Better or Worse, It's Rhee's School System Now

Gallery

A Look Back at Michelle Rhee's First Year as Chancellor of D.C. Schools

In 2007, D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty appointed Michelle A. Rhee as the chancellor of D.C. Public Schools. Critics have questioned Rhee's qualifications and her aggressive revamp of the troubled school system.

» LAUNCH PHOTO GALLERY

Some critics say she operates the $1 billion system like the private nonprofit she founded before taking the chancellor job -- with little accountability to the public. They say Rhee often fails to respond to inquiries from parents, teachers, education activists, council members and even other city agencies seeking basic information about her plans.

She has fiercely resisted efforts to scrutinize her work. In March, as part of the 100 firings in the central office "to create a culture of accountability," Rhee dismissed independent auditor John Cashman, whose job was to uncover waste and corruption. She also persuaded D.C. Chief Financial Officer Natwar M. Gandhi to reassign schools CFO Pamela D. Graham when Graham attempted to stop Rhee from busting the budget with new hires, sources said.

Rhee, through a spokeswoman, declined to comment.

As she has consolidated power, she has weakened the authority of principals and instructional superintendents, administrators who oversee clusters of schools, and diminished school-based decision-making.

Asked recently by a PBS reporter whether she considers herself a benevolent dictator, she said: "If by dictator, you mean somebody who, at the end of the day, is fully comfortable being held accountable for, you know, the results and is going to be incredibly decisive about the direction that we're heading in, then, yes."

But in a move that could ratchet up a tug of war between two powerful figures, council Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D) is seeking to expand his watchdog role over Rhee. The council can interrogate Rhee during hearings but has little influence over her unless she makes a special request for money or legislation.

Gray is pushing Rhee to engage the community in a discussion of her five-year plan at a hearing this fall. He wants her to set annual benchmarks so the public can gauge whether she is succeeding. The moves are aimed at stopping her from introducing one initiative at a time while keeping her long-range plans hidden.

"It serves everyone well if we know where she is going and if [the public] can feel a part of it," Gray said. "Giving people an opportunity to be involved in the process is healthy. Yes, on the front end, it's time-consuming and can be contentious. But it will be contentious on the back end if you don't."

Supporters of Rhee's tactics say desperate times call for drastic measures. "I think she's doing a terrific job," said former council member Kevin P. Chavous (D-Ward 7), who chaired the council's education committee from 1996 to 2005 and is Rhee's confidant. "Many solid, accomplished people have taken on the task of making D.C. public schools work for children and have largely failed. I came to believe that change would not happen without radical, aggressive action."

Staying Power

One tactic Rhee used in her most heated battles her first year was to outlast the opposition.

She attended 370 community meetings, appearing before every group that requested her presence. She endured night after night of being yelled at by parents about school closings. Although she changed her mind in a few instances, she has said her intention was less to build consensus than to tell people what she was going to do.

"Those who scream the loudest were used to winning," said a source familiar with Rhee's behind-the-scenes operation. The source was not authorized to speak for Rhee and therefore requested anonymity. Rhee's position was, "We aren't going to let a vocal minority make a decision for us," the source said.