D.C. Bill On School Firings Advances

"Have you undermined the merit system for all city departments?" Nathan A. Saunders, general vice president of the Washington Teachers' Union, asked in an interview. "Whenever someone comes in to take over a department or city agency, you know the first thing they are going to ask for? The same rights given to the chancellor."

Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) said workers have been terminated in the past in the hopes of turning around agencies, to no avail. He said the school system needs to be restructured, which would not necessarily mean firing workers. "I cannot support throwing civil service out the window," he said.

Mendelson, Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) and Harry Thomas Jr. (D-Ward 5) dissented. They also cast the only affirmative votes on an alternative bill, penned by the unions and introduced by Thomas, that would have limited the types of employees who could be fired and would have given workers the chance to be trained for other jobs in the system.

Their objections, however, did not sway the other council members during two hours of debate.

Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D) recalled his tenure as director of human services for the city in the 1990s, describing how personnel rules made it difficult to terminate ineffective workers. "There are few things more debilitating than to follow a terminating process that is protracted to begin with, only to have your action overturned seemingly arbitrarily," he said.

He tweaked the original bill submitted by Fenty (D) to require that employees receive job descriptions, timely evaluations and proper notice that they will be fired.

Rhee said she welcomed the changes, adding that her staff is taking some of the actions outlined in Gray's amendments. Rhee has begun employee performance evaluations in the central office. Employees and managers had to complete written evaluations by Friday and must meet with supervisors by this Friday.

At the news briefing, Fenty thanked the council members, specifically Gray, for giving the legislation initial approval. He said that the council had to tackle the obstinate nature of the central office and that there has been "pushback."

"This is not an easy piece of legislation to pass," he said.

The council's approval of the supplemental $81 million to help close the school system's budget gap will also provide money to close 23 schools, as Rhee has proposed.

Last night, about 100 parents and teachers packed the cafeteria at Barnard Elementary School in Northwest Washington to hear proposals to upgrade instruction at schools across Ward 4.

Although school system leaders discussed plans to introduce a high-tech campus, new school configurations with pre-kindergarten to eighth grade, and more music and art programs, speakers zeroed in on the proposed closures, including those of Clark and Rudolph elementary schools.

Responding to a comment by Rhee that she will consider public feedback before making final decisions in January, Clark parent Joy Parker said: "Why are you asking these questions? It sounds like you're going to do this anyway."

Staff writer Theola Labb¿ contributed to this report.