Some D.C. Council members are dismayed at proposed $200,000 salaries that newly confirmed Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee has offered to her deputy chancellor, Kaya Henderson, as well as her chief of staff. The pay range for District jobs at that level is normally $57,000 to about $153,000 at the most.
Mayor Fenty’s office is defending the salaries, claiming the administration now has the authority to hire staff at whatever level it chooses. Meanwhile, Carol Schwartz (R-At large) has said she plans to schedule hearings on the matter in September.
It’s a tough position for the Council either way. On the one hand, they’d like to be seen as the gatekeepers of overspending in the newly configured school system, and having been so publicly left out of the hiring process for chancellor, this is one area where making some noise might at least give them the appearance of being part of the process. On the other, Mayor Fenty and Chancellor Rhee clearly have ambitions to hire extremely qualified people to help turn around the city’s schools — a goal the Council surely doesn’t want to argue, and one that may in fact justify raising salary ranges for several positions.
