What Do DC Teachers And Billion-Dollar Foundations Have In Common ?

Answer: Both are Rhee’s Playthings.

As most of you probably already have heard by now , Dr. Natwar Gandhi, Chief Financial Officer officially confirmed on April 30 at a DC City Council hearing that he would not certify a WTU T.A. (tentative agreement) due to the conditions imposed by private foundations. Another reason that the T.A. cannot be certified at this time is due to the fact DC Government does not have the fiscal resources to fund the entire teacher compensation package. Reportedly DC government faces a total 528 million dollar budget deficit overall.

An interesting point that Efavorite highlights in the timely piece below is that DC school officials have proposed to lay off DC teachers in 2011 as a means to narrow the funding gap and win certification of teachers' retro pay and future raises. The million dollar question is: Should the WTU Tentative Agreement ever get ratified by our union members, will you still be around to collect your pay raise or will you be among those on the unemployment line? Candi Peterson, Blogger in residence

Featuring Efavorite- Guest Writer

"Bored with pushing lowly teachers around, Rhee has taken on billion-dollar foundations, setting them up to be the saviors of school reform, then watching as District CFO Gandhi predictably rejects them for having unacceptable strings attached to their generous gifts. Even better, this happened on the same day that a letter to the editor defending the foundations, written by their spokesperson Cate Swinburn, appeared in the Washington Post.

For Chancellor Rhee, the thrill of RIFing 266 teachers based on a bogus budget deficit was probably nothing compared to publicly humiliating billion-dollar foundations that had just pledged millions to her reform effort.

Now she’s saying, “the District is attempting to persuade the private funders -- the Broad, Arnold, Walton and Robertson foundations -- to modify their requirements.”

I wouldn’t be surprised if they do it. Once she has people dancing to her tune, it seems hard to stop.

In the same article, Gandhi said one of the ways that school officials had proposed “to narrow the contract funding gap” was “…expediting a planned reduction in the number of teachers to save $7.6 million in 2011….”

Got that, teachers? If the contract ever comes to a vote and passes, it could take a RIF to fund your back pay and pay raises, if you ever see them, before getting RIFd. It’s all laid out in front of you now. It’s a matter of deciding if you’re going to dance to that tune.

You’ll be in the company of billionaires, if you do."

Posted by The Washington Teacher courtesy of Efavorite

Rhee Says RIF'ed Teachers Abused And Molested Students

Rhee-Gate..... the plot thickens

In Fast Company's February magazine issue, Chancellor Rhee is quoted as saying that DC teachers were laid off because they hit children, had sex with children and missed 78 days of work. I am starting to get a 'brain cramp' from all of Rhee's variations of the truth about the real reason why DC teachers were laid off on November 2, 2009.

Hmmmm it looks like to me that Rhee is having one too many bi-polar moments and seems unable to keep up with what she previously reported on TV news stations, in print media as well as before the DC City Council under oath. If we are to believe the latest on what Rhee reports in Fast Company's February issue, then we have to ask ourselves is Rhee suggesting that 266 teachers are guilty of deviant acts such as child abuse , child molestation (like Kevin Johnson was alleged at St. Hope) and employees who abuse their sick leave ? Don't you find it a bit odd that we are just hearing about this, three months after teacher layoffs in November 2009. I don't know about you but I'm ready to recommend that Chancellor Rhee submit for a fitness for duty examination because these are the rants of either a 'mad or very confused woman.' I'd love to hear your thoughts on the latest Rhee-Gate episode of DC teacher bashing

Link: Update: Michelle Rhee vs. the D.C. Teachers' Union

BY: JEFF CHU

Mon Feb 1, 2010

"Eighteen months after we profiled Washington, D.C., schools chancellor Michelle Rhee ("The Iron Chancellor," September 2008), she still hasn't won union approval of a new contract. After the October layoffs of 266 teachers and staff, the union claimed Rhee used a budget crunch as a pretext for dismissing veteran teachers, since seniority rules don't cover cuts for fiscal reasons. "I got rid of teachers who had hit children, who had had sex with children, who had missed 78 days of school," Rhee says. "Why wouldn't we take those things into consideration?" The release of 2009 test scores was good news for Rhee: Only D.C. and four states showed gains in math for fourth and eighth graders. "We're not good yet," she says, "but I'm seeing the quality of instruction improving."

Posted by The Washington Teacher, featuring Candi Peterson, blogger in residence, update courtesy of Fast Company magazine, picture courtesy of Ed Notes on line education blog.

Chancellor Michelle Rhee's Hit List

Rhee's Hit List of DC public School employees : Coming soon to a school near you !

1. WTU Executive Board members

2. DC Teachers

3. School Counselors

4. Custodians

5. Principals

6. Vice principals

7. 90 day plan teachers

8. Registrars

9. Attendance clerks

10. Administrative assistants

11. Librarians

12. Music and art teachers

13. Service Providers

14. Central Office staff

Who will be next?

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

Rhee Orders Imminent Layoffs of DC Teachers Starting Next Week !

According to an inside source, DCPS instructional superintendents met this Saturday at a breakfast meeting and got their marching orders from Chancellor Rhee. They were advised to meet with DC principals on Monday to inform them that the DCPS reduction in force will start next week for DC teachers. It has been reported that other DC staffers have already received their lay off notices. Principals will be advised to lay off teaching staff as early as next week. Most of the lay offs will impact DC teachers and other school based staff including instructional coaches, custodians and even some principals and vice principals, etc.

It is reported that Rhee will pay DCPS employees their salary for 1 month in lieu of the 30 day notice required when implementing a reduction in force. RIF'd staff will all be exited prior to September 30 and before the new fiscal year begins. So it seems Rhee is anxious to get teachers and other DC staffers out as quickly as possible.

*Some DC teachers have reported that they were advised as early as last week that they would be laid off. Stay tuned for more on this story.

Posted by The Washington Teacher