School & District Management

D.C. Chancellor Gains Authority to Fire Central-Office Employees

By Lesli A. Maxwell — January 08, 2008 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Michelle A. Rhee, the chancellor of the public school system in the nation’s capital, soon will have the authority to fire employees in the central office, a step that the schools chief has said is central to her plans for improving the troubled district.

The District of Columbia Council approved a measure last month to reclassify nearly 500 central-office workers whom Ms. Rhee will be able to fire without cause. The panel was expected to give the measure its final legislative approval this week.

Employees who are covered by collective bargaining contracts and who were hired to work in the school system before Jan. 1, 1980, will not be affected by the measure, which passed Dec. 18 on a 10-3 vote. Ms. Rhee has not said how many eligible employees she expects to be affected.

The council rejected an alternative measure—proposed by city labor leaders, including the Washington Teachers Union—that would have limited central-office firings to managers and would have allowed for those employees to be trained for other jobs.

Ample Notice of Termination

Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray, who voted for granting Ms. Rhee the firing authority, offered amendments to help address concerns that central-office employees were being unfairly singled out, including a requirement that all workers receive regular performance reviews and be given ample notice of termination. He told fellow council members that he would require regular oversight hearings to ensure that Ms. Rhee and her leadership team use their new authority fairly.

“Our zeal for excellence should not lead to the conclusion that everyone is incompetent just because they work in the central office,” he said.

Council member Marion Barry Jr., a former mayor of Washington, voted against the measure, saying that it puts employees’ due-process rights “in a trash can.”

Ms. Rhee, a founder of the New Teacher Project and a former inner-city teacher for three years, has said repeatedly that getting rid of ineffective and incompetent employees in the 49,000-student district is critical to her strategy for overhauling the school system and raising student achievement.

The council also voted last month to approve Ms. Rhee’s request of $81 million in additional funding for the district to help pay for her plans to close 23 city schools by next fall and to partially cover a deficit in the system’s $1 billion budget.

A version of this article appeared in the January 09, 2008 edition of Education Week as D.C. Chancellor Gains Authority To Fire Central-Office Employees

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Inside PLCs: Proven Strategies from K-12 Leaders
Join an expert panel to explore strategies for building collaborative PLCs, overcoming common challenges, and using data effectively.
Content provided by Otus
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Science Webinar
Making Science Stick: The Engaging Power of Hands-On Learning
How can you make science class the highlight of your students’ day while
achieving learning outcomes? Find out in this session.
Content provided by LEGO Education
Teaching Profession Key Insights to Elevate and Inspire Today’s Teachers
Join this free half day virtual event to energize your teaching and cultivate a positive learning experience for students.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management Q&A This City Can Claim a NAEP Distinction No Other City Can. Here's What Happened
While American students saw another decline in 4th grade reading scores on the Nation's Report Card, this city was an exception.
6 min read
Diverse elementary students reading in the classroom
iStock/Getty Images
School & District Management Do Students Suffer When a Superintendent Leaves? A New Study Has an Answer
A new study is the first in a while to explore how students fare academically when there's turnover in the district's top office.
5 min read
A man places his hand on top of his head as he looks up at an upwardly pointing arrow turning downward as it turns a corner.
iStock/Getty Images
School & District Management What Latino Superintendents Say It Will Take to Grow Their Ranks
Three Latino superintendents talked about the direct and indirect paths to building a pipeline of future district leaders of color.
4 min read
Vector image of many professionals, diversity, highlighting hispanic.
Liz Yap/Education Week and iStock/Getty
School & District Management Opinion Your School Needs a Teacher-Mentorship Program
We all know how critical the first few years of teaching are. Here's how to set teachers up for success.
Pamela Slifer
4 min read
Mentorship development of young teachers. School leaders make the teaching profession more sustainable by developing a robust mentoring program in their school.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva