The District would “probably not” be able to fund teachers’ bonuses after next month if the private foundations that Chancellor Michelle Rhee solicited withdrew their funds, the organization that manages the schools’ budget said.
About $21 million of the $64.5 million Rhee collected from four foundations was set aside for a five-year, performance-based teacher bonus plan. More than 650 teachers rated highly effective on evaluations can receive annual bonuses of $3,000 to $25,000.
But in letters sent to Rhee and the D.C. Public Education Fund before the contract’s June 2 signing, donors said Rhee’s departure would be a reason to back out. After Mayor Adrian Fenty lost in the Democratic primary to Vincent Gray, who has criticized Rhee’s reforms, many have speculated that she will step down. Rhee called Gray’s victory “devastating” for D.C. schoolchildren the day after the primary.
The D.C. Public Education Fund is the organization Fenty created in 2007 to manage the schools budget.
When the contract was signed, Washington Teachers’ Union President George Parker said that if the private foundations defected, the District would be responsible for the bonuses.
But when asked if D.C. Public Schools could cover that cost, D.C. Public Education Fund President Cate Swinburn said, “The answer is probably no.”
“We have the funds in the door for the bonuses that will be paid for next month, but a year from now,” Swinburn said, was a different story.
Finding new sponsors would be tough, said Eric Lerum, chief of staff for the deputy mayor of education. “My sense is that we’ve tapped as many people as interested in funding this at the national level,” Lerum said.
Of the $64.5 million, the Laura and Arnold Foundation donated $10 million; the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, $10 million; the Robertson Foundation, $19.5 million; and the Walton Family Foundation, $25 million.
When reached for comment after the primary, Denis Calabrese, president of the Laura and Arnold Foundation, wrote in an e-mail, “We are strong supporters of the kind of reforms that have been put in place under Michelle Rhee’s leadership. … If for some reason changes take place, either from a personnel or policy perspective, we will evaluate the new situation at that time.”
A spokesman for the Robertson Foundation said they’re “watching what happens” in the weeks ahead.
The Washington Teachers’ Union declined to comment on whether they would pursue legal action if bonuses disappeared.
