Apr 15, 2010

No Money For You DC Teachers !

This just came in. Gandhi to Rhee: "Surplus does not exist."
Bill Turque of DC Schools Insiders blog reported "that District Chief Financial Officer Natwar M. Gandhi just released a letter he sent to Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee saying that the $34 million surplus she cited Tuesday as a basis for helping to finance teacher salaries under the proposed new labor contract "does not exist." Gandhi's finding could throw the status of the tentative agreement with the Washington teachers' Union into serious doubt."
According to Turque: "Gandhi's finding, conveyed to Rhee in a stinging letter late Thursday is likely to open up a whole new chapter of contention in tortured history of the contract, which has been in the works since the end of 2007. While his (Gandhi) assessment appears to defuse charges that Rhee opted to sock away money for a new contract rather re-hire teachers laid off in October, it clearly undermines the financial foundation of the $140 million deal. Gandhi told Rhee that while there is a projected $34 million of under-spending in the school operations sector of the current budget, that is offset by an estimated $30 million in over spending in the system's central office operation. In unusually blunt language, Gandhi also took Rhee to task for what he called a failure to adequately consult his office before revealing the surplus at a meeting with D.C. Council members. "I was incredulous to learn that in your April 13, 2010 presentation to the Council on the contract you asserted that a surplus is available to fund the proposed salary increases based on preliminary information," he wrote."
For more on this story click this link.

Posted by The Washington Teacher, featuring Candi Peterson - blogger in residence

37 comments:

Anonymous said...

She purposely misrepresented herself. She trying really hard to get Fenty to fire her. Lol!

Anonymous said...

I was unaware that they were making making the third installment of the dumb & dumber film....dumber and dumbest starring michelle rhee & adrian fenty

Anonymous said...

Will the incompetence ever end? What is the rubric used to grade MR?

Anonymous said...

I knew it! Anyone who is even considering voting for this contract is a fool. This woman will say or do anything to accomplish her agenda: Bust the union by getting rid of veteran teachers. She's said many times "teaching is not a career for life." That in itself tells you she does not respect the profession.

Pay close attention to Article 40. NEVER has there been such a clause in any of our contracts. It was purposely placed there because she knew there would NOT be sufficient funds to cover raises.

All of this back and forth between her office and Gandhi's about whether there's a shortfall or a surplus tells us she's trying to pull a fast one. And George Parker is in on this, too. That's why we must push to scrap this contract and start over with new, scrupulous players.

Anonymous said...

So Rhee RIF's 266 teachers and ends up saving 34 million due to her negligent math error and HER central office spends 30 million over budget? Heads should continue to roll in the central office. However based on all this new math, I dont believe any of them when it comes to budget numbers, they are all full of S$%&!
I'm sure we will hear something new about budget money tomorrow.

Anonymous said...

The question no one is asking at this point is how the central office overspent their budget by a whopping $30+ million. I think that merits an investigation as well.

Anonymous said...

DC Teachers, its time to fight back! We have stood by the side line for too long. How long will we continue to allow Rhee to destroy our lives? Many teachers have become ill, depressed, and some due to stress have lost their lives behind losing their jobs. Enough is Enough! We need to unite and take back what the enemy has stolen from us. Our pride, dignity, and respect. Rhee definitely knows how to divide and conquer. She is now trying to entice us with the contract. Please don't allow the dollar signs to cloud your minds. "For what shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world and lose his soul" Be mindful that the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy.

dcparent2 said...

This is BS on every level. If there was a surplus why fire teachers? and now there is no surplus? So how did central office overspend $30 mil. I know....blackberry's. Macprobooks, brown-bag lunches, salaries for people who are not qualified...etc. I say fire the entire central office and bring in people who are certified with administrative credentials and proven results. Aren't we tried of being a laughingstock? Everyone is talking about our incompetence as a school district. We have terrible leaders, and misguided notions.

We also need to look carefully at GP and NS as union leaders. Are they really capable of moving us forward? And I am not sure about voting for either of them! We dynamic representation not Al Sharpton antics. We also need new legal representation...what we have now is for the birds!! LOL!!!!!!!!!

The contract $$$$ looks great but its shaky. I'd love that extra $$$ to buy a house, travel more, pay off some debts, go back to school, but at what cost? I am uncomfortable with the games been played regarding our contract/$$$$. Do we or do we not have the $$$$$?

Anonymous said...

Well DC parent 2, I am sure that I am not voting for Chicken George Parker who is trying throw us under the bus. The contract was negotiated by him exclusively. Liz who will run for the 100th time can't get my vote either. Im supporting Saunders.

Anonymous said...

After the money shenanigans this week, any teacher who votes for the contract thinking the money for salary increases will actually be there is stupid and deserving of all the ridicule Rhee has been heaping on them since she arrived.

If you think people around the country are laughing at you now, just wait until you fall for this contract and Rhee pulls the rug out from under you the way she has to everyone on the negotiating team and goes on another national tour, saying, "Hey the teachers voted for it!"

The Washington Teacher said...

What is amazing in this new revelation is the overspending by Rhee's central office budget and overtime spending by 30 million dollars. All must read the stories in the Examiner and the Post.

Where is the accountability for this type of gross mismanagement? Obviously there are no checks and balances. Rhee's motto don't do as I do, do as I say do.

Anonymous said...

I think MR threw Ghandi under the bus to deflect attention from her $30 million overspending. I am guessing that the CFO was trying to decided whether the surplus actually existed and she jumped the gun to avoid questions about her overspending. Now everyone is focused on Ghandi- and the attention is off RHee. Plus, Ghandi has to certify that the city can afford the contract. He is in the hot seat and a thumbs down to the contract makes GHANDI look bad and MR a victim. THis was pure calculation on MR part. Furthermore, Fenty kept Ghandi around after the tax scandal just for an opportunity like this to use and dump him. Problem is... Ghandi is expendable but Fenty still looks like a bad manager and poor judge of character especially in an election year when memories are long

Anonymous said...

Regarding CO "overspending," we must remember it came from Nat Gandhi and his flying accounting system. Who believes DC accounting systems are accurate, or that this man may be manipulating them? Let us see what the alleged overspending is for. I think those fired--you know, the ones who could not describe their jobs or results--may be the cause of the overage, either their salaries or their incompetent actions. Educators need to be more focused and empirical when making charges, and, separately, in determining their vote on the contract. The time is now to climb above the slime and get back to teaching.

Anonymous said...

People, you are not getting it. Everyone who has mismanaged money under Ghandi has gone to jail or been fired, but they were black!

Should'nt Rhee suffer the same fate, but she won't because she may end up in the Whitehouse.

Remember the circle of friends.
Obama and K. Johnson are friends and Johnson is going to marry Rhee.
Do the research.

What will happen when Rhee is in the Whitehouse? OOOOOK!!

Anonymous said...

Anon at 7:57 – YOU do the research. Obama hasn’t mentioned Rhee’s name since the presidential debates. If Obama wanted Rhee in the White House, he would have gotten her a long time ago, before she started acting up bigtime.

DCPS lost Race to the top funds because she had a bad (read non-existent) data system and seemed more interested in national acclaim than helping the students of DC. These are facts – Please, cut the theories on racial bias – there’s enough going on without adding this.

Anonymous said...

anon at 7:50 - is "climb above the slime" the latest $100,000 Anita Dunn/Rhee talking point?

How dumb do you think teachers are to have the rug pulled out from under them again by the Rhee team.

You're right about one thing, though, educators do indeed, "need to be more focused and empirical when making charges" and should know that people who come on here bashing anyone while garnering support for Rhee is a bad actor.

Anonymous said...

7:57am commenter wants to see things as a racial move. DC is at its worst when peopl act like things are just done to them. We have had home rule for 40 yrs in the City. The majority of the population is AA. The majority of DCPS teachers and administrators and CO staff are AA. The council and mayor are AA, and most public input to DCPS seems to be from AA parents and other interested residents. We have no good, or even tiny, evidence of a race vendeeta from DCPS execs and a plan of that kind is not too likely Try another line that maks some sense.
One last thing for this commenter: the big majority of workers in Mr. Gandhi office are AA; we should not be suprised the convicted felons are likewise.

Anonymous said...

@Anon April 15th at 6:21PM I told my husband the same thing. Rhee is so sorry and unqualified she would just love to get fired, and she just might. The reason she might get fired is because Mayor Fenty's Puppet Masters at, the WaPo can not continue to support a proven loser, which is Michelle Rhee.

Anonymous said...

Re: Ghandi being dumped by Fenty. Can't happen. I believe that only Congress can remove him. Fenty or the next Mayor can appoint a CFO but can't fire him. Interesting article in The Washington Times this morning.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/apr/15/dc-council-chairman-doubts-merit-pays-finances/
Wonder how Anita Dunn will spin this. Seems that her hands are full defending a possible SCOTUS appointee. Since she isn't paid directly by DCPS but by a foundation, perhaps this is a moot point.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/15/AR2010041505658.html

RT

Anonymous said...

I'm just so sorry that our school system has to be treated so badly by a "sociopath" as is Michelle Rhee. This is the so called Baltimore-Miracle, well it seems more live a DC-Nightmare to me. The Fenty administration is a disgrace. The children, parents, teachers, and stakeholders of DCPS have been raped,robbed, and disrespected by an outsider(Rhee) and a native son (Fenty). This whole budget surplus-fake-out should be looked at by the Justice Department. I agree with most of the bloggers on this site, the so-called "fabulous" contract (Fenty said this) should be considered DOA, Dead On Arrival. You can Not Trust these People--Fenty-Rhee-Parker. Just think, Our Children are Looking, and Listening. I'm so sad for them. They do not diserve this. God, Please Help Us!

Anonymous said...

Rhee is to Fenty what Palin was to McCain. It's time for Fenty to man up and fire Rhee but I doubt he will since he does not seem like the type of person to admit that he made a mistake.

dcparent2 said...

U know what?! We're doomed. I am just going to accept this BS contract and call it a day. I am sick of going around, and around, and around in circles. I am going to do my work 2 the best of my ability and if they fire me at the end of the day..so be it. I'll take the $25,000, plus the retro, summer $$$ collect unemployment, and go work elsewhere. Wait? We my not have the $$$$..so my plans wouldn't work!!! DAMN! DAMN! DAMN!!!!!


This is too much drama. Certify or to not certify the funds? Look, I am not for MR, Fenty, GP, NS...their leadership is in question. I am just sick of this madness.

Why is this so difficult? This is like March Madness except its DC April madness. My bracket is this...MR , Fenty, GP race to the top at any means necessary. Vincent Gray , NS, and Ghandi are OUT!! And the teachers will have this contract signed, sealed , delivered and fired by the end of the summer. IT IS A WRAP!!!!

There are too many stakeholders in this to lose. So teachers saddle up...its going to be a even bumpier ride.

Anonymous said...

Anon at 7:50

You must be axolotl from the WP blogs.

Still carrying Rhee's water and pushing her talking points.

Anonymous said...

Dump the contract
Dump Rhee
Dump Fenty
Dump Parker

Sheila H. Gill said...

A Penny for your thoughts.

Is the play money worth being unemployed?
Did Rhee, Randi Weingarten and George Parker negotiate in "Good Faith?"

Please understand that there aren't any parties such as Congress, DC Council or organizations obligated to fund the WTU Tentative Agreement. (Section 40.2)

If a person doesn't want folks to know the facts, put it in print. Again read WTU T.A. Section 40.2.

The money wasn't the issue at all!! The WTU members would be "At Will" employees if the T.A. is ratified.

In other words, it is a matter of time to become unemployed. Burn the WTU T.A. It isn't worth the paper it's on. The trees were axed unnecessailry.

Don't let Rhee and George Parker give U the ax, too!! VOTE "NO" to the "WTU T.A."
There wasn't any money for "U" from the beginning.
U can't miss what U never had!!!

The City Council will introduce emergency legislation on April 20, 2010 at the Wilson Bldg at 10:00 AM to reinstate the "266 wrongfully terminated teachers"

Be there and stand with the 266! United We Stand! We R One! Enough is Enough, Rhee Must GO!!

Anonymous said...

DC principal found dead at Md. home, SUV missing

Associated Press
04/16/10 11:25 AM EDT SILVER SPRING, MD. — D.C. schools officials say a man found dead in his Silver Spring home was the principal of Shaw Middle School. Montgomery County police say a co-worker found 42-year-old Brian Betts dead in his home in the 9300 block of Columbia Boulevard on Thursday evening after he failed to report to work. Police say Betts' SUV is missing and they are investigating his death as suspicious.

Police spokesman Capt. Paul Starks says an autopsy is planned to determine how Betts died. D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee says Betts joined the school in northwest D.C. in 2008 and called him an inspirational leader for teachers and students.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Betts' dark blue 2007 Nissan Xterra with Maryland registration 562M222 is asked to call police. Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/dc/man-found-dead-at-montgomery-co-home-suv-missing-91028059.html#ixzz0lHT1PLrp

Warren said...

DCparent2, I just can't follow you or the logic your two earlier posts. (April 15, 2010 10:19 PM and
April 16, 2010 12:15 PM)

Your thinking is all over the place and your logic stinks (if you don't mind me saying so). First you say "the contract looks great". Clearly you are just referring to the money because you could not have read the contract-especially article 40.2 (among others) and still believe the contract is great!

Then you say you are iffy on the leader, Parker, but you want to ratify a contract that has several references to the fact Parker and Rhee will develop much of it at a later date. If you're you're iffy on the leaders, Parker and Rhee, how are you so comfortable with the fact that parts of this TA will be "developed at a later time" after you sign the TA.

Then you say you're uncomfortable with the games being played with the money but you'll just take the contract anyway because the "money looks good." HELLO--WHAT MONEY? The 34 million that keeps disappearing and then reappearing?????? Article 40.2 of this TA will make the money disappear as soon as you sign the TA.

Finally, you want Gray, GP, NS, Rhee and Ghandi thrown out. Well, I can agree with you on two of those people (GP and MR) but you need to put on your "thinking cap" and figure out that had it not been for those "Sharpton-like" antics (as you call it...not sure if that is a racial slur or not but I'll move on) on the part of Gray, NS and Ghandi.....you wouldn't even know what the hell was going on. The latter three have been bystanders throughout most of this dance between Parker and Rhee and probably knew as much about this TA as you did, until it came in the mail. The disclosures of the last few days have been prodded out of Rhee and Parker--not because they wanted to volunteer the information. They had plenty of time to do that if they had chosen to do so.

Become a logical thinker and not the emotional thinker your posts/rants suggest you are being currently. Really, think you can just saddle up and find a new job, in this economy, at the snap of your finger????....the other highly educated unemployed people of this city may disagree with your air-tight plan.

BTW, You don't have to vote for anyone in any of the upcoming elections, that's your choice and unfortunately many of our ancestors died for you to have that right. But, pleeze stop waffling----it makes me sick!

Anonymous said...

To April 16 10:16am: the problem with Rhee is that she is an "outsider"? What do you mean?

The current state of schools is nothing an "outsider" "did" to the district of Colombia. It is something we citizens and parents and DCPS and the Booard of Ed did to us ourselves. Until recently the mayor and city council were not all that responsible for where the schools were going.

Not good to reject someone as "outisder" in any meaning of the word. We need help--the WTU, individual teachers administrators and the city government may not be able to have the experts we need. Supers before Rhee have little to brag about. Schools got worse every year by almost any measure.

Some meanings of "outsider" are totally unacceptable. Where is your knowlidge of history?

The Washington Teacher said...

Well as a WTU Board of Trustee member and as an advocate for students, teachers and schools, I am not going to encourage anyone to sign a contract that has a clause that states that there is no requirement on the Districts part to pay. I am also not going to encourage any teachers or school personnel to sign a contract that has many parts which have yet to be developed. In 3 years, we should have been presented a document that was completed.

We have to not let our emotions interfere with our sense of reasoning. Members of our WTU Executive Board are fiduciary agents of our union and have a responsibility to represent what is in the best interests of our members. As the chief negotiator, WTU president George Parker has not negotiated in good faith for some of the reasons that I mentioned. Parker has excluded members of the negotiations team from being involved as well as members of our various boards and WTU legal counsel, Lee Jackson of O'Donnell, Schwartz and Anderson. Had we had the involvement of Mr. Jackson and firm I am sure we would have been counseled about some of the troubling aspects of this tentative agreement and the legal liability it would likely pose for our union.

As an actively involved member of our union at the board level, I know of what I speak as I have been there to observe the ongoing shenanigans of George Parker. It is time for Parker to go as we need a union that does not represent top down management and is inclusive of our members. Parker does not subscribe to the motto of non-malfeasance which means if you can't do any good, then don't do any harm.

Teachers and school personnel read all 103 pages of this tentative agreement and then ask the union to fund a legal opinion with our dues money. The members have to look out for our own interest in the absence of leadership by George 'sell us out' Parker.

Anonymous said...

@April 17 8:33AM
I referred to Michelle Rhee as an outsider is exactly what I said. This woman came from outside the DC area, via NY from what I know about her. Michelle Rhee does not have a doctorate in education which would give her the title of Superintendent. The only time DCPS had a "hometown" Superintendent was Floretta Dukes-McKinsey. I have lived in DC for over 45 years. I own property besides my current residence, I pay plenty of property, and income taxes in this city. I have worked for the DC government for over 25 years. I have seen Superintendents and mayors come and go. I know my history. I cast my 1st vote in the late 70's mayoral election. I saw homerule come into it's early beginnings. I also saw this city's parents (not all )not show any concern for the city's school. If they had shown concern over the years, then our students would not be so far behind in learning. So please do not try to tell me I don't know my history.

Anonymous said...

Sooooo Candi,am I to understand these facts:
1. teachers' raises were going to be funded by the money that was saved by riffing the 266 + teachers with fabricated reasons. (34 MILLION PLUS INTEREST)

2. additionally the money saved by firing the 20 + from central office without just cause.(29 MILLLION PLUS INTEREST) another unexplained source of surplus money. All this surplus money has always been there. It was just a matter of how MR and company were going to explain the surpluses.

so Candi this was part all part of a big plan


mr and associates

Anonymous said...

Why would any decent person want a raise that came from monies that belong to someone else. We are suppose to be teaching children to respect one another and value each persons worths. Just because MR has no conscious does not mean that we have to be as ignorant as she. No one else has to receive raises based on what companies will contribute. If anyone is not intelligent enough to vote on this contract whether they be black or white, something is seriously wrong with their thought process. MR is probably plotting with Fenty to fire Ghandi. I wonder who does MR'S IMPACT. Her core professionalism STINKS. But it all balls down to getting rid of seasoned teachers and bringing in people who have never taught, but have a masters in education. That is not to say that young people can not teach many can. But there are some who are sitting in classrooms crying because four and five year olds are hitting them. Stressed out and don't know what to do. But we must remember that MR said don't make teaching a career and any one can teach and that you don't need an education degree from undergraduate school to teach. Well you damn sure need more then a month in August to learn how to teach.

dcparent2 said...

Warren 2.. chill and don't get all twisted.


Anyway folks..check out the article today in the washington post criticizing MR regarding the surplus.

Anonymous said...

Michelle Rhee, George Parker and Adrian Fenty are a combination of dummies, incompetent, and reckless people that should have no business leading anything in the District of Columbia. How long will Adrian Fenty continue to protect Michelle Rhee because he does not want to admit wrong doing? Yes, pls. dump the dummies and let's have new progressive leaders like Vincent Gray.

Yes, District of Columbia can do better without these three liars- Adrian Fenty, Michelle Rhee and Chicken George Parker. Let's campaign aggressively, educate the public and vote Fenty out.

Anonymous said...

Michelle Rhee needs not only budgetary help, she needs acdemic and psychiatric help. I wonder if she actually earned the degree and certificate she claimed she has. They probably gave it to her as a payoff to do all these dirt she is doing to educators in the District of Columbia.

Anonymous said...

I thougt MR meant mentally retarded, as I was reading some of the posts. I just finished testing, but not a bad name to describe Michelle Rhee. She could not run her classroon, how can she run an entire schoolsystem.

Anonymous said...

Good analysis of the current situation on Norm's Notes, Candi, have you seen it? RT

Telling Lies to attack teachers..

http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/2010/04/telling-lies-to-attack-teachers-in-dc.html