Michelle Rhee said D.C. Public Schools would appeal an arbitrator’s ruling that Rhee improperly terminated 75 teachers in 2008 and the school system must offer them reinstatement and about $7.5 million back pay.
“The school district is going to appeal the decision. They’re very, very confident in their legal standing and are confident that it will be overturned,” the former D.C. Schools chancellor told the Associated Press.
A spokesman for DCPS could not be immediately reached for comment Wednesday evening. As of Tuesday, a spokeswoman for Interim Chancellor Kaya Henderson maintained that the school system had not reached a decision about an appeal.
Arbitrator Charles Feigenbaum ruled on Monday that the 75 first- and second-year teachers were fired improperly because they were not told what they had done wrong. DCPS told principals, when asking them for ecommendations of teachers to fire, that teachers would have no way to fight the decisions.
Rhee stepped down in October after her boss Adrian Fenty lost his bid for re-election to Mayor Vincent Gray. She heads StudentsFirst, a nonprofit education reform advocacy group, and informally advises Republican Florida Gov. Rick Scott.
