Nonprofit Groups May Run Failing D.C. Schools

The charter schools and the D.C. system must turn in their restructuring plans to Gist by the end of the month.

"This is the planning year, but there is no more room for talk," Gist said. "I expect to see action."

According to Hobson, Rhee told the parents and teachers she met with Monday that three nonprofits potentially could run some D.C. schools: St. Hope, a charter operator in Sacramento; Green Dot, which operates 12 charter schools in the Los Angeles area; and Philadelphia-based Mastery Charter Schools.

Rhee has a personal connection with St. Hope. She recruited teachers for St. Hope in her former position as chief executive and president of the nonprofit New Teacher Project. She also was a board member of St. Hope for about a year until she was appointed chancellor, according to a St. Hope official.

At her confirmation hearing before the D.C. Council in June, former NBA star Kevin Johnson, who serves as president and chief executive of St. Hope, flew from California to testify on her behalf.

St. Hope recently started operating in New York City. In a statement, a St. Hope spokeswoman said the organization is "certainly open to considering Washington DC as another expansion site given the great things that are happening."

Steve Barr, chief executive of Green Dot Public Schools, said a woman from the District called him about four months ago inquiring about his services. The organization offers a prep school program for 4,000 students at formerly failing traditional public schools in troubled urban areas such as Watts. "I talked to . . . somebody with D.C. public schools. We had a half-hour conversation," Barr said, adding that the woman, whose name he couldn't recall, never asked the group to work with D.C. schools and never called back.

Mastery has 1,500 students in grades seven to 12 in four charters, three of which were converted from failing traditional schools. Ben Rayer, chief operating officer for Mastery, said Rhee contacted the organization.

"All I know is the chancellor has e-mailed the CEO of Mastery," Rayer said. "I'm sure there is no contract or agreement."