For Janey, Event Means 'Validation' of Legacy

Clifford B. Janey, shown giving an address on the state of D.C. schools last year, was replaced last month by the mayor as the city's education chief. (By Gerald Martineau -- The Washington Post)

Former D.C. school superintendent Clifford B. Janey said yesterday that he plans to tell parents and education leaders who will gather in his honor tonight to carry on the legacy of his nearly three years in office.

In his first interview since Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) replaced him last month, Janey did not address how he was treated by Fenty, who told Janey in a late-night phone call on the eve of the mayoral takeover of the city's schools that he would be replaced. He also did not discuss ongoing negotiations about his contract or Michelle A. Rhee, the new chancellor.

Janey limited his comments to an event organized by DC VOICE, a nonprofit education advocacy group that is sponsoring an "appreciation reception." It will be Janey's first public appearance since Rhee was named chancellor.

"It's nothing to do with vindication," Janey said of the gathering. "It's all to do with validation . . . It's a worthy idea for [DC VOICE] to let the public know that it's okay to acknowledge one of its leaders who truly kept children first."

Janey will greet about 200 people who have signed up to attend the reception at the Homer Building in downtown Washington. The guest list includes school principals, parent activists and D.C. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D), former mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) and former council chairman Linda W. Cropp (D), who are scheduled to give remarks.

Rhee, who said she has left messages for Janey that were not answered, will be represented by her deputy, Kaya Henderson.

Janey quickly disappeared from public view after Fenty said he called Janey at 11:30 p.m. June 11 to let him know of plans to appoint Rhee to the top education job. Sharon P. Stiller, an attorney for Janey, is negotiating the payout terms of his contract, which she said runs through 2009, with mayoral General Counsel Peter J. Nickles.

Lisa Raymond, a former school board member who serves on the D.C. State Board of Education, said Janey's departure was so fast that she never got a chance to say goodbye.

"I'm looking forward to seeing him," Raymond said. "I want to thank him and wish him well."

In the interview, Janey said his efforts to increase academic requirements and establish a standards-based curriculum gave students more self-confidence and illustrated his student-centric approach when he led the 55,000-student system.

Janey said his focus on student achievement was vital "in a town whose culture is embedded with power and where power trumps principle."

Rhee has said she plans to use the master education and facilities plans developed under Janey as the basis for drafting a school overhaul plan.

"This city owes a debt of gratitude" to Janey, Cropp said. "Obviously he has been successful because his education plan is going to be carried on."

Jeff Smith, executive director of DC VOICE, said that after the mayoral takeover, there was strong talk in education circles about putting together an event for Janey. Smith said several groups asked DC VOICE to reach out to Janey because of Smith's role as a former school board member and the group's surveying of schools to determine whether they had adequate materials for the new academic year.

Smith said a public show of gratitude for Janey was the right thing to do.

"Anybody that's as accomplished as Dr. Janey and is willing to come to Washington, D.C., and serve in this political climate deserves respect and recognition," he said.

The event, billed as "Looking to the Future While Respecting the Past!" also could help heal some of the divisions and tensions over the school takeover, Smith said.

"The point we're trying to make is we want people to be forward-looking, but that doesn't mean that that completely puts aside the people who brought us to this point," Smith said. "We wanted to make sure to let people know that it was okay to do both."