“I have been very supportive of chancellors, of school reform, and I’ve sat here for a year and a half waiting for this issue to get solved and as of last Friday it was worse than it has ever been,” said Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans on Tuesday as he introduced a resolution calling for Hardy Middle School’s former principal to be reinstated.
The resolution, which was co-sponsored by At-large Councilmember Michael Brown and Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas, said, “It is the sense of the Council that the Rose L. Hardy Middle School should maintain its reliable and remarkable programs and processes and its principal, Patrick Pope, which have resulted in school achievements and student diversity that should be a benchmark for District of Columbia Public Schools.”
At a press conference on Tuesday, Mayor Vincent Gray said that he did not want to micromanage the schools. “I think we have a chancellor who appoints principals,” said Gray. “I think we’ve got to respect the people who make these decisions.”
A Feb. 5, 2010 letter from then-Council Chair Gray to then-Mayor Adrian Fenty struck a different note: “Yesterday, over 100 students from Hardy Middle School came to the John A. Wilson Building to meet with you to express their dissatisfaction with your administration’s decision to remove their principal, Patrick Pope, at the end of the school year. Since you were unavailable, I… held an impromptu hearing to listen to the students’ concerns. Their passion and advocacy on behalf of the ‘Hardy Family’ and Mr. Pope was impressive.'”
Gray concluded, “I encourage you to meet with these young people as soon as possible to listen to their views because clearly they will be most affected by your administration’s decision to remove Mr. Pope from Hardy. They deserve to have their opinions heard and to get an explanation of this decision directly from you. After hearing from them, I have no doubt you will come to the same conclusion I have – the school’s current leadership represents the best of the District of Columbia Public Schools and should continue in its current state.”
As Councilmember Evans introduced the resolution calling for Pope’s reinstatement, he said, “I was willing to let this all play out because the argument against doing something like this is very clear: ‘Should the Council be micro-managing the school system?’ The answer to that is, ‘No, we should not.’ But every once in a while, there’s an instance where it goes beyond that.”
The Washington Post took offense at Mr. Evans’ decision to act on behalf of his constituents. In an editorial entitled “Jack Evans, schools chancellor,” the Post said, “Apparently neither his work as the Ward 2 D.C. Council member nor his job at a blue-chip law firm keeps Jack Evans (D) busy enough… [T]his veteran lawmaker – no doubt looking ahead to his next election – is tired of the phone calls from a pack of persistent and vocal parents. So, to get them off his back, he comes up with an ill-advised piece of legislation.”