Gray and Fenty signs along 18th St, NW at the Adams Morgan Day Festival on Sunday, September 12, 2010.
Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee has only today and tomorrow to campaign before the primary election is over between her boss, Mayor Adrian Fenty, and D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray. That’s the good news. The bad news is that Rhee’s campaigning may be far more extensive than has been reported.
Friday, four days before the election, Rhee’s daughter’s principal sent out a letter to the families of the students at Oyster-Adams Bilingual Elementary School. Some are questioning whether Principal M. Liang-Aguirre received assistance from Rhee’s office in writing the letter. At the very bottom is the full text of the letter. Directly below are some quotes. (If you are aware of other principals sending out letters with similar language, please contact TheFightBack.org.)
“I believe children everywhere, but especially in the nation’s capital, deserve the best public education possible and I have the strong belief that this particular reform movement is revolutionary.”
“Without question, DC is at the forefront of educational reform in this country. We’ve heard a lot about increases in test scores in the district, both on the DC-CAS and on national standardized tests. We’ve heard about our progressive new contract with our teachers and our performance evaluation process (IMPACT). And of course we’ve heard the great news that DC has been selected to receive millions to support our ongoing reform efforts through the federal Race To The Top grant. Indeed progress is evident.”
“When I talk to my principal colleagues who have been in the system for several years (or even decades), there is a clear consensus that the support principals now receive has grown tremendously. We know who to reach out to at the district when we have a question and the central office seems to really focus on making my job and the jobs of my teachers easier. Of course, that makes sense and this is the way it should be; however, as my veteran colleagues can attest, this hasn’t been the case at DCPS for some time. The Chancellor, herself, known for her quick replies to parent emails, is just as responsive to her principals and quickly delegates her team to find solutions that come up on the school level.”
“We are certainly on the right path and I am excited to continue pushing the reform forward for our students as well as all students in DC.”
Question: Would a letter written by Rhee’s office – for the purpose of swaying voters – read any differently? This letter is dated Friday, September 10, 2010, so parents will likely be reading it just before heading to the polls. Timing is everything. (This morning, as we were comparing the letter to Liang-Aguirre’s “Past News Bulletins,” the link went dead.)
This letter falls on the heels of Rhee’s possible violations of the Hatch Act. In a recent column in the Washington Post regarding Chancellor Rhee’s campaigning for her boss in her capacity as a “private citizen,” Courtland Milloy wrote: “Why does Rhee play games like that? The Hatch Act tells government employees not to use their positions to influence elections. Maybe that “private citizen” ruse puts her in compliance with the letter of the law, but she sure comes off as showing an arrogant disregard for the spirit of it.”
Problematic as it is for Rhee to openly campaign for Fenty, what she may be doing behind the scenes is far more troubling. In an interview I did with Rhee on Friday, she said: “[Teachers] will, between Saturday and Monday, be receiving their retroactive checks.” The election is Tuesday. Timing is everything.
With the funding for the retroactive pay coming from private foundations, albeit circuitously, the term “vote buying” comes to mind. In these final days before the election, has Wal-Mart (Walton Foundation) – and the other foundations which have been so enamored of Fenty and Rhee – attempted to sway the electorate towards their favorite son by putting cash into the hands of DCPS teachers?
If this same practice – voters being given last-minute gifts consisting of large sums of money just prior to an election – were carried out in another country, we may very well call it “bribery.” Regardless of the outcome on Tuesday, Chancellor Rhee’s electioneering needs to be the subject of an investigation.
Full Text of Principal M. Liang-Aguirre’s September 10, 2010 letter:
September 10, 2010
Dear Oyster-Adams Families:
Two weeks ago I briefly reflected on the difference that a few years can make in the life of a new principal at a school. No question about it, it’s a difficult job that naturally, with time and familiarity, becomes much more manageable. As I stopped to take a breath this weekend, I couldn’t help but also recognize that perhaps it wasn’t all of my own ingenuity and time here that puts us in a better place this year, but that actually, the school system as a whole has made such significant improvements that my job may actually be easier in and of itself.
When I was presented with the opportunity to serve as a DCPS principal, I enthusiastically accepted because I was eager to join the city’s reform movement. I believe children everywhere, but especially in the nation’s capital, deserve the best public education possible and I have the strong belief that this particular reform movement is revolutionary.
It certainly has been an eventful three years. Without question, DC is at the forefront of educational reform in this country. We’ve heard a lot about increases in test scores in the district, both on the DC-CAS and on national standardized tests. We’ve heard about our progressive new contract with our teachers and our performance evaluation process (IMPACT). And of course, we’ve heard the great news that DC has been selected to receive millions to support our ongoing reform efforts through the federal Race To The Top grant. Indeed progress is evident.
However, what might not be so apparent are the multitude of changes that have taken place behind the scenes in the district that allow principals to use our time more efficiently, focus less on “fighting fires,” and therefore focus on teaching and learning in our buildings. Although these issues are not as exciting to talk about as test scores, I am convinced that it’s much of this behind-the-scenes work that makes my job easier and allows me to focus on the reason I came here in the first place: to ensure all of our students receive an excellent dual language education.
District Responsiveness: When I talk to my principal colleagues who have been in the system for several years (or even decades), there is a clear consensus that the support principals now receive has grown tremendously. We know who to reach out to at the district when we have a question and the central office seems to really focus on making my job and the jobs of my teachers easier. Of course, that makes sense and that is the way it should be; however, as my veteran colleagues can attest, this hasn’t been the case at DCPS for some time. The Chancellor, herself, known for her quick replies to parent emails, is just as responsive to her principals and quickly delegates her team to find solutions that come up on the school level. The new Cluster model allows Instructional Superintendents to work with a smaller group of schools, allowing for more one-on-one support for principals. Simply put, the District is being set up to make my job easier.
Technology: In the two years since I’ve been at Oyster-Adams, the district has almost completely converted to a paperless system, with all major functions completed on a centralized database. When I first arrived, the systems were still largely based on old copies of out-dated forms. This year, we’ll complete almost everything online, saving our planet and our sanity at the same time. Our annual budgets are developed online, we conduct all hiring and payroll transactions online, our staff evaluation system is online, all special education functions are online and this year, and the district is rolling out a new Student Behavior Tracking System that is also online. Having everything entered into a centralized database system, of course, allows the district to analyze school-based data, hold principals accountable, and allows us to have access to this data so we can make decisions that are in the best interest of our students.
Modernizing Facilities: More than two-dozen schools across the city have been modernized since 2007. The district’s plan is to ensure that every child will be educated in a modern classroom that supports instruction during his/her educational career at DCPS, and our Adams building is up for modernization in 2012. As part of the district’s broader plan, if our students miss the renovation at Adams, they will be able to attend a brand-new Wilson High School the following year. Although our summer experience with the work at Adams was quite hectic, we can certainly see that the focus is on making sure our students have the best facilities possible.
Of course, the district still has a lot of work to do. Our test scores, while rising, still lag behind most of the country. Some systems are still broken, many of our buildings need drastic work, and our internet, phones, and definitely our copiers still occasionally go down. However, as I reflect on my experiences as I strive to do the best job possible for Oyster-Adams kids, I am compelled to highlight the great work I have seen in my short time here. We are certainly on the right path and I am excited to continue pushing the reform forward for our students as well as all students in DC.
Enjoy a fabulous weekend!
M. Liang-Aguirre
Principal