Mayor gets his way

“They are really nervous”! That’s what one insider told me about his colleagues in central administration office of the city school system. The DC Council yesterday gave tentative approval to Mayor Fenty’s proposal to take over the schools and no one expects the Mayor to keep the staff that has been assembled by Superintendent Clifford Janey. Fenty said yesterday, after the Council vote that he hasn’t decided on Janey’s fate or the person who will be named Chancellor to run the schools and report directly to the Mayor. No one I talked to believes that for a second. Janey is probably out; His $250,000 annual salary will go to the new Chancellor who will then bring in his or her own team. Fenty won’t be able to defend a bigger bureaucracy which means some current jobs are going to be eliminated.  

 

Thus far, only one elected school board member, Jeffery Smith has resigned over the Council vote. I’m polling the remaining members to see if anyone else plans to leave. Robert Bobb, the new School Board President, after threatening to walk, has decided to stay and try to find a way, even if behind the scenes, to influence some of the changes. All parties say they will be watching student test scores, procurement, and communications; but we’ll also keep watching with interest where the multi million dollar contracts for repairing and replacing school buildings will go. The Mayor will be in charge of that also; The Council has added legislation that will allow them to see the academic successes or lack thereof annually from an independent source. They can also fire the Mayor after five years if the schools are not better. Privately the legislators say they will also be scrutinizing the repair and building contracts awarded by the new administration. Those contracts might provide the first glimpse into who lines up to collect on those hefty campaign contributions. Every deal valued at a million dollars or more must come through the DC Council.