By John Solomon
How the government's punishing of the exposure of official wrongdoing can linger for years
D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee said yesterday employees are working around the clock to fix administrative backlogs and other problems before classes start Aug. 27.
The operative word for the District"s public school system and students during the upcoming school year predictably will be "freshman."
D.C. schools officials are expected to hold public hearings on proposed guidelines for sex-education classes that call for teaching students about homosexuality.
Proposed guidelines for a sex-education curriculum to be used in D.C. Public Schools recommend that middle-school students learn to define sexual orientation and be taught about homosexuality.
Eight of 11 employees listed as part of acting schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee's transition team are projected to earn annual salaries of more than $100,000, while two will earn $200,000, according to a list provided by the administration of Mayor Adrian M. Fenty.
D.C. Council members yesterday were dismayed to learn that a city official awarded a contract to begin implementing the mayor's public schools-takeover legislation before the council approved the bill.
School activists and civic leaders are questioning whether D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty"s choice to head the city"s public schools has the necessary experience to reform the troubled system.
D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty yesterday took control of the District's public schools, immediately fired the superintendent and selected a former teacher and leader of a New York City-based nonprofit to head the troubled system.
D.C. education officials say few logistical changes will occur immediately when Mayor Adrian M. Fenty officially takes over the public school system today.
