Chancellor Rhee's Response to President Parker

Mr. George Parker
President
Washington Teachers Union
1825 K Street, NW, Suite 1050
Washington DC, 20006


Dear President Parker,


I received your letter and wanted to address your concerns right away. Student safety is our highest concern, and we have thousands of teachers, principals, and staff members who share that commitment and treat our students with great care and commitment everyday.

The comment I made to Fast Company was made sometime ago --- and in the context of explaining the importance of considering teacher performance, and not just seniority, in deciding which teachers would be let go during a reduction in force necessitated by a budget cut. I was describing the kind of conduct that was apropriate to take into account in implementing the reduction-in-force (RIF).

The examples I gave involved a very small minority of the teachers who were terminated in the budget reduction.

One teacher against whom serious allegations of sexual misconduct had been made was terminated in the RIF. This teacher was immediately put on administrative leave and removed from the school as soon as the allegations came to our attention. This person was not in the classroom at the time of the RIF, and DCPS referred the case to MPD. his investigation was still pending at the time of the RIF.

Six of the employees terminated through the RIF had served suspensions for corporal punishment. Two of the employees terminated through the RIF served suspensions for being AWOL on multiple occassions and several other employees had egregious time and attendance records.

The progressive discipline procedures contained in the collective bargaining agreement prescribed suspension, rather than termination, for these situations.

As you know, principals are required to report all allegations of corporal punishment or sexual misconduct to the school's Contract Security Officer (CSO). The CSO then files an incident report and reports the incident to MPD, who reviews the allegation and determines whether a formal criminal investigation is needed. All procedures were appropriately followed in each of the cases in question.

We agree that supporting our teachers for the good and the welfare of our students is a common goal of both DCPS and the WTU. The reduction in force was a difficult time for all of us, and we want to continue to work together as a school system to move past it and to remain focused on serving our students.


Sincerely,

Michelle Rhee
Chancellor



cc: Adrian Fenty
Mayor



Vincent C. Gray
Chairman
Council of the District of Columbia

From the DC School's Insider

Another remarkable entry from the DC School's Insider (Bill Turque) which reads:

One newspaper, two stories

Many of you may have noticed something more than a tad odd Tuesday morning in our coverage of Chancellor Rhee's now immortal comments to "Fast Company." My story, which appeared on the front of the Metro section, said that Rhee had yet to explain or elaborate, and that there would be no comment until later in the day. My Monday evening blog entry said pretty much the same thing.

The editorial page told a different story. Citing "information released by the chancellor's office on Monday," it said that of the 266 teachers laid off in October, six had served suspensions for corporal punishment, two had been absent without leave on multiple occasions, and one was on administrative leave for allegedly having sex with a student.

So, after asking DCPS about this since Friday--and being promised a response all day Monday--I read the answers in an editorial. Channel 4's Tom Sherwood also had Rhee's explanation on the air Monday.

But it's the disconnect between the editorial page and the news section that I feel requires some kind explanation. So let me try. DC School's Insider blog

Letter to Chancellor Rhee

Michelle Rhee
Chancellor
District of Columbia Public Schools
825 N. Capital Street N.E. Ninth Floor
Washington, DC 20002

Dear Chancellor Rhee:

This is a critical time for D.C. Public Schools, for teachers and for the students we serve. In recent weeks, there have been a number of positive developments. We have seen significant gains in student test scores, and negotiators for DCPS and the Washington Teachers’ Union have been moving closer to reaching an agreement that is good for kids and fair to teachers. These are examples of how our children benefit when the adults work together. That’s why I was so perplexed and, frankly, angered to read the comments ascribed to you in a recent interview with Fast Company magazine.

Your statement—that through the reduction in force (RIF), you "got rid of teachers who had hit children, who had had sex with children, who had missed 78 days of school"—is callous, lacks specificity and, if true, demonstrates a failure on your part to act with all deliberate speed to protect the interests of our students. In one blanket, accusatory statement, you have potentially damaged the reputations of 266 teachers in a way that disregards fairness and deprives them of an opportunity to defend themselves. Furthermore, your statement has created a public uproar and raises uncertainties about the integrity of all DCPS teachers—not just those who were RIFed. More important, your statement suggests that you were aware of allegations of criminal acts against students but failed to take necessary actions to protect them. If these claims are true, why wait for a RIF to address a threat to the welfare of our children?

I am confident that I speak for all teachers when I say that the safety and well-being of our children is of paramount importance. If a teacher "had sex with children" as you stated, shouldn’t authorities have been alerted? Moreover, there are mechanisms in place, through the agreement negotiated between our union and DCPS, to expedite the removal of those who would endanger our children—without declaring a RIF. Your comments demonstrate a lack of respect for our teachers. I urge you to immediately rescind this global indictment of DCPS teachers and to issue a full public apology.

Supporting our teachers for the good and welfare of our children should be a common goal. I am hopeful that we can continue to make progress as we work together to forge a new path forward for the benefit of our students.
Sincerely,


George Parker
President

cc: Adrian M. Fenty
Mayor

Vincent C. Gray
Chairman
Council of the District of Columbia

Letter To Mayor Fenty

January 25, 2010


The Honorable Adrian M. Fenty
Mayor
Executive Office of the Mayor
John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Suite 316
Washington, DC 20004

Dear Mayor Fenty:

In a recent Fast Company magazine update, D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) Chancellor Michelle Rhee is quoted as saying that, through November’s reduction in force (RIF), she “got rid of teachers who had hit children, who had had sex with children, who had missed 78 days of school.” The sheer breadth of the statement is stunning—engulfing all 266 educators who were RIFed. Worse, is the Chancellor’s suggestion that she knew of allegations of this nature and did nothing to immediately take all necessary steps to protect our students. Every D.C. parent, educator, student and citizen should be gravely concerned by such inaction.

With a callous, nonspecific statement that names no one and thus blames all, Michelle Rhee has called into question the ethics of 266 men and women, and she’s done it in a way that gives these individuals almost no recourse to defend themselves. Words do matter, particularly when they are used to lob such a heinous accusation. Chancellor Rhee’s statement strikes yet another blow to her oft-stated goal of restoring the public’s faith in our school system.

As teachers, the safety and well-being of our students is a paramount concern. If the Chancellor at any time knew of allegations of the type she referred to in her statement, she had an absolute obligation to see that they were addressed immediately. Her statement, however, suggests she was aware of the allegations but waited until there was a budget shortfall to take action. Why? There are established procedures already in place to expedite the removal of anyone who endangers our children.

Chancellor Rhee owes an apology to the teachers she has vilified through her reckless remarks. More important, she owes an explanation to the people of the District of Columbia, for she either has made a patently untrue statement or has admitted that she failed to carry out her responsibility to protect D.C. students. Neither serves the best interests of our teachers or students.

Respectfully,

George Parker
President
Washington Teachers’ Union

cc: Vincent C. Gray
Chairman
Council of the District of Columbia

Michelle Rhee
Chancellor
D.C. Public Schools

Rhee says laid-off teachers in D.C. abused kids

By Bill Turque

Washington Post Staff

Writer Saturday, January 23, 2010

Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee told a national business magazine that some of the 266 teachers laid off in October's budget reductions had sex with children or had hit them, a claim immediately and angrily challenged Friday by leaders of the Washington Teachers Union.

Rhee's comments appear in the February issue of Fast Company, a magazine aimed at young entrepreneurs and change-minded corporate executives. In a brief item, Rhee addressed the union allegation that she contrived the budget crunch to circumvent seniority rules and rid the system of older teachers.

"I got rid of teachers who had hit children, who had had sex with children, who had missed 78 days of school. Why wouldn't we take those things into consideration?" she said.

Rhee declined to provide specific numbers Friday or details to substantiate her remarks about sexual misconduct and teachers striking students. Neither did she respond when asked by e-mail why such teachers were allowed to remain in the school system before the Oct. 2 job cuts. D.C. police spokeswoman Gwendolyn Crump said late Friday that she was researching the matter. The Washington Post

National Board Certification in DC

Maria Angala, NBCT '09

I remember Chancellor Rhee saying that "...with a wonderful teacher there is no doubt that all the barriers will be overcome. This is where 100% of our focus is right now" in her Charlie Rose interview in July 2008.

I was very disappointed that Chancellor Rhee discontinued the supports for National Board Certification.

In today's WaPo article Bill Turque writes that according to Chancellor Rhee, "although she considers board certification a valuable form of professional development, it was difficult to justify the annual expenditure of about $600,000 because so few teachers were making it through the process".

Why is there a low number of National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) in DCPS? The same is true in fact in most high-needs schools across the nation. A Teacher Solutions report by 10 National Board Certified Teachers Center for Teaching Quality on the effects of National Board on Advancing 21st Century Teaching and Learning states that:

High-needs schools tend to have much more rigid requirements for curriculum instruction. There is considerably less trust among administrators in teachers' abilities to positively impact student learning. As a result, there is less opportunity for teaches to demonstrate that they can tailor instruction to student needs -- they are not even allowed to do so. It is typical to see scripted curricula and/or rigid, closely monitored pacing guides. All these reduce the amount of time and effort that can be committed to National Board Certification.

Another congressionally-mandated Research shows that the National Board Certification has a positive impact on student achievement, professional development and teacher retention. Even U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan praised the 2009 Class of NBCT's as "an extraordinary group" that has "demonstrated a commitment to taking their teaching practice and the teaching profession to a different level."

Isn't it more detrimental to DCPS that the supports to the National Board Certification were cut?

The report further relates that...

The National Board Certification process should be viewed through the lens of increasing human capital, not strictly from the perspective of short-term costs and benefits. Smart state and local policies will support candidates as they go through the process and then capitalize on the leadership and skills of those who successfully complete it. Once this dynamic environment is created and sustained, we are confident that teaching quality will improve.

I was a struggling teacher before I started out with the National Boards process. Coming from a foreign country with a different educational system, I was in the dark with how to teach the "American way", how to run a classroom and how to give an effective lesson to my students. I wanted to make a difference, my intention was good; what kept me in the classroom was my passion for teaching. Going through the National Board Certification process was life changing not just for me but for my students. It made me a reflective teacher, strengthened my instructional and behavior management skills, and made me a collaborator and a teacher leader. For me these are the qualities that set a good teacher apart from a great teacher.

For me a good teacher teaches content and is compliant with her professional duties. While a great teacher does not only teach, she is not only religious with fulfilling her professional duties as a teacher. A great teacher reaches-out, connects, communicates, and collaborates with the students, their parents, colleagues, the community; she knows how to gather resources and supports to maximize the potentials of each and every student in her classroom; a great teacher consistently reexamines her teaching practices and she learns from her experience.

In my phone conversation with Bill Turque last week, I mentioned to him the technology and financial supports from DCPS during the leadership of Dr. Clifford Janey that helped make the process more convenient for me during my candidacy. I also told him about the National Board Orientation and Professional Development sessions sponsored by The Washington Teachers Union (WTU), and the mentorship from our NBCTs in DCPS in collaboration with the American University and the George Washington University. These things made us teachers, most especially the aspiring candidates, feel valued that the administration is supporting our quest to become great teachers.

I believe that there are many excellent, outstanding, and effective teachers in DCPS that need to be identified and be rewared for the exceptional job that they are doing who need to join the cadre of National Board Certified Teachers (NBCT) and be in the forefront as teacher leaders in this education reform.

I can attest to the fact that the National Board Certification helps make good teachers become great teachers.

Isn't this what Chancellor Rhee wants for her teachers? I am hoping that she will reconsider her stand in this matter and decide to support the National Board Certification.

* This is a repost from Teacher Sol's blog.

Building a New Path Forward

"Building a New Path Forward for Quality Teaching and Better Schools." Our children deserve more than a factory education. as teachers, we want to inspire students to think critically and creatively. Lets build a new path forward.

Contract Language - Teacher Participation in Local School Plans

WTU Members,

This is to remind you that you have a right to participate in the process of updating your local school plans. Attached is a copy of the exact language as it appears in the WTU/DCPS Contract. The Contract specifically requires that:

a. Supervisors meet with the teaching staff twice for input and discussion on the local school plan prior to final submission to DCPS Central Office (page 28, Article XI, section E#1).

b. Supervisors make a current copy of the Local School Plan (including up-to-date budgetary information) available to teachers upon request (page 29, Article XI, section E#3).

Given the impact of the recent DCPS RIF, it is critical that our members and Local School Restructuring Teams are actively engaged in decisions affecting their respective local school plans. If your supervisor fails to meet with your teaching staff, or fails to provide you with local school plan and budgetary information as required by the WTU/DCPS contract, please call the WTU office at 202-293 8600. Your WTU Field Representative will provide you with the necessary assistance.

The WTU/DCPS contract guarantees your right to provide input into the process as your principal updates the local school plan. We are committed to giving you information that helps support your efforts.

Thank you for your participation in ensuring that your school adheres to the WTU/DCPS contract when updating the local school plan at your school.


George Parker
President

What's Next: Michelle Rhee