Reply to Secret report shows ‘special’ treatment for public officials in D.C. school lottery

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]According to the WP, Bowser did NOT apologize:

"The fallout from findings that a former schools chancellor misused her authority to place children of top city officials in coveted schools seemed clear. From city hall, where council members were inundated with calls last week, to neighborhood email groups, where parents fumed, there was outrage that well-connected people had stepped ahead of everyone else in the city’s notoriously competitive school lottery.

But the mayor doesn’t see it that way."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/after-favoritism-revealed-in-school-lottery-dc-parents-wait-on-apology/2017/05/21/8876c2da-3c25-11e7-9e48-c4f199710b69_story.html?utm_term=.0783d5fe86d5[/quote]

From the article:

"[Rashad] Young, who had been the city administrator in Alexandria, Va., before Bowser announced his hire in late 2014, had not yet moved into the District when he entered the lottery in spring of 2015.

He won seats for his two sons at Murch Elementary School, a high-performing school in Northwest, but did not enroll by the May 1 deadline. The chancellor arranged for Young to claim the seats months later, after Young and his family moved to a $1.2 million house outside the Murch school zone and east of Rock Creek Park."

1.2M house, $297K annual salary, AND Murch ... hey Kaya, are you SURE that DC government officials are under-compensated???[/quote]

If this is true this sucks big time  :mrgreen: [/quote]

What don't you think is true? Rashad Young's salary and home price are public record. The independent IG indicated Young received special treatment in the lottery. The Mayor effectively confirmed it. What's left to doubt?[/quote]

I just looked up his house--have to say, it's pretty nice.  Awesome backyard.  ;)

I can see why public officials would be tempted to move ahead of the line for high-performing schools, but buy homes in areas where their money can stretch further (and, for many AAs, esp. those from the DC area, the "Gold Coast" area is very desirable place to live).  The system is already in place, and they are simply operating within it.  I do, however, think the rules need to be changed.[/quote]

What Bowser and others are missing here is that yes, discretionary transfers existed but that the expectation is that senior government officials act ethically. [b]Every policy in DC Government should not require special instructions to indicate that senior officials not take advantage of it[/b]. They should already know not to use their position or power to benefit themselves ahead of residents. If they don't already know that, they shouldn't be allowed in positions of power. That's why people are upset, not because the discretionary transfer policy was poorly worded. [/quote]

You are turning logic on its head. If it was a published appeals application process (it was) available to all (it was) then the government employees didn't "take advantage of it". You are suggesting that they shouldn't have to be told that they are ineligible for something that is otherwise available to all other taxpayers. How far should we extend your line of thinking? Should we say as a default that employees are  ineligible for everything unless legislation specifically includes them? [/quote]

It's unethical. Young is the most senior appointed official in DC. He cannot ask Kaya to make an impartial decision regarding his children by virtue of his position. What if was the Deputy Mayor for Education that asked for a discretionary transfer? She's Kaya's direct supervisor. Would that be ethical? This is literally no different. Young is Kaya's boss' boss. [/quote]

Young should have never asked for the transfer, and Kaya never should have considered it. That would have been the ethical course of action, recognizing the inherent conflict. You're correct that by accepting the job of city administrator (or Chancellor) and its high salary & responsibilities, you accept a higher ethical obligation than your average resident. [/quote]

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