D.C. Schools Chancellor Seeks Firing Power

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D.C. SCHOOLS EMPLOYEES who might not be the busiest folks on staff might want to look for extra work to do around the office — or another job. New schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee is aiming to slash the school system's bureaucracy, and she may fire hundreds of people to do it, District government sources tell The Post.

Rhee is apparently working all sides of the issue, preparing legislation for the D.C. Council that would allow her to terminate employees without reassigning them while also exploring whether she can make such moves without council action, The Post's David Nakamura reports. Specifically, she's talked about trimming the central office staff by 30 to 40 percent.

Council members are cautious about the idea. Kwame Brown, D-At Large, told Nakamura that "it's not rocket science to know the central office is disorganized," but said he needed to see more specifics about Rhee's plan before rendering a judgment. Another council member, who declined to be quoted for attribution, called the potential firings a "TNT issue."

Such a move could also face opposition by the Council of School Officers, the union that represents some central office employees. The local AFL-CIO chief, Joslyn N. Williams, "predicted that the union 'probably won't stand on the sidelines' if the council is asked to suspend union contracts," Nakamura writes.

» "Rhee Seeks Authority to Terminate Employees" [WaPo]

Photo by Lois Raimondo/The Washington Post