Mayoral candidate Vincent Gray is keeping mum on whether school Chancellor Michelle Rhee will have a spot in his administration, trying instead to focus voters’ attention on the role he has played in reforming the city’s schools.
Rhee, who was hand-picked by Mayor Adrian Fenty, has become a shining star of the school reform movement and a major selling point in Fenty’s re-election campaign. Under Rhee, test scores have trended higher and teachers recently approved a contract that sets the foundation for the nation’s most robust teacher-incentive pay program.
But Gray supporters are trying to deemphasize Rhee’s role in the future success of the city’s schools, saying the school reform laws Gray shepherded through the D.C. Council that gave the mayor control of schools are more permanent and transformative than Rhee’s tenure as chancellor.
“He believes strongly that school reform cannot be wrapped around one person,” said Gray strategist Mo Elleithee.
Gray benefits from the perception he opposes Rhee in some parts of the city where school reform measures are unpopular.
Both Fenty and Rhee have been dogged by charges of being brash and heavy-handed and have created strong negative feelings in some school precincts — as evidenced by the lusty booing of the mayor at Dunbar High School’s graduation Monday.
But Fenty and Rhee supporter Jeff Stoiber said most voters will be more impressed by the Rhee-Fenty reforms rather than Gray’s legislative record.
“The mayor and [Rhee] are trying to do something different and so far it appears that they’ve had success,” said Stoiber, an architect and Fenty supporter who lives in upper Northwest.
Gray’s positioning as a champion of reforms made under Rhee’s tenure might be a tough sell for some voters who may be willing to overlook Fenty’s brash nature and political missteps because they see the mayor, Rhee and school reform as inextricably linked, political observers said.
“[Fenty] has a much easier job because all he has to do is say, ‘Look at the great work Michelle Rhee has done,’ ” said political strategist Chuck Thies, who supports Gray. Thies said Gray’s legislative record doesn’t easily translate to a catchy “bumper sticker.”
Gray, the current D.C. Council Chairman, has frequently butted heads and criticized Rhee. But he has not said whether she would stay or go under his administration. For her part, Rhee has refused to say whether she would quit if Gray were elected.
