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D. C. Interim Superintendent Says Officials More Interested in Power than Education
Elfreda W. Massie, the interim superintendent of D.C. public schools and the initial choice of some Board of Education members to become the permanent appointee, said yesterday that she did not want the job because city and education officials seem focused on control and power rather than improving student achievement.
"There is not enough citywide consensus around an education agenda that's based around improving the education of students," Massie said in an interview. "The conversations end up at the same place: about the politics of governance and control."
Without specifying which officials were to blame, Massie said that "the role of superintendent in the District of Columbia has become so politicized that it makes it difficult to focus on the clear mission of schools, which is to provide the best educational programs for students."
A week ago, the school board endorsed a national search for a new superintendent and said that Massie would be a finalist if she wanted the job.
Some board members had said earlier that they wanted to forego a search and hire Massie, who was chief of staff when Paul L. Vance was superintendent and was appointed to the interim position when Vance resigned in November. Other board members and Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) called for a national search, saying that one was necessary to find the best candidate.
Meanwhile, Williams administration officials have said the mayor will soon make a proposal to turn the school board into an advisory panel and give him more control over the school system.
Massie, 53, said she has not decided what her future plans will be or whether she will remain in the school system. Asked whether she would stay until a superintendent is selected, she said: "I will consider all of my options, and that, certainly, is an option."
Massie said that for academic improvement to take place, District officials need to unite around the issue. She said the school board, mayor and D.C. Council need to resolve their disputes and work collaboratively.
School board President Peggy Cooper Cafritz said she was upset by Massie's decision but understood her frustration. "I am absolutely crushed," Cafritz said. "When it comes to instruction and when it comes to improving schools . . . she's a hell of a woman."
Cafritz blamed the mayor's office for the lack of consensus on an education agenda, saying that it had been creating "constant distractions" and "interference" and had not worked collaboratively with the board. Cafritz, who has criticized the mayor's effort to gain more authority over the school system, said that "the mayor's people" are more interested in getting control over school real estate than in helping students.
Board member William Lockridge (District 4) also lamented Massie's decision and said the mayor's office was playing "political games" with the school system by trying to gain more control.
"It seems like they don't want things to be successful," Lockridge said. "It adds fuel to their fire. They try to sell this to the public that the Board of Education is not working. . . . They're not working with us. There's not a word spoken about improving academics."
He also said that Massie's concerns are similar to those raised by Arlene Ackerman when she left as superintendent nearly four years ago. Ackerman said at the time that multiple layers of oversight were thwarting her efforts to improve schools.
Tony Bullock, the mayor's spokesman, disputed school board members' criticism of the mayor and said the board's direction "is not as clear as it could be." He said Cafritz's comments yesterday "contribute to the problem that Mrs. Massie is pointing to."
"Far too much of the time spent with the school board and council on education has been arguing over budget issues and specifically trying to address overspending," Bullock said. "There's a great need for the school board, the council and the mayor to put forth a collective, forward-thinking agenda for the schools, and the mayor is anxious to take a lead role in that effort."
Council member Kevin P. Chavous (D-Ward 7), who chairs the committee that oversees schools, said that the city needs a superintendent who will present a plan to improve academics and tell city officials to back off.
"We've had, I think, too much of a compliant approach by Dr. Vance near the end and Mrs. Massie," Chavous said. "A good superintendent is able to navigate around those political waters and move an agenda forward that benefits kids. We need someone who can do that or who wants to do that."
Massie, a former top official with the Montgomery County school system, said in yesterday's interview that half a dozen groups in the District -- including the mayor's office -- are coming up with their own education plans while the school system is working on its own. She said she offered to assist the mayor but that he did not seek her input. She also said that it has been difficult to recruit people for top school jobs -- including chief academic officer -- because candidates are concerned about instability in the system's oversight.
— Justin Blum
Massie Won't Take Top School Job
Washington Post
2004-01-31
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64708-2004Jan30.html
INDEX OF OUTRAGES
Pages: 380
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