Fenty’s first line-item veto used for education battle

In a letter to Council Chairman Vincent Gray sent Thursday, Fenty said the state board must remain under Office of the State Superintendent for Education “where it appropriately belongs.” The board is tasked with approving statewide academic standards, analyzing educational policies and conducting research.

“Too often in the past, the old D.C. Board of Education meddled in the day-to-day operations of the public schools,” Fenty wrote. “This interference substantially undermined the management authority of past superintendents and principals, while politicizing even the most basic operations. By no mere coincidence, student performance suffered terribly.”

The once-powerful board was placed under executive control as part of the 2007 education reform act. But the council, to the mayor’s dismay, returned some independence to the board in the 2010 budget and placed the D.C. Public Schools ombudsman under the panel’s authority.

Students are prevented “from reaping the full benefits of an elected, autonomous, unfiltered State Board of Education” under the current structure because the board is “heavily influenced by executive leadership” within the state superintendent’s office, the council concluded in its budget report.

“This undue influence has affected operational aspects of the State Board of Education and presents a significant challenge to the Board in fulfilling its role as an approval authority and unbiased advisory body on education policy in the District of Columbia,” the council wrote.

Fenty strongly disagreed. If his veto stands, the board would remain an arm of OSSE and the ombudsman would remain under Deputy Mayor for Education Victor Reinoso.

The two sides obviously do not agree, Gray said Monday, but he declined to comment further. He will need nine votes to override Fenty’s maneuver, and a 30-day clock is ticking.