenty. She'll be around for a good time to come unfortunately.

[Anonymous]

Recruit Tony Williams!

[Anonymous]

Worth noting that while opinion of Rhee was down in the poll, respondents said they though DCPS was improving:

<quote>Yet as residents grow less supportive of Fenty's designated change agent for the schools, they still approve of some of the changes. The proportion of parents in the city who see violence or crime in schools as a "big problem" has declined from 78 to 65 percent. Those with children in public schools are more favorable, with 57 percent calling it a big problem. The quality and availability of books and other instructional materials is viewed as less of a major problem by all parents, dropping from 67 percent to 48 percent. </quote>

I'm guessing Rhee's response (if any) will be, "I don't care what people think of me, as long as they think the schools are getting better."

[Anonymous]

well, that should be her response....

[Anonymous]

I have been a resident of DC for over 20 years. It is only in the past few years that I feel like a major shift has occurred and there is some hope that we can maybe stay in DC once our child starts elementary school - and later, middle school. I am also happy about some of the improvements in services offered by the city that I can actually use - dog parks, new pools and parks, library improvements, new businesses, etc. Can this be attributed to Fenty and Rhee? I don't know........but I sure don't want to go back to the way things were going.

[Anonymous]

I am so worried that this recent improvement will go by the wayside because the majority of voters want someone warm and fuzzy (as both Mayor and school chancellor) that they are willing to give up improvements in favor of someone else. Someone who won't rock the boat or upset parents or the unions. The complaining about Fenty and Rhee on this board is disgusting. Are they perfect? No, of course not. Fenty was awfully darn petty over that basball ticket crap. Could Rhee be more warm and fuzzy? Sure, but I for one want her to break up - totally and completely break up - the way things used to be. Get rid of we've always done it this way and do something different. SHAKE it up. Yes, the previous chancellor was careful and slowly making improvements. But you know what? I don't have time for careful and slow. I want what's broken FIXED. And if not fixed completely, at least the old patterns broken. No one needs a central DCPS office that can't buy textbooks, open schools on time, or pay teachers - and it was that way not so very long ago. So, yeah, I don't think of highly of Rhee and Fenty as I did. But I sure as hell want them on the job.

[Anonymous]

Agreed. I also don't see any challengers who have agendas compatible with mine (fix what's broken, build the city up, attract/ retain affluence).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am so worried that this recent improvement will go by the wayside because the majority of voters want someone warm and fuzzy (as both Mayor and school chancellor) that they are willing to give up improvements in favor of someone else. Someone who won't rock the boat or upset parents or the unions. The complaining about Fenty and Rhee on this board is disgusting. Are they perfect? No, of course not. Fenty was awfully darn petty over that basball ticket crap. Could Rhee be more warm and fuzzy? Sure, but I for one want her to break up - totally and completely break up - the way things used to be. Get rid of we've always done it this way and do something different. SHAKE it up. Yes, the previous chancellor was careful and slowly making improvements. But you know what? I don't have time for careful and slow. I want what's broken FIXED. And if not fixed completely, at least the old patterns broken. No one needs a central DCPS office that can't buy textbooks, open schools on time, or pay teachers - and it was that way not so very long ago. So, yeah, I don't think of highly of Rhee and Fenty as I did. But I sure as hell want them on the job.

I want it fixed too. Therefore I want a Chancellor who knows when to build political support and work with groups that could be her allies and doesn't needlessly antagonize important segments of the community. She still doesn't have a contract with the teacher's union -- how is that productive? Sure, I'm all for putting pressure the teacher's union to change and I want a tough leader. But a leader who doesn't know how to bend when it is useful and who doesn't know how to communicate effectively to school system stakeholders like parents -- that's someone who creates more problems for herself.

I don't want "warm and fuzzy." I want "effective and smart," not "arrogant and stupid." So far Rhee has needlessly sowed division at two schools my daughter attended, creating upheaval that could have been avoided if she had just planned more carefully and taken stakeholders into consideration.

And FWIW, I couldn't care less about Fenty's fight over the baseball tickets. I just want to be treated like someone who deserves to get answers about what is happening in my city and my school system. I find it highly insulting that some of Rhee's supporters claim that those of us who point out her leadership flaws must be in favor of poor teaching and crappy administrators. I live here. I pay my taxes. My child attended DCPS. I voted for Fenty. I have a right to criticize the Chancellor he chose without being dismissed as irrelevant or as supporting a failed system.

And you know what -- it wouldn't take that much to mollify pissed off parents like me. Just an acknowledgment from Fenty and Rhee that maybe they screwed up in running roughshod over us and disregarding our concerns and that things are going to change. But Rhee and Fenty can't even see how their attitude is part of the problem.

[Anonymous]

I think most of the recent succcess in the city is due to intiatives put in place years ago - like when Anthony Williams was mayor. Instead of focusing on social service programs, he focused on bringing business to the city making it more desirable for people not living in poverty. With the business came a more educated, better-off constintuency which generally leads to better education, quality of life and decreased crime. Hopefully she'll head off to California with her charming, accused-molestor new husband in September and begin her "sweep" out there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think most of the recent succcess in the city is due to intiatives put in place years ago - like when Anthony Williams was mayor. Instead of focusing on social service programs, he focused on bringing business to the city making it more desirable for people not living in poverty. With the business came a more educated, better-off constintuency which generally leads to better education, quality of life and decreased crime. Hopefully she'll head off to California with her charming, accused-molestor new husband in September and begin her "sweep" out there.

This is all true. Rhee actually admitted that the test scores were increasing under Janney and that she simply carried on what he actually put in place. All the changes that people are recognizing in the last two to three years were implemented years ago. Do you really think that you could turn a major organization around in so short of a period of time. What I hope does not happen is that with Janney's innovation, Rhee did not actually screw things up. Just like it takes time to see improvements, it will take time to see Rhee and Fenty's destruction. As for a decrease in crime. Crime is down around the country, so that is a national phenom. BTW--Lanier does not use the same statistics as the FBI and she has repeatedly refused to provide her data to the FBI for verification. So, we don't know if her numbers are skewed or what. At least under Ramsey, you could compare his data with the FBI data. FWIW, data can be manipulated if there is noone to verify or corroborate the data.

[Anonymous]

10:38, great post. I'm a DCPS parent too and I'm fed up. I was a big supporter of Rhee at first, but the things she "fixed" can be attributed to Allan Lew and Clifford Janey.

She has assumed that everyone in DCPS is corrupt or stupid or both. Granted, there were people who needed to go, but Rhee and company has failed to differentiate.

We've lost some wonderful teachers and I can't say I blame them for a minute. The environment is toxic.

And for those of you who aren't in DCPS, here's a fun fact. 825 is every bit as corrupt and inefficient as ever. Granted, they have fancy degrees and J Crew suits, but they still can't get the job done. Oh, and they get right back to you on email. And then you never get a answer to your question.

Thanks Michelle!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And you know what -- it wouldn't take that much to mollify pissed off parents like me. Just an acknowledgment from Fenty and Rhee that maybe they screwed up in running roughshod over us and disregarding our concerns and that things are going to change. But Rhee and Fenty can't even see how their attitude is part of the problem.

Amen! This is one of best posts I've read in a while and ITA. My main concern is not so much arrogance but immaturity and poor judgement.

Rhee is really starting to sound like she's looking for an excuse to be run out of town. Why would a rational person who took such politically suicidal actions like closing horrible schools (that were already slated for closure), firing truly crap principals and admin (first round, not the RIF), and implementing the "low hanging fruit" test taking risk throwing it all away with flippant remarks and one PR mishap over another? Was she not at the council hearings? Does she think we don't have enough lawsuits pending? Sounds like she's setting herself up to look like a victim. Understandable, but lamentable.

I do believe she should get props for actually executing on things that needed to happen asap. But if it's just a question of continuing to execute on a plan and negotiating the last clauses with the union, is she really the only person who can do this? Some claim the entire system will shut down and mass exoduses of middle class (read white) people will flee if (when) she leaves. Seriously? Well if that's true, better she go now. She's not acting like someone who's in it for the long haul. And we all know Fenty is happy to ax his staff when it's expedient. (Clark Ray?)

As for AAs (I am one), I was leaning charter already so I'm not panicked about immediate options post Rhee.

[Anonymous]

I was wondering if she was doing/saying such jaw-dropping stuff as a strategy -- that then when she does something like quietly fire a principal or two it doesn't get that much notice. I can't for the life of me figure out why else she would do/say some of the things that she's done in the past six months or so. Seems deliberately designed to enflame.