Toles cartoon on Rhee, Fenty, and Gray, plus some council candidates on Kojo

[Recursion]

Meanwhile, on the Kojo show yesterday every candidate for at-large expressed regret that Rhee left: not because they liked her very much, but because there's been way too much turnover and starting from scratch over the past decade. I posted the bio of her "interim" replacement Kaya Henderson earlier (in quotes because she'll be there for the foreseeable future): she developed the IMPACT system and several alternative teaching certification programs (I was a resource instructor for a year through a tech program she developed).

Rhee was clearly a toxic figure, and despite the council's misgivings about starting over yet again, it's probably good that she's out. She fired fewer teachers than her predecessor, but did it much more loudly and obnoxiously. Henderson doesn't seem to relish the spotlight as much, and can probably get things done with less rancor.

For anyone who still cares about DCPS now that the Wicked Witch of the West is gone (sorry if I'm cynical about that), watch the fight between the council and presumptive mayor Gray on whether the mayor's office should keep control of the schools. The council would like to return to an elected school board, but Gray is being non-committal.