tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973827.post6616091215068506450..comments2024-01-11T07:40:01.736-05:00Comments on The Stopped Clock: What Are the Three R's, Again?Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16523334580402022332noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973827.post-52139938676890024112010-04-15T10:38:27.424-04:002010-04-15T10:38:27.424-04:00It's not just that they don't want to hold...It's not just that they don't want to hold her accountable - they don't want to hold her accountable <em>even if this revelation causes the newly negotiated union contract to fail</em>. I've given Rhee the benefit of the doubt that she's "doing it for the kids"; I've never had that feeling about the Post, and this type of "defense" pretty much tells you why.<br /><br />These shenanigans also take me back to my recurring point on the new contract. It may be the best thing since sliced bread, and perhaps works the necessary magic to bring about significant improvements in school and teacher quality while making it easier to get rid of underperforming teachers. Let's assume all of that. Past its fifth anniversary <a href="http://thestoppedclock.blogspot.com/2009/10/budget-cuts-and-dc-schools.html" rel="nofollow">it remains unsustainable</a> without substantial outside contribution.<br /><br />(That's assuming, of course, that all of the money promised by outside groups over the next five years actually materializes - I expect it will, as the foundations involved seem solid, but I didn't expect a massive global financial industry meltdown or that many "responsible" charities would be crippled out when their "investments" in Ponzi schemes were wiped out.)<br /><br />What about this "budget shortfall" fiasco should make me think that Rhee's administration is capable of dealing with that future? If I view it cynically - they concocted a shortfall so that they could fire teachers that would otherwise be untouchable - they may be looking forward to a shortfall five years from now as an <em>opportunity</em> to "clean house". But if this was an honest mistake - if they aren't competent to take payroll figures and plug them into a spreadsheet square marked "teacher payroll" - what faith should I have that they have a plan, or are <em>capable</em> of forming a plain, to sustain the spending required by the new contract once the private contributions have been spent?<br /><br />What makes Hiatt's crew cry crocodile tears is not that there was a budget error, but that the news came out before the new contract was finalized. It's hard to believe that this is the same paper that broke Watergate. These day's they probably would have held the story until Nixon finished his second term.Aaronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16523334580402022332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973827.post-48752700358687019472010-04-15T09:48:11.868-04:002010-04-15T09:48:11.868-04:00Amen, Aaron. The Post editorial page is absurd. ...Amen, Aaron. The Post editorial page is absurd. They want people held accountable, except Michelle Rhee. Anyone but her. <br /><br />The truth is, they need her to succeed so that their sister company, Kaplan, can sink its teeth deeper into school systems throughout the country. It's already the Washington Post Company's most profitable subsidiary. The editorial page fawning and Kaplan are not unrelated.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com