Kafka On The Potomac

Recently at the Quick and the Ed, Kevin Carey resurrected for criticism a late summer Edwize post on the case of Dr. Art Siebens, who was removed from his position at Woodrow Wilson High School in Washington, D.C., despite a remarkable 18 year record of success as a teacher of Botany, Anatomy, Physiology and Advanced Placement Biology.

Carey faulted our argument — and later arguments by Eduwonkette’s Jennifer Jennings and Sherman Dorn — that the Siebens case demonstrated how Washington School Superintendent Michelle Rhee would abuse her power, if she was able to eliminate tenure and treat Washington, D.C. public school teachers as at will employees. He argues that we can’t really know if there were good reasons to remove Siebens, “because the necessary information is being withheld due to privacy provisions inherent to school personnel processes. These are provisions that I assume Casey, Jennings et al endorse.”

Now, if established due process procedures for tenured teachers had been employed to remove Siebens, Carey might have a point. But unfortunately for the argument Carey wants to make, Siebens was removed from Wilson as a result of a No Child Left Behind mandated restructuring of the school which was conducted like something out of Kafka’s The Trial. No charges were ever laid and no case was ever made against Siebens; no opportunity was given to him to defend his professional work and career.  A verdict was simply delivered. The only reason ever given for his removal by secret tribunal was the statement by the Chair of the Wilson Local School Restructuring Team (LSRT) that the teachers who were not reappointed “were seen not to fit in with the restructuring plan.”

To clear his professional name, Siebens released his entire personnel file to Washington, D.C. City Council Chairman Vincent Gray. After reading the entire file, Gray concluded that “I know firsthand there is nothing in that file which even remotely approaches justification for a decision not to reappoint him. He is a first-class teacher, a real gift to our children.”

This is precisely the abuse of power that happens under the system of at will employment Rhee wants to enact: teachers would lose their jobs, without so much as even an honest explanation, much less a fair hearing. Rather than hiding behind a due process procedure which was never applied in the case of Siebens, Carey needs to own up to the reality of the Siebens case, and what it tells us about how a tenure-free Washington, D.C. school system would function under Michelle Rhee.

If Edwize readers would like some insight into how excellent D.C. teachers feel about Rhee’s efforts to eliminate tenure, take a look at Elizabeth Davis’ most recent post, Good Teacher, Bad Teacher: How Do We Decide?, at a new blog on Washington, D.C. education reform well worth following carefully — Teachers and Parents for Real Education Reform.

Tagged: Michelle Rhee, NCLB, tenure, Washington DC

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