THURSDAY, JULY 1, 2010


KLMNO Rhee ‘could not imagine’ doing job without Fenty’s aid rhee from A1


same thing from the chairman.” The Gray campaign did not re- spond to a request for comment Wednesday. Fenty said he knows that among many voters, his reelec- tion hinges on Rhee. “I have asked people for their vote, and I have heard them say, ‘I will sup- port you as long as you promise to keep Michelle Rhee.’ I have ab- solutely heard it that way,” he said in an interview with The Post on Tuesday. “I think what people see in Michelle Rhee is the embodiment of all of the types of decisions they have wanted to see in a schools chan- cellor in a long, long time.” But political professionals say Rhee is an asset and a liability for the mayoral hopefuls. She is as unpopular as Fenty in some sec- tions of the city, especially east of the Anacostia River, where many children languish in low-achiev- ing schools. A Washington Post poll in January showed that 54 percent of parents disap- proved of her performance and that her standing with African American residents had slipped. In a Post poll two years earlier, 50 percent of black residents said they supported her. In Janu- ary, 62 percent disapproved. Her best use as a Fenty asset would be in predominantly white Northwest sections of the city, where schools are better and residents admire her tough stance against the teachers union. Fenty must roll up large majorities in those neighbor- hoods to offset his weaknesses elsewhere.


Rhee is a dilemma for Gray as well, as evidenced by his refusal to say what would happen to her if he is elected. To announce that she has no future in a Gray ad- ministration would risk eroding his support in predominantly white communities. To say he would keep her would mean los- ing significant support in strong- holds such as wards 7 and 8. There is also the matter of the


Hatch Act, which regulates polit- ical activity by D.C. government employees. Rhee is allowed to campaign for Fenty — making speeches, distributing literature, attending fundraisers — only on her time off and without the use of her official title. But as Tues- day’s interviews show, there is leeway in the law. Rhee’s comments came during


a week in which both sides scuf- fled for advantage on the school reform issue. Fenty did not at- tend a planned education policy debate Monday with Gray, citing scheduling conflicts. The follow- ing afternoon, he appeared with Rhee at a news conference to tout the improvements achieved during his tenure, including higher test scores, renovated school buildings and a new labor contract that will allow the Dis- trict to pay teachers for their ef- fects on student achievement. Gray is scheduled to announce his education platform Thurs- day.


Gray supported the 2007 legis-


lation that handed control of D.C. schools to the mayor and supported Fenty’s unorthodox choice of Rhee — who had never run a school system — as the city’s first chancellor. But he has clashed consistently with Fenty and Rhee, faulting them for a lack of transparency in their dealings with parents and other stakeholders on issues such as school closures and budgeting. On Monday night, Gray de- scribed their approach to public disclosure as “opaque.” He ex- pressed frustration with Rhee for her failure to work out the fiscal details of the new teachers con- tract — including an unusual fi- nancing arrangement with pri- vate foundations — before an- nouncing it publicly. Confusion over funding of the pact placed it at risk for several days in the spring.


But business and political leaders say Gray and Rhee would have much to lose by parting company. Rhee would leave be- hind the unfinished business of fixing the schools, a job that vaulted her from obscurity to na- tional prominence as a voice for education reform and also made her something of a celebrity. She is scheduled to marry Kevin Johnson, the mayor of Sacra- mento and a former NBA star, in September. She has said they will have a commuter marriage. Although there are signs of progress — a halt in enrollment decline, significant gains on na- tional tests in math and reading in fourth and eighth grades — Rhee has said that it would take five to eight years to achieve dra- matic results. And even some supporters say privately that a resignation driven by an election would risk rendering hollow one of her foundational views: that urban school districts suffer be- cause adults place their interests ahead of those of children. To


leave, without at least trying to come to terms with Gray, they said, could be seen as the ulti- mate adult-interested decision. Should Gray win and decide to sack Rhee, he risks halting at least some of the momentum Rhee has generated. Gray has said that chronic instability at the top of the school system has hindered past reform attempts. A search for her successor would take months and possibly re- quire the naming of an interim


chancellor. It is likely that many of Rhee’s top deputies would leave with her. “We would be in for a year or


two pause in the progress that’s been made. Could it be restart- ed? I think it’s unclear,” said George Vradenburg, a former AOL executive and philanthro- pist active in supporting reform initiatives.


But others agree with Gray


and say that school reform in the District cannot hinge on one per-


son and be sustainable. “If the mayor doesn’t prevail in the primary, what’s critical is that we have a smooth transi- tion,” said Ted Trabue, president of the D.C. State Board of Educa- tion. “What’s the company? Ap- ple. Steve Jobs? The stock report rises and falls based on his health in the morning.


I


wouldn’t want that to be our sys- tem.”


turqueb@washpost.com stewartn@washpost.com


COURTESY OF PARAMOUNT PICTURES


Until this week, D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee had been circumspect in her comments about the Sept. 14 Democratic primary.


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