Things Get Messy With WaPo, Fenty, and DCPS
Oh, my: Mayor Adrian M. Fenty muzzled one of his employees against her own advice.
Check Bill Turque’s D.C. Wire account for the full back story, but the short version is that Turque was working on a story about Michelle Rhee’s “Plan B” on how to get rid of bad teachers in the event that contract negotiations didn’t work out. Part of that, Turque reported at the time, involved tying teacher licensing to classroom performance—which falls under the bailiwick of State Superintendent of Education Deborah Gist.
Before commenting, Gist told Turque she’d have to check with Fenty chief of staff Carrie Brooks. No response ever came from Gist, though Brooks later denied putting the kibosh on any comment.
Rather, the kibosh came from Fenty himself, after Rhee weighed in by saying that any comment could be “very messy”: “Yes. Don’t speak with him (and please don’t tell him something like. ‘the mayor has told me not to speak with you’),” Hizzoner wrote. “Just don’t pick up the phone.”
Oof. This would be the best insight into mayoral communications strategy since LL laid bare the WaPo’s inside track on announcing Rhee’s appointment in June 2007.
Since then, the Post’s honeymoon has ended, at least on the news-reporting side. (The editorial board is still perfectly smitten.) Since Rhee’s appointment, the D.C. education beat has been fraught for Metro reporters. V. Dion Haynes and Theola Labbé-DeBose held the beat for the first portion of Rhee’s tenure, but Labbé-DeBose was taken off the beat in late March, then Haynes departed for a biz-desk job. Turque, a veteran former Newsweek reporter who had been covering the Virginia suburbs for the Post, was brought in amid rumors that Rhee was at odds with Turque’s predecessors.
Now today’s revelation, plus the string of Rhee no-comments in recent Turque stories, can only be taken as a sign that the Chancellor isn’t a whole lot happier with Turque’s reporting.
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Linked From: November 12th, 2008Has the love affair ended? | The Chancellor's New Clothes
7:36 am[...] Mike DeBonisat at the Washington City Paper writes that the love festival between The Washington Post and the Rhee/Fenty machine appears to be straining. DeBonistat writes ‘the Post’s honeymoon has ended, at least on the news-reporting side’. [...]
3:46 pm
I read this story twice and I am thoroughly confused.
3:55 pm
Was Labbe-DeBose the reporter Rhee complained about to the editorial board? Is that why she got transferred?
4:59 pm
Whoops I forgot a word or two. Try it again.
And Concerned? Yes to Part A, unknown for Part B.
5:39 pm
Thanks. Since I have your attention I have three more questions:
1) Why is Rhee telling Gist what to do? Beyond the obvious she has the Mayor’s ear and Gist doesn’t.
2) Where’s Reinoso in all of this?
3) On an unrelated topic, when the Council cut 09 funds beyond the 131 million why didn’t they cut the department of education? The had a $4 million dollar increase for new programs which was the criteria to be on the chopping block.
6:31 pm
1 and 2. Dunno if you can say Rhee was telling Gist what to do. From what Turque wrote, looks like several were consulted on this and Fenty made the final call. For all we know Reinoso was in on the consult. I don’t have the FOIA return, so I can’t say. In any case, Plan B is Rhee’s baby–meant to solve her problems, not Gist’s.
3. Political reasons. Probably because Vince Gray is scared of the WaPo editorial board slamming him for being anti-education if he touched the schools budget.
7:53 pm
So Plan B is Rhee’s, but a big component of plan B is Gist’s rewrite of teacher licensing. Who on Rhee’s staff sat in on the rewrite of licensing rules? Who from Reinoso’s office? How involved were they in pushing decisions? Are they writing favorable rules so she doesn’t have to negotiate?
5:09 pm
Rhee NCLB and 10% ship is sinking ! Icebergs ahead !Meet all operational needs for school buildings with support and resources ! Get the educational budget on line for tax payers to see every dime !
5:27 pm
Teachers and principles yelling SOS in DC on Rhee’s NCLB ship and need rescue boats ! Come in tower !Crisis bargain Twilight Zone contract in appeals ! “Throw the water Dorothy”,said the Tin man.”Help I’m melting !”Political interference viewing unfair application Abolishment Statute,DC code & 1-624-08.Rhee keeps hammering away at the democratic party ? Stay tuned for station identification ! Will Rhee reform re-write our Constitution and educational laws as she goes along ? Is there no administrative remedy in the real world ? Justice for both advantaged and disadvantaged ! Support building operations with resources !Hoist the lines and cut off their wind as we sink Rhee’s NCLB 10% and amen !
6:07 pm
Courage ! Constitutional Basis,Article 1 Section 6 !GS 115C-335….! Thanks but no thanks on that contract ! Looks like a bridge to no where with a dead end street !Go get our capital’s superintendent !Reports read she’s been muzzled and not allowed to speak to the news !Decentralized decision making ! Rescue ships docking and music blasting…..O’Jay’s !Rhee,know what you don’t know ! Hire a superintendent and provide resources and support under PL 107-110 NCLB ! Per pubil funding taylored to buiding and needs of students.Ship name ? Democratic Spirited Fight ! “Never throw the first punch but always throw the last !” Mission ? Sink the Rhee NCLB 10% reinforcement ship and it’s disruptive to the positive educational environment !
6:13 pm
GS 115C-325 ! 2 of 10 Americans believe the NCLB legislation should be continued without significant change ! Read manufactured Crisis ! Call Guskey and Marzano !