Limelight Has Eluded Fired D.C. Schools Chief

It's been a tough month for former D.C. school superintendent Clifford B. Janey since his abrupt dismissal by Mayor Adrian M. Fenty in a late-night telephone call.

He fulfilled a previously scheduled eight-day, school-related trip to China, visited family in Boston and spent time with his wife, Barbara, at an apartment they own in New York City, according to friends. But in the District, Janey has lain low, refusing to speak out about his firing and declining interview requests from reporters.

Janey's public silence might be largely strategic. He and his attorney are negotiating with the Fenty administration for a larger severance package than the $250,000, plus health insurance and pension benefits, stipulated in his contract.

Janey has asked for up to two years in severance pay and has offered to work as a consultant for the school system, Fenty administration officials said. But General Counsel Peter J. Nickles said he has refused Janey's offer and the negotiations are at a standstill.

"The mayor and I want a fair and reasonable resolution, and we have bent over backward to provide that resolution," Nickles said. "I'm disappointed we can't get this resolved."

Sharon P. Stiller, an attorney for Janey, disputed Nickles's account of the negotiations, saying Janey's contract runs until 2009, which is why he is due two years of severance. She also said the administration has not offered to pay for Janey's health benefits or to let his pension vest.

"Dr. Janey has only asked for what he is entitled to under the contract," Stiller said. "I hope the administration decides that Janey should be treated fairly."

Janey did not respond to messages left at his home in the District and with Peter G. Parham, his former chief of staff.

Janey will make his first local public appearance since his firing at a farewell party Thursday organized by D.C. Voice, an education advocacy group, at the Homer Building on 13th Street NW.

Jeff Smith, a former D.C. Board of Education member who is now executive director of D.C. Voice, said he has spoken twice with Janey and described him as "light of heart."

But Smith added that the former superintendent "was regretful that he was not able to finish graduation season, which superintendents, particularly this one, use as a platform to thank school leaders for the work they've done."

In private, Janey has remained stoic, even as his associates complain openly about the way he was treated by the mayor. Fenty informed Janey that he would no longer be in charge about 11:30 p.m. July 11, the night before the mayor announced the appointment of Michelle A. Rhee as his replacement. Janey's school e-mail account and cellphone were canceled within hours.