Fenty's Plan to Take Over Ailing System Is Finding Foes

Ultimately, Fenty said, he believes the council will support him for one critical reason: His plan will give council members a strong hand in school oversight, including line-item control of the budget.

Gray has discussed the takeover with Fenty but has not endorsed it. Among the important considerations for Gray is which of the council's 13 members will oversee the education committee.

"I want to see a thoughtful approach on what takeover means," Gray said. "We have to talk about more than 'I'm in charge and you're not.' "

Fenty envisions creating a Department of Education overseen by a deputy mayor. The school superintendent would report to the deputy mayor, who in turn would report to Fenty.

The concept has not gone over well with school leaders. Last week, Bobb vowed to fight Fenty and said he would rally public support for the school board. Bobb, Williams's city administrator for three years, hailed his own school improvement plan, which focuses on early childhood development and boosting literacy.

Janey's future is uncertain. During the mayoral campaign, Fenty criticized Janey, who became superintendent in 2004, for moving too slowly, citing his 13-year plan to close some schools.

Fenty met with Janey at the superintendent's office last week to lay out the basic structure of his proposal. He said Janey would have more freedom to make decisions by answering to one boss instead of the fractious school board. Afterward, the two emerged smiling and talking about running a marathon together, according to people who were present.

"The system we're looking at would allow Janey to run like a gazelle," Fenty said.

In an interview, Janey said he does not support the elimination of an elected school board, lest the city descend into "civil war" over the loss of the public's right to vote for members.

But, Janey said, certain aspects of a mayoral takeover are "attractive." For example, he said, Fenty could help by improving the speed and ease by which other government agencies, such as the Health Department, provide services to the schools.

"We are interested in how reform advocacy by Mayor-elect Fenty could help coordinate the resources in the city that can be tied to the work we do," Janey said.

In other cities where mayors have wrested away control of schools, some of the loudest critics have been teachers and parents. In New York, for example, teachers say they have less creativity under a centralized system, and parents say they have diminished influence over local school decisions.