By Theola Labbé
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, April 21, 2007

The District's mayor, school superintendent and school board president pledged yesterday that they would work together, proffering a show of unity one day after the D.C. Council approved a mayoral takeover of the schools.

Emerging from a closed-door meeting that lasted 15 minutes, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D), Board of Education President Robert C. Bobb and Superintendent Clifford B. Janey stood shoulder to shoulder before television cameras. They displayed none of the bitterness and infighting that marked the battle over the takeover proposal, and said they would cooperate to iron out issues such as the school budget, a forensic audit of the school system's finances and other transition issues.

The meeting of the three men so soon after Thursday's historic vote was designed to reinforce the message that the deteriorating schools need attention immediately.

"We think it's mandatory for the future of this city, and the future of the children in our school system, that the three of us . . . get together as soon as possible to start discussing how we are going to work together," Fenty said during a 19-minute news conference at the school system's headquarters.

There was a suggestion of tension below the surface.

It became visible when reporters asked about Fenty's proposal to create a new position -- that of a chancellor, who would report directly to the mayor. Fenty deflected questions on whom he might select as his chancellor to run the 55,000-student school system.

But Janey, when asked whether he thought he might be the first chancellor, replied, "I hold myself in high regard." He said he intended to be a part of the planning for the transition.

"I expect fully to move forward as part of this team," he said. "I didn't come here for a year. I didn't come here for two years. I came here to make a commitment to the children, to the families and the community of Washington, D.C."

Reinforcing his point, Janey added: "We're in some stage of transition -- I'm not."

But neither Janey's declarations nor Fenty's vow to work with Janey and Bobb prevented elected officials and parents from questioning whether Janey would remain in his job.

"I would like the mayor to make a decision about who is running the school system," said council member Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), who supported the takeover. "Is Clifford Janey staying? We need to have a chancellor in place by the start of school."

Parent activist Cherita Whiting said it was time for the mayor to reveal whom he intends as chancellor.

"It's time for him to come clean and say whether he plans on keeping Dr. Janey, yes or no," said Whiting, whose son is a junior at McKinley Technology High School. "If not, who do you plan on replacing him with? Who are your candidates? And what part will the public play?"

Evans said a priority is getting quick approval from Congress for a bill permitting the new arrangement. He said he also would like Fenty's administration to begin evaluating the school budget, "given the state of what [Chief Financial Officer Natwar M.] Gandhi could only describe as chaos."

Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D) said he expects Fenty, Janey and Bobb to modernize schools so students are not faced with "broken bathrooms and peeling paint" when they return in the fall.

"From the perspective of parents and students, they want to know that schools are going to open on time," Gray said.

Donna Power Stowe, executive director of the nonprofit DC Education Compact, said she didn't expect to hear specific plans or a timetable for addressing issues. But she said she was glad that after months of often-contentious debate, it seemed that the men had exchanged olive branches.

"It's not always easy to get to that point [of cooperation] when you've been looking critically at an issue, but they all agree that this is the most important issue in the city," Stowe said. "It will probably sound a little sappy, but I think that's good."

Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) said the news conference showed cooperation between the mayor and school board. "It's a hopeful sign," he said.

Fenty said the three men plan to meet next week with Gandhi to discuss the school system's finances.

Staff writer Nikita Stewart contributed to this report.