Rhee-visionist History
Like most sequels, the current round of D.C. Public Schools closings is a lot less dramatic than the first wave presided over by former Schools ChancellorMichelle Rhee four years ago.
That soap opera included a protest outside the Wilson Building set to Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power,” police removing a man who yelled expletives at Rhee during a D.C. Council hearing, and some very unhappy councilmembers who had been kept in the dark about Rhee’s plans. This time around, there are still councilmembers irked at some of the planned closures and plenty of parents upset that their kids will either have to change schools or welcome a large influx of students from other schools. But the rage the District saw under Rhee is absent.
Instead, several councilmembers have made it a point to note how much betterKaya Henderson, Rhee’s one-time deputy and successor, is handling the process.
“We didn’t have all this interaction and engagement before,” says Ward 7