James Baldwin said it best: "For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."

Controversial education reformer Michelle Rhee brought her get-tough-on-education stance to Sacramento on Monday, saying schools need to be run like Fortune 500 companies, but with student achievement replacing capital.

Kevin Johnson Eyes Role in Sacramento Schools - District Dossier - Education Week

Kevin Johnson Eyes Role in Sacramento Schools

By Dakarai Aarons on May 25, 2010 10:27 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Kevin Johnson, the former NBA star who is now mayor of Sacramento, Calif., is angling to have more influence over how his city's schools are run.

Johnson, who is engaged to District of Columbia Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee, told the Sacramento Bee that he is paying close attention to who decides to run for school board this fall, and will even recruit candidates himself if he doesn't like who is in the race.

California law keeps mayors from running school districts, but that hasn't stopped Johnson from making his own mark in Sacramento education.

He's a charter school founder, and in December, he started a new nonprofit, called STAND UP for Sacramento Schools. That venture, funded in part with seed

One big cluster structure Michelle Rhee came to tow � SCUSD Observer

One big cluster structure � SCUSD Observer:

SCUSD Observer

Mayor wants council to discuss new strong mayor plan in early June

A new "strong mayor" discussion at Sacramento City Hall may be just around the corner.

Mayor Kevin Johnson’s office wants to present the draft of a new strong mayor proposal to the City Council in early June, Johnson staffer Kunal Merchant said Monday night.

Johnson’s office is aiming for a City Council vote on the proposal in mid-July, Merchant said at a town hall meeting on the proposal.

The proposal’s backers hope to gain City Council approval in mid-July in order to place the plan on the November ballot.

A draft of the proposal has not been completed. At this point, the plan is an outline which can be read at the campaign’s new website.

RHEE URGES TOP SCHOOL OFFICIALS TO GET POLITICAL, FIND SUPPORTERS

by Kathleen Haley

School district superintendents should find ways to gain political support from community members, according to Washington, D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee.
At a Sacramento Press Club luncheon Monday, Rhee urged the city’s businesspeople, media professionals and politicians to back Sacramento City Unified School District Superintendent Jonathan Raymond in his efforts.
These groups should “give this man some cover,” Rhee said.
Superintendents are not elected to their positions, but they can benefit from making alliances with groups, she said.
“When you are a superintendent and you want to do bold things that might not be popular, you have to have some political capital," she said.
Rhee, who is engaged to Mayor Kevin Johnson, gave the example of layoffs she made last fall. She said that because of a budget crunch, she laid off 266 teachers.

Michelle Rhee: Mayoral control of schools facilitates reform

By Melody Gutierrez - Updated: 5:33 pm

Controversial education reformer Michelle Rhee spoke at a Sacramento Press Club event Monday, where she saidCalifornia schools face an uphill battle without mayoral control.

Mayor Johnson seeks more clout in Sacramento education

By Melody Gutierrez and Ryan Lillis - Published: Monday, May 24 2010 - 12:00 am

Before he was mayor of Sacramento, former NBA player Kevin Johnson was a star in the national charter school movement.

Mayor's fiancee brings tough-on-education talk to Sacramento - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Mayor's fiancee brings tough-on-education talk to Sacramento

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By Melody Gutierrez
mgutierrez@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, May. 25, 2010 - 12:00 am | Page 2B
Controversial education reformer Michelle Rhee brought her get-tough-on-education stance to Sacramento on Monday, saying schools need to be run like Fortune 500 companies, but with student achievement replacing capital.
The fiancée of Mayor Kevin Johnson acknowledged her reputation as a callously outspoken chancellor of the Washington, D.C., public schools system.
"I am someone who does not mince words; I don't spare feelings," said Rhee, speaking to the Sacramento Press Club downtown.
Rhee joked that she trying show her softer side in her husband-to-be's hometown. Then, she laughed as she noted that Johnson didn't think she could hide her true nature long enough.
Being Rhee means offering no apologies for reforms she says are in the interest of students.
"People have called me the terminator, the

Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/05/25/2774307/mayors-fiancee-brings-tough-on.html#mi_rss=Education#ixzz0owUp6ydW

Sacramento Press / Rhee urges top school officials to get political, find supporters

Rhee urges top school officials to get political, find supporters

School district superintendents should find ways to gain political support from community members, according to Washington, D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee.
At a Sacramento Press Club luncheon Monday, Rhee urged the city’s businesspeople, media professionals and politicians to back Sacramento City Unified School District Superintendent Jonathan Raymond in his efforts.
These groups should “give this man some cover,” Rhee said.
Superintendents are not elected to their positions, but they can benefit from making alliances with groups, she said.
“When you are a superintendent and you want to do bold things that might not be popular, you have to have some political capital," she said.
Rhee, who is engaged to Mayor Kevin Johnson, gave the example of layoffs she made last fall. She said that because of a budget crunch, she laid off 266 teachers.
Rhee said she changed the way layoffs had been carried out, deciding that the criteria for a layoff should be the quality of a person’s work instead of the length of time they have worked for the school district.
The business community’s support of her criteria was helpful, she said.
“The business community were the ones who were my strongest supporters of this,” she said. “They came out and said: This is how we run our businesses. We would never run an organization in a way that you were just ... getting rid of people based on how many years they’ve been there
Michelle Rhee: Mayoral control of schools facilitates reform - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

MICHELLE RHEE: MAYORAL CONTROL OF SCHOOLS FACILITATES REFORM

by mgutierrez@sacbee.com (Melody Gutierrez)

MIchelle Rhee speaking at Monday's Press Club event. Rhee, is chancellor of the Washington DC Public Schools system and fiancee of Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson. May 24, 2010
Controversial education reformer Michelle Rhee spoke at a Sacramento Press Club event Monday, where she said California schools face an uphill battle without mayoral control.
Rhee, the fiancée of Mayor Kevin Johnson, joked as she acknowledged the nicknames she's garnered as the outspoken chancellor of the Washington D.C. Public Schools system.
"People have called me the terminator, the hammer, the dragon lady," said Rhee, who served on the board of Johnson's St. HOPE Public Schools in 2006 and 2007.
D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty hired Rhee in 2007 after persuading his City Council to give him authority over the school system's operations and budget.

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