Are You Ready For Rhee To Crash And Burn?

From the looks of the online comments on The WaPo website, it seems like Rhee has lost favor with many of her former supporters. I remember when Rhee first came to DC to reign as Chancellor of our public schools over two years ago. At that time Rhee's support base consisted of many willing to give her the benefit of the doubt despite her obvious lack of credentials and experience in public education . Fast forward to 2009 and take a look at the latest newsworthy event about Rhee's de-throning of another favored DC principal, Patrick Pope who has been principal at Hardy middle school for over a decade. The official announcement by Rhee to remove Pope came last Friday, December 4. Despite this announcement,  Rhee claims that Pope will be allowed to retain his current post until school years end in June 2010. Pope has been offered a promise of developing a new arts school even during a school budget deficit while lesser experienced principal Dana Nerenberg of Hyde-Addison will be his successor. 

Well today WaPo writer Bill Turque wrote a story in the metro section titled: " Replacing Principal At Hardy Is Decried ." I am so glad that the WaPo editorial board got around to featuring a story on this very hot topic. For a minute there I thought that the story would remain buried on the DC Wire blog. I know it's hard for the editorial board to print any news that isn't favorable to Rhee. What a sigh of relief for those of us who want to follow the news. Just click on the title of this article and you can read it in its entirety. 

What's of interest are the 'too many for me to count' negative comments from WaPo on-line readers about the Hardy middle school story. This litany of remarks brings to mind images of Rhee's slow but certain crash and burn.  When will it come ? I think if Rhee continues down this slippery slope, she just might not make it to June. Wishful thinking or reality ? So it seems the general public has had it up to here with Rhee and quite a few maintain that Fenty has lost their vote as well. Here's a sampling of what the people are saying about Rhee, courtesy of the WaPo :

missbei: It is clear that Pope does not want to leave Hardy. While some erroneously believe that he is receiving a "promotion" to be head of a magnet school that doesn't have a building or budget, in fact he had no choice other than unemployment. Pope could spend the next year helping the new principal transition while also planning the magnet school, but Rhee won't allow it. She wants him to have nothing to do with the school he has worked 11 years to develop because of promises she made to neighborhood parents. Rhee has not given Pope a budget or any details of how he can build the magnet school. Starting a school from scratch may be exciting for some, but real leaders like Pope know that working with staff, families and students for 11 years to develop and improve an existing school is more rewarding. Rhee's insistence that she made Pope an offer and he accepted is disingenuous. Really she gave him an ultimatum. There is a difference.

wordwise1: It's a shame that Chancellor Rhee seems to get away with whatever she wants. She terminates teachers, administrators, and staff w/no logical reasons, just dishonest excuses, and says that she wants white parents to return to DCPS. She makes disrespectful comments to the press about a current principal who has demonstrated his commitment to the students and parents in DCPS for many years. Thankfully, the Hardy parents are strong and determined enough to not let her walk down this road easily. Indeed, it's a shame what Mayor Fenty allows Rhee to do that is damaging and costly to our students, educators, and city. He does not get my vote this time.

hello101 : Chancellor Michele Rhee is a very divisive person and has again demonstrated she is not good for DCPS. She has never been a principal or certified as a teacher. She needs to move on. This action to remove Patrick Pope, an outstanding, experienced principal is not new. The parents and students at Hardy EC deserve their principal back.

 Rhee has also told the teachers and staff at the community of The “NEW” Walker-Jones School that Principal Grant who is BLACK that he would not be returning for the SY 10-11. He is going to be replaced by an “inexperienced” principal Melissa Martin and from Scott Montgomery ES. She has never made AYP and she also is from the New Leaders Program. It's about time folks see what is going on with our community and how Rhee has lied to the teachers, principals, students, and the community. She is destroying DCPS and we can’t wait until 2010.

edlharris : Go to http://georgetownmetropolitan.com/2009/12/04/breaking-news-pope-to-leave-hardy-to-form-new-arts-and-music-magnet-school-hyde-principal-to-replace-him/ for another write-up along with an audio recording of the first 1 hour and 10 minutes. Listen especially at 1 hr 1 min 45 sec as Rhee acknowledges that her deputy misled the NAACP.

wtf1: Dear Hardy parents: Be vigilant because what she is proposing is the same exact thing that she did with Adams Elementary. The Oyster parents wanted a middle school to transition their kids too and Adams was predominantly black and they told the parents that their children would be welcome; but in the end the didn't accept but two students (I'm serious) -- just two and none of the teachers. They even told the teachers that they could work in the new school. They shipped them all out. I think one teacher got a job at the elementary school. They just wanted the building and at one point said that's all that they want was an empty building. The parents who are from the Oyster community where persistent in their pursuits to take our school and they did. It's the same thing that they are proposing for you. They'll say that all children are welcome and that all teachers can stay; but as they get closer and closer to the date they'll make provisions (like change the focus of the curriculum) to make it less and less attractive to you. Set a precedent and don't let them take your school and do what they want with it ! If the neighborhood children want to go to your school then they have to just go with your kids. They are attempting to whitewash your school and don't think it's not racially motivated because it is. Those parents want the school but they don't want their kids sitting next to yours in class.

noodles_20009 : Well guess what. My child is in private and we want to return to public for high school. But I cannot abide Chancellor's Rhee's management style. She is a breaker, not a fixer. She alienates, she infuriates, she obfuscates. And I ask: How many in-boundary applicants were rejected during Pope's tenure? We applied to Hardy, it is not a confusing process in the least. We chose private over Hardy because of Rhee. She is continuing the great tradition of inconsistency and havoc, which is what drives many white middle and upper middle class to private or other jurisdictions, like Montgomery County. Plus the racial subtext here is appalling. Rhee, a product of private day school by the way, demonstrates once again that she is clueless and not fit for the job.

oldmh: White middle class former Hardy parent here: I attended the meeting at Hardy last night and came away with a strong impression of Michelle Rhee as someone who doesn't know how to manage adequately. She said that she had a high regard for Pope and that's why she wanted him to start a new middle school. She wanted us to believe that she was not replacing him because of complaints from in-boundary families. But her actions suggested otherwise.

 For example, she admitted that her deputy lied recently when she said there would be no staff changes at Hardy because she thought it would be better to announce it all at one time at this meeting. Given that Rhee had earlier met privately with Key Elementary parents about Hardy but had canceled a meeting with Hardy parents, it appeared as if she cared more about Key parents than Hardy parents.

 A good manager would recognize that her actions have been misinterpreted and would work proactively to address that problem. But she expected the audience to accept that she really really didn't mean it that way and she spent a fair bit of the evening smiling and even laughing which infuriated the audience. A good manager recognizes that treating people this way destroys her credibility.

 Rhee could have handled this transition entirely differently. Instead she has thrown a school which was working well into upheaval and she has poisoned the well for the new principal. And now she will go to the national audience and talk about how she really really cares about students when the reality is that she is a bad manager and a poor leader.

Educate2Elevate :The decision that is being made regarding the Hardy Middle School is clearly racist at its core. Mr. Pope is too inclusive in his approach (read "he likes people of color too much) and therefore must be removed. The Hardy community has had access forever to "their school." A new building and a rough economy are strong motivators to reclaim "their" school. I wonder what the fathers and mothers of the civil rights movement would think about this shift backwards? I wonder what our President thinks of this decision? I wonder what our mayor in this election year is thinking about this? What is the council thinking? Is Washington, D.C.'s educational system going to be the next battleground for civil rights in the new millennium ? Blacks and whites and all others alike should be listening and watching. We might find ourselves ashamed of ourselves. Ashamed that we have allowed politics to overshadow ethics. Who is currently advising the Chancellor? Is she listening to wise counsel? Is she distracted by her personal life? All I can say is WOW!!!

Are you ready for Rhee to crash and burn? I know I am.

Posted by The Washington Teacher, featuring Candi Peterson, blogger in residence, comments courtesy of WaPo website