Rachael Brown

Recent Actions

• Posted Ballou HS Rocks the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to DCist
  The Ballou Senior High School Majestic Knights marching band, under the direction of leader Darrell Watson, are the pride of D.C. today after their performance in the Macy's annual Thanksgiving Parade. Ballou's band is a D.C. institution that has even inspired a documentary, and they are the first school from the District ever to perform in the parade. The students have been preparing for this performance since their selection was first announced in April of...
• Posted Judge Throws Out WTU Suit Over Teacher Layoffs to DCist
  Photo by M.V. Jantzen In a blow to the Washington Teachers' Union, the D.C. Superior Court today rejected the union's bid to reinstate the 266 teachers who were fired by DCPS in October. The teachers were laid off as part of a large reduction in force (RIF) that DCPS has maintained was necessitated by a $4.4 million budget shortfall. According to the Post, Judge Judith Bartnoff argued that the WTU failed to prove any...
• Posted Controversy Over Rhee Now to Include Sex, Congress to DCist
  Photo by David Clow - Maryland A congressional report issued yesterday by two ranking Republicans suggests that schools chancellor Michelle Rhee performed "damage control" for her now-fiance Kevin Johnson during investigations into Johnson's alleged sexual misconduct and misuse of Americorps funds at the St. Hope charter school he founded in Sacramento. Johnson, an ex-NBA player, is currently mayor of Sacramento. Rhee confirmed that the couple got engaged earlier this month. According to the New...
• Posted 229 D.C. Teachers Received Pink Slips Today to DCist
  This afternoon, DCPS released final details of the budget reductions that have caused an uproar in the schools community since probable staff cuts were first announced last month. In total, 388 employees will be let go across the District, 229 of whom are teachers. According to a DCPS release, "60 percent of schools will lose one or zero teachers and 80 percent of schools will lose two or less." Twelve campuses lost five or...
• Posted WTU 'Outraged' Over Coming Teacher Layoffs to DCist
  WTU President George Parker. Photo by Meaghan Gay for DCist. As we mentioned in the Morning Roundup, the D.C. public schools announced yesterday that an unexpected $40 million budget shortfall will require spending cuts and personnel reductions by the end of October. In a letter to teachers, George Parker, president of the Washington Teachers' Union, expressed anger that the WTU was not notified of the cuts prior to yesterday's announcement, and suggested that the...