Washington DC Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee should have a more relaxing Thanksgiving now that the DC Superior Court has ruled in her favor.
Yesterday, the court upheld her October 2nd dismissal of 388 school employees in the Washington DC school system. The Washington Teachers’ Union had brought the lawsuit against Rhee.
“This has been a difficult time for the entire school system,” stated Rhee through a press release.
Rhee said that she is looking forward to continuing to improve the troubled school system. She would also like to proceed with teachers' negotiations, which have dragged on for more than two years.
The Washington Teachers’ Union had asked the courts to reinstate 266 teachers and other staff members who were laid off. They believed that Rhee had invented the budget crises to get rid of certain teachers.
Judge Judith Bartnoff ruled that there was undisputed evidence that that the school system's budget was not sufficient to support the existing staff and the new teachers being hired for the current school year. The City Council had slashed the school budget by $21 million two weeks before the new teachers were scheduled to begin.
The judge also rejected the union's claim that the layoffs should be arbitrated under the city's collective bargaining agreement with the teachers' union.
Parker and the teachers’ union may appeal Bartnoff’s decision.
For more information, see:
Court decision in detail: Washington Teachers' Union Versus Chancellor Rhee
Rhee's court vindication: a judge's ruling on layoffs puts some phony criticism to rest
Have Rhee's school reforms cost Mayor Fenty his job?
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