The Politics of Education In Washington

Last week was big news in Washington DC's schools. First, Mayor Adrian Fenty (D) assumed direct control of the foundering and flailing schools system. His first act was to sack Superintendent Clifford Janey and appoint 37-year-old Michlle Rhee as the system's new Chancellor. Rhee spent her first few days being hounded in the press as, among other things, inexperienced, unknown, incapable of understanding black kids because she is of Korean descent, and oh yeah--illegally appointed by the Mayor.

On Saturday, the Washington Post reported that DC City Council Chairman Vincent Gray sent a letter to Mayor Fenty asking for Fenty's job search process. Gray believes that Fenty did not follow the law in selecting Rhee. According to the letter, dated the day after the appointment of Rhee, Gray wrote:

"I am gravely concerned that the manner in which Ms. Rhee was selected did not follow the public process that was intended, and indeed mandated, by the legislation," Gray wrote in the letter that he copied to his council colleagues.

Fenty's secret search process for a replacement for former superintendent Clifford B. Janey and the surprise announcement of Rhee this week has generated controversy among parents and residents.

The appointment process may indeed be a subject worth exploring, but my advice to Gray is don't go too far because you may not like what happens in the end.

What this search by Gray is really going to boil down to is, for lack of a better term, a pissing contest between Gray and Fenty and in the long run, Gray is going to lose. Gray will lose not because Fenty is right and Gray wrong, because I don't think that to be the case. Rather, Gray will lose because this is not a battle upon which Gray should be expending his political capital. Fenty has no fear on the educaiton issue because he has everything to lose (including his entire political career) and everything to gain, that is being hailed as a hero in DC. As such, with no fear he will take on all challengers, including Gray and the entire City Council, and battle for everything, including Rhee (I would hope).

Gray on the other hand has almost nothing to win and almost nothing to lose. Let's say Gray does win this battle--what will have have accomplished? Will Rhee not be confirmed? If that happens, Fenty will have to appoint someone else and that could take months. Fenty will not want to have the DC schools opening in August with no one at the helm. Torpedoing Rhee puts Gray in the hot seat for screwing over the kids in DC yet again. Given the exasperation the people of DC have with the school system, Gray's "victory" will soon have the bitter taste of defeat. On the other hand, if Rhee is appointed and fails, then Gray can sit back and watch Fenty implode and Gray can step in four years for now as the Mayor.

Of course, the drawback for Gray is that if Fenty and Rhee succeed, Gray will not be able to take credit for any of their success and may become a political non-entity in the city, a figurehead that Fenty will be able to bypass with relative ease. That does not sit well with Gray at all. He sits in an all or nothing position.

The harsh reality of DC politics is that Fenty and Gray sit atop the pile in the city. With no other elective offices to apsire to, only Gray can move up and he probably wants to, but success in teh schools for Fenty will wirite his ticket. But the political hot potato is not without its own costs for we are talking about kids and education, not the building of a new bridge or the reduction of crime, but the discussion is about the hopes and dreams of kids and their families.