Ms. Rhee's legal layoffs - washingtonpost.com:
"THE DECISION by a D.C. Superior Court judge to uphold D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee's dismissal of 388 school employees is more than an important legal victory. It is a refutation of accusations that she manufactured a budget crisis as pretext to fire teachers she didn't want. The unequivocal findings should abash Ms. Rhee's critics and, we hope, help her reach needed accord with the teachers' union."
Judge Judith Bartnoff on Tuesday issued a 23-page decision rejecting a bid by the Washington Teachers' Union to reinstate 266 teachers and other staff members laid off on Oct. 2. The judge ruled that the union failed to prove any of its arguments. She also accepted -- without qualification -- Ms. Rhee's contention that budget cuts by the D.C. Council forced the reduction in force. The judge chronicled the events leading up to the layoffs and concluded there was "undisputed evidence" that the schools budget was sufficient to support existing staff members and newly hired teachers "until the Council reduced the budget by $21 million only two weeks before the new teachers were scheduled to report."
"THE DECISION by a D.C. Superior Court judge to uphold D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee's dismissal of 388 school employees is more than an important legal victory. It is a refutation of accusations that she manufactured a budget crisis as pretext to fire teachers she didn't want. The unequivocal findings should abash Ms. Rhee's critics and, we hope, help her reach needed accord with the teachers' union."
Judge Judith Bartnoff on Tuesday issued a 23-page decision rejecting a bid by the Washington Teachers' Union to reinstate 266 teachers and other staff members laid off on Oct. 2. The judge ruled that the union failed to prove any of its arguments. She also accepted -- without qualification -- Ms. Rhee's contention that budget cuts by the D.C. Council forced the reduction in force. The judge chronicled the events leading up to the layoffs and concluded there was "undisputed evidence" that the schools budget was sufficient to support existing staff members and newly hired teachers "until the Council reduced the budget by $21 million only two weeks before the new teachers were scheduled to report."