Tonya Vidal Kinlow went from being on a panel interviewing candidates for the long-sought-after D.C. schools ombudsman to being selected for the job, officials said Thursday.
D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty hired Kinlow, who has been vice president of the State Board of Education, for the job over a pool of close to 90 applicants.
“Nobody was at the caliber we wanted,” schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee said. “She was asking such insightful questions. I jabbed [Deputy Mayor of Education Victor] Reinoso and passed a note saying, ‘What about her?’”
At this time, Kinlow’s salary has not yet been set nor has the size of her staff. But she will work out of the same building that houses the State Superintendent’s Office and will answer to many bosses, from Reinoso to Rhee, and serve as a complaints liaison for both D.C. Public Schools and the city’s public charter schools. She’ll also make formal reports to Fenty and the Council.
Kinlow has served as vice president for government relations at the District of Columbia Hospital Association and as an at-large member of the former D.C. Board of Education.
Kinlow said she didn’t see any downsides to the fact she’s coming from within the system and will have to take on an oversight-driven, critical stance toward administrators.
“They respect my opinion and will accept my recommendations for change,” she said.
Iris Toyer, chair of Parents United, has told The Examiner an enduring problem for parents has been finding a point of entry to the system.
“There is no structure for the average parent who wants to be involved to plug in,” she said. “There really is no structure for substantive input.”
Kinlow sees the role as a sounding board and resource for families in an often confusing bureaucracy. In instances where a parent has complaints about his or her child being suspended, for example, she’ll direct them to existing channels. For something like an allegation of discrimination, “there’s not an appropriate conduit, so I’ll handle it,” she said.
