The Corporate Spin on the Fenty/Rhee Drubbing: Blame the Teachers

The New York Times has a downplayed story on the Fenty defeat, mentioning neither Fenty nor Gray in their headline and featuring a much larger photo of Fenty than Gray.  It also attributes the loss by Fenty to the bad guys, the teachers. 

And to whom should the new Mayor Gray work to reassure and assuage now?  The Rhee supporters who got trounced in yesterday's election:

In particular, many residents have voiced concern that a victory by Mr. Gray would signal an end to the city’s education overhaul under Michelle A. Rhee, the schools chancellor, which has become a model of education reform advocated by the Obama administration. 

Exactly.  That's what the election was about.  The Business Roundtable's version of "education reform" lost.  Get it? You do not take such a loss as a signal to placate or bow to the losers.

But the strongest corporate response so far has been issued through Pawlenty's office in Minnesota, which frames the repudiation of corporate ed reform by the voters as a win for the greedy teachers' union.  You will hear much more of this in the days to come:

Using a local hook to show off his conservative bonafides, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty offered a searing criticism of teachers unions on Wednesday morning for helping defeat Washington D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty in last night's primary.

"Public schools are failing too many children across the country, but arguably nowhere worse than in our nation's capital," Pawlenty's statement read. "Using education reforms similar to what I've fought for in Minnesota, Mayor Fenty and his chancellor of schools, Michelle Rhee, began to turn their schools around, dramatically improving test scores in the last few years. Their work is an inspiration to me and school reformers across the nation."

"Mayor Fenty lost after the teachers' unions led a campaign against him and Michelle Rhee. Fenty's loss is further evidence that despite all their rhetoric about 'the children,' what the teachers' unions really care about is getting more money for jobs they can't lose at schools that produce students who are not prepared to compete. . . .

The Voters Have Spoken: Rhee Must Go

With days to prepare for the inevitable, the Washington Post has a lengthy political obituary this morning for the defeated Fenty, and Michelle Rhee and the corporate ed deformers get two lines.  The Post's editors would rather focus on Fenty's tin political ear and forget that the voters have soundly rejected the billionaire boys club (BBC) who want to take over DC and the DC Schools.  Fenty was deep into the pockets of the white oligarchs, and his bowing to Broad and Gates and the Waltons to put Rhee in charge of schools was and is the most visible symbol of a political hand-off to philanthro-capitalism in the nation's capitol.  Now Fenty's defeat is the most visible symbol of the voters' repudiation of government run by venture capital and vulture philanthropy "supermen."


Robert McCartney has a commentary in WaPo this morning that points out many of policy faults of the snarling Michelle Rhee, but somehow they are painted, too, as personality flaws, rather than the steamrolling and bullying by a corporate board intent upon making DC the urban model for corporate education.  In spite of all the flaws, McCartney urges Gray to go slow, dance the soft shoe, and keep Rhee.  Right.


Valerie Strauss has a slightly different take, urging Gray to act swiftly to make it clear who is running the schools.  Unfortunately, she misses the revolutionary aspect of this historic vote and fails to attribute the Fenty drubbing to voters sick of corporate hubris without boundaries and corporate welfare run amok.  Strauss goes on to argue that the acceptance of the $75 million from the Duncan RTTT bribery fund will assure that DC Schools are locked in to BBC's policies, whether or not Rhee is fired.  What an odd conclusion, when in fact, the one-shot $75 million represent less than 10 percent of DC's annual school budget of almost $760 million.  Since when would a superintendent or mayor be held hostage by such a commitment. 

If Gray wants to be the conciliator, his first act should be to fire the one person who stands most squarely in the way of that goal.  Not only would firing Rhee serve that aspiration, but it would also send a message to the Foundation Supermen that he is not for sale, a message that will make DC voters that could once again have a voice in their city.

DC Voters Repudiate Education Deform

The prognosticators on CNN like David Gergen and Paul Begala are already shaking their heads and clucking about the smashing of the Fenty/Rhee front for the corporate education machine.  Begala is urging the audience to see the big money propaganda film, "Waiting for Superman," a documentary made by a director who gets totally snookered by producers who are funded by the billionaire boys' club. Gergen nods, yep.  Another of the talking heads, a black one, notes that Fenty lost the black vote, even though he was trying to "save the schools."   All three nod.  And so it goes.

Will the pundits ever ask the voters why they soundly rejected the arrogant, hateful, anti-union, anti-teacher, anti-parent, anti-public school approach to reform that sees the solution to urban education as cheap charters with uncertified white short term teachers and no libraries or services for students with special needs?  Cheap charters with high-priced CEOs running them, cheap charters that are based on a no excuses total compliance anti-cultural model of penal pedagogy that treats children as potential test scores who must be behaviorally and psychologically modified. Will the pundits ask the parents and the teachers and the children, all who want a say in how their public school run and their monies are spent, rather than being treated like enemies that have to be conquered?

Will Mr. Gray talk with the voters to see what kind of public school the public wants, rather than reporting to the Broad Foundation and the Gates Foundation and the Walton Foundation?  Parents and teachers don't want schools to prepare mind-scrubbed test-takers and obsequious drones for the corporate state.  Teachers want to be treated like respected professionals, and parents want to be treated like the people who love their children and who pay your salary, Mr. Gray.  Mayor Gray.  I like that.  Let's see what you can do with it.  I'm hoping your people are preparing a pink slip right now for one of the stars of that new documentary on that popular new education reform movement in DC.

Last updated 12:35 am with this:
26,915 now. Gray 56.37%, Fenty 42.11%

Goodnight, Michelle. 

Fenty Headquarters Cheers When Judge Denies Extension of Poll Hours

Why would Fenty's boys be cheering do you think?

A cheer went up at District of Columbia Mayor Adrian Fenty’s campaign headquarters – a used-car dealership – when news reached supporters that a Superior Court judge had rejected his opponent’s petition to extend voting hours into the night.

City Council Chairman Vincent Gray, who is challenging Fenty in the Democratic primary, had argued that delayed openings and other irregularities justified delayed closings, but the judge disagreed. Polls closed at 8 p.m., as scheduled, according to the Board of Elections & Ethics.

D.C. Voters Poised to Send Historic Message to Oligarchs Who Manage Fenty/Rhee

Does it come as a surprise that the wealthy districts of DC are the only places where Fenty is polling ahead of Gray?  If your entire arrogant administration has been executed to serve power and privilege and to arrogantly throw a few crumbs elsewhere, could it not be predicted that the chickens would come home to roost in a city short on privileged voters?  A few clips from WaPo's piece today:

. . . .With early voting beginning Monday in the Sept. 14 primary, Gray is clearly ahead, leading Fenty 49 to 36 percent among all Democratic voters surveyed. Gray's advantage swells to 17 points, 53 to 36 percent, among those most likely to vote in the primary. . . . .

. . . .Education is the top voting issue in the poll and one that works toward Fenty's advantage, particularly among whites. White voters overwhelmingly see the District's schools as better than they were four years ago. But black voters are as apt to say schools have deteriorated as improved.

Talk of Rhee's performance and future is a constant on the campaign trail, but the deep polarization over the chancellor does not give either candidate a clear advantage. In the latest poll, 41 percent of Democrats say her record is a reason to vote for Fenty; 40 percent say it is a factor against Fenty. Among white voters polled, 68 percent say Rhee is a reason to support Fenty, but 54 percent of African Americans consider Rhee a strike against him.

Marilyn Barrette, 43, a Capitol Hill resident with three children in public schools, said she will vote for Fenty because of the work he has done on education. "I've seen some improvements in the facilities themselves. As far as the curriculum and bringing in Michelle Rhee, things are moving in the right direction," said Barrette, an elementary school teacher in Prince George's County who has taken time off to be with her children.

But McDonald said Fenty lost her vote after Rhee fired 266 teachers and gave what she considered a misleading reason for their dismissal. "He really plucked my nerves when he messed with the schools and fired the teachers," said McDonald, who holds Fenty and Rhee responsible for the firings.

Beyond the schools, Gray wins among voters who emphasize most other issues, including the economy and jobs. . . .

The Michelle Rhee and Adrian Fenty Meltdown

With Mayor Fenty's political future clearly linked now with the sinking fortunes of corporate ed reform's poster girl of pain, we can only wonder when the Chancellor will decide to spend more time her family. Maybe Kevin Johnson's California connections will land her a job there. I hear there could be an opening at Green Dot Public Schools, Inc. Is her mouth foul enough and is she reckless enough to replace Broad's lapdog, Steve Barr? Not a problem. From WaPo:

. . . .Rhee's performance was viewed favorably by 59 percent of residents in January 2008, with 29 percent disapproving. Now, there is a near-even split: 43 percent approve of what she's doing, and 44 percent are dissatisfied. Those with children in D.C. public schools have nearly reversed their opinion of Rhee. Two years ago, 54 percent of those parents approved of her; now, 54 percent disapprove.

Support for Rhee has eroded most dramatically among African Americans. Two years ago, 50 percent of black residents backed Rhee, while 38 percent disapproved. Now, just 28 percent approve, with 62 percent dissatisfied. The intensity of African Americans' unhappiness with Rhee's leadership has also grown. The percentage who "strongly disapprove" of her performance has doubled over this period, from 22 percent to 44 percent.

. . . .

The poll results underscore how closely Fenty and Rhee are linked in public perceptions and how much of the mayor's political future might be staked on the chancellor's success in turning around the school system. Fenty's approval rating has dropped 30 points to 42 percent since 2008. During the same period, the proportion of residents who say he has done a "good" or "excellent" job in improving schools has declined from 52 to 42 percent. The segment of residents evaluating his school performance as "poor" has grown from 18 to 24 percent.

Fenty appointed Rhee in 2007, the same year a new law gave him direct control of the city's public schools. The percentage of respondents crediting the transfer of schools to mayoral control is stalled around where it was two years ago, with more now saying that move has made things worse.. . .

Rhee Gets Carats While Everyone Else Gets Sticks

Will Adrian Fenty sacrifice himself in the next election to hold on the Queen of Pain, Michelle Rhee, who is arguably the divisive character to ever come to life from the corporate education planning boards of Eli Broad. The underlying question, of course, is does Fenty even have a say in the matter, when his political career is owned by the Oligarchs? Some questions for Michelle Rhee, as reported by Bill Turque:

. . . ."Considering his backing and considering the centrality of education to what he's trying to accomplish, how responsible will you feel or would you feel if Mayor Fenty were not re-elected?"

"Very responsible," Rhee said. "When he hired me he told me this was his number one priority and that he was willing to risk his entire political career in the pursuit of trying to fix the schools. The decisions we have made...were not always things that would guarantee harmony among adults."

Rhee described a recent senior staff meeting in which an unidentified official said the administration was "losing the PR battle" over school budget cuts and teacher layoffs.

Paraphrasing Fenty's response, Rhee said: "It doesn't matter if we lose the PR battle. And, in fact, it doesn't even matter if we lose the re-election as long as we are operating with the endgame in mind. And for us, that is improving the schools. We're not going to compromise any step of the way in that. And if I'm not re-elected then we'll go down in history as the only administration that made every decision in what we believed to be the best interests of children instead of what was in the best interests of getting re-elected."

In a lighter vein, someone asked how she relaxed when she took her "game face off." Her answer: she doesn't.

"I always have the game face on. It's sort of part of my personality. I'm driven by my work....When I don't have my kids with me I want to work."

Pressed for details about her recent engagement to Sacramento mayor and former NBA star Kevin Johnson, she said they would discuss a wedding date this weekend and that the imposing diamond on her finger was three carats. Of Johnson's proposal, she said only:

"I have to say it was very effective."

Fenty Moves to Ax Oversight and Evaluations of Rhee Regime

Last year when Adrian Fenty put forward the names of Fred Hess and Kenneth Wong as potential independent evaluators of the Fenty/Rhee Regime, council members noted that Hess had lost an election as President of the Michelle Rhee Fan Club and that Wong had publicly declared his support for educational dictatorships for the urban poor. Their names were pulled.

A year later Council proposed the independent National Research Council provide an unbiased evaluation of the Fenty/Rhee Cabal. And now Fenty wants to eliminate the funding to pay the evaluators, as well as funding to provide staff for ongoing oversight of his corrupt, corporate fiefdom. Again, the question remains--how long will the Oligarchy allow Bill Turque to report such stories?

By Bill Turque
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty has eliminated funding for an independent evaluator assigned to assess the progress of public school reform under Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee, according to the revised 2010 budget he submitted to the D.C. Council late Friday.

Fenty (D) also reversed a series of other budget measures, approved by the council in May, that sought to divert some of the mayor's control of education to other agencies. They include the shift of staff and funds from Deputy Mayor for Education Victor Reinoso to the D.C. State Board of Education, which would be established as an independent agency. The board would house the office of the ombudsman for public education, which is responsible for investigating complaints and answering questions from parents.

The proposed moves reflect the council's discontent with what some members see as a lack of transparency and accountability in the mayor's efforts to transform the District's struggling public school system. The ombudsman's office, for example, is supposed to file monthly reports but has not done so since March. The ombudsman, Tonya Vidal Kinlow, resigned in December and has yet to be permanently replaced.

Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D) and the council are free to restore the funding cut when they vote on the revised budget July 31. But speaking to the council Monday at a hearing on Fenty's plan to close a two-year, $666 million revenue shortfall, city administrator Neil Albert urged that the governance structure established in 2007 remain intact.

"Our education reform efforts are demonstrating real results," Albert said, "and we strongly believe that, rather than changing course with the established structure, we should maintain momentum forward."

Albert did not directly address the school evaluation, which Fenty is required to submit annually under the law that established mayoral control. He also has the option to skip the yearly reports and deliver a five-year independent assessment by September 2012.

In May 2008, Reinoso recommended two prominent education scholars for the project, Frederick Hess of the American Enterprise Institute and Kenneth Wong of Brown University. But the plan stalled when Gray raised questions about their independence. Hess wrote an op-ed piece for The Washington Post in 2007 praising Rhee. Wong testified in favor of the mayoral takeover.

When Reinoso didn't offer other candidates, Gray decided to move on his own. This past May, he included $325,000 to hire the National Research Council, one of four nonprofit organizations that operate under the National Academies umbrella, to conduct the evaluation. The money would cover about 20 percent of the total cost, with the NRC raising the rest from private sources.

Fenty spokeswoman Mafara Hobson said Monday that the mayor was still committed to an independent evaluation but did not elaborate.. . . .