Who Is Going to Run District Schools?

Mayoral Candidates Offer Alternatives

The persistent question on District voters' minds during the mayoral campaign this year is what the five major candidates for the Democratic nomination plan to do to mend the city's troubled school system.

At least three of the candidates -- all members of the D.C. Council -- have plans to take control of the schools, while the other two want to play a pivotal role in running them.

In a recent Washington Post poll, 24 percent of D.C. voters responding identified education as "the biggest problem facing the District today." Only crime and violence ranked above education, a showing that reflected residents' fear after a rash of homicides and the declaration of a "crime emergency" in early July.

Former school board member Emily Y. Washington, who teaches at Luke C. Moore Academy, an alternative high school for dropouts, said that the candidates for mayor must recognize that the "carnage in the streets" is directly related to the quality of public education in the city.

"Education should be the number one issue because it portends to cure many of the ills that we currently face, including crime, affordable housing, health care and even parenting," she said. "I fear that all the candidates are missing the point. I don't want to hear that somebody's taking over a . . . thing when they've been sitting on the legislature for years."

Throughout this year-long campaign, there have been mounting problems with the school system, and the city's elected officials have taken some steps to counter them.

The D.C. Council recently passed legislation to pour $1 billion into the school system over the next 10 years for modernization, bringing to $2.5 billion the amount being earmarked for school improvements. The D.C. Board of Education approved a controversial plan in June to reduce the number of buildings it operates by closing five schools and leasing space in others to charter schools.

But while the school board is trying to save money on operations, a report released last month showed a substantial number of elementary schools may fail to reach federal reading and math standards.

While the major mayoral candidates vary in their proposals to improve the school system, all agree that Superintendent Clifford B. Janey, who began two years ago, should remain in the job. And they all plan to keep the elected school board.

Council Chairman Linda W. Cropp (D) and council member Adrian M. Fenty (D-Ward 4), the front-runners, said that if elected mayor each would include Janey in cabinet meetings. Fenty said the superintendent would be a member of his cabinet, while Cropp said Janey would be required to attend cabinet meetings so he could exchange ideas with other agency heads.

Council member Vincent B. Orange Sr. (D-Ward 5), who said that as mayor he would seek to take control of the school system, also would require the superintendent to be a member of his cabinet. Under his plan, the school board would advise, not govern. Orange said it would take a charter amendment approved by voters to make any changes in the law on how the school system is governed.

"There needs to be one person in charge of the schools," Orange said. "The responsibility lies with the mayor. It would be like the mayor running an agency."