Fenty & Rhee v Council & DC Laws

November 1, 11:52 AMDC Ward 5 Community ExaminerRobert Vinson Brannum

Previous Next

1 comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the DC Ward 5 Community Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

  DCPS Chancellor Michelle Rhee

On April 19, 2007, the Council of the District of Columbia voted to change the governance structure for District of Columbia public schools.  When this Council's action became law on June 12, 2007, and Mayor Adrian M. Fenty made the surprise announcement of Michelle Rhee as the first chancellor of DCPS, several Council members called it a great day for education reform in the District.  There were also newspaper editorials and columns hailing a new era for District public education. District public school advocates, who opposed the law, were told to accept the change, to move forward, and to work for education reform as in the best interest of children.  

District education advocates accepted the change in the law and as an agent of change, channeled their community service energies to make it work for District children.

However, shortly after Chancellor Rhee began to institute her policies in her chosen manner, their sense of justice, fairness, and respect for others would not let some of them continue to walk with her.  

By her own actions and in her own words, Chancellor Rhee shows she does not respect the public, DCPS employees, District laws and believes she can unilaterally override Council acts.  Chancellor Rhee feels she can do whatever she pleases under the intellectual guise – it’s for students.  She is wrong.

Chancellor Rhee’s testimony before the Council last Thursday was the clearest example of mediocre leadership given too much authority.  The saddest part of the Council hearing was not her open disregard for the authority of the Council and to the truth, but rather the impression by some members of the Council they are willing overlook her outrageous and egregious conduct.  Those council members reportedly steadfastly aligned with Chancellor Rhee and Mayor Fenty are Mr. Jack Evans (Ward 2), Mr. Jim Graham (Ward 1), Ms. Muriel Bowser (Ward 4), Mr. Tommy Wells (Ward 6), and Mr. David Catania (At-large).

Even though Chancellor Rhee admitted she disregarded the will of the Council, some members of the Council appeared willing to close their eyes and look the other way.  She and her emissary, DCPS Chief Financial Officer Noah Wepman, caused the District’s Chief Financial Officer, Natwar M. Gandhi to certify a budget that was not balanced.  It is disturbing some Council members appear eager to fire teachers, social workers, and other District employees for “incompetence” with swiftness, but are slow to move against Chancellor Rhee and will stand with her as a senior government official who admits willfully to ignoring decisions of the Council.

The Council cannot allow Chancellor Rhee’s action to go unpunished.  If there not any consequences for her ignoring District law, in the end the Council has made itself a superfluous part of the Government of the District of Columbia and signaled to every District agency head he and she is free to ignore all actions of the Council and laws of the District of Columbia.  If the head of DCPS can be a free agent to disregard the Council and the public, why was Mr. Jerry Johnson forced out as head of DC Water and Sewer Authority and agencies like the Anacostia Waterfront Corporation and the National Capital Revitalization Corporation dissolved and place under the control of the Mayor?  It appears the call for accountability by some members of the Council and in the business community is selective.

Through her testimony, Chancellor Rhee, with the support of Mayor Fenty and some members of the Council, appear to be telling our young people it is all right to disobey your parents and teachers to do what you want to do.  Chancellor Rhee, Mayor Fenty, and some members of the Council seem to be saying to our young people, it is fine to ignore rules, regulations, and directions from law enforcement officers because you alone know what is best for you.

Chancellor Rhee's arrogance, while commented on in previous testimonies by the public and at community meetings, was on full display last Thursday.  Mayor Fenty may not be willing to appear before the Council; however, Chancellor Rhee seems to take personal joy in being hostile, rude, petulant, and disrespectful.  This is her true character and shows how she mistreats people who disagree with her.

Despite the repeated commentaries and other published claims District test scores have dramatically improved under Chancellor Rhee, which is false, Chancellor Rhee does not have supremacy over Council acts and District laws.  It is also not accurate to gauge the public's view of Chancellor Rhee performance only through the political eyes of business groups, such as the Greater Washington Board of Trade and the Federal City Council.  Chancellor Rhee is not reforming DCPS; she is attempting to destroy DCPS and to privatize public education in the District of Columbia.  Their interest is not the public's interest.  These business groups, with deep pockets may control Mayor Fenty and directing Chancellor Rhee to privatize all of District public education.  However, it will be District voters to determine if Mayor Fenty is re-elected and if Chancellor Rhee stays. 

Clearly, the District business community view of democracy differs from those of District residents.  To them justice, equality, fairness, and public engagement are impediments to their bottom lines.  Their allegiance is to the almighty dollar, not to the people or to District laws.  While business leaders may view support Mayor Fenty and Chancellor Rhee ignoring District laws, Council members (as did Mayor Fenty and Chancellor Rhee) took oaths to obey the laws of the District of Columbia.  All District elected officials, particularly those who are members of the DC Bar, should recognize their duty and fealty to the rule of law and as stewards of the public’s trust.

Many all who write articles, commentaries, and editorials about the state of District of Columbia public education, and others who support her efforts, have become so fixated on the slogan, "put kids first" they are willing to ignore the truth.  The public education reform decisions of Mayor Fenty and Chancellor Rhee are not to "put kids first", but rather for the financial profit of the business community.  There have not been dramatic improvements in District public education from Chancellor Rhee policies.

If Chancellor Rhee feels she can ignore Council decisions and decide on her own, then DCPS principals and classroom teachers are free to ignore her.  The bottom line is Mayor Fenty is not above the law, Chancellor Rhee is not above the law, and neither really puts kids first. 

E-mail contact: rbrannum@robertbrannum.com