District of Columbia mayoral candidate, Adrian Fenty, believes D.C. schools should be under mayoral control

Adrian Fenty, the Democratic candidate for mayor of the District of Columbia, believes the quickest way to fix D.C.’s public schools is for the next mayor to take control of them. He says his meeting with Superintendent of Schools Clifford Janey and the 11 member school board solidified his position. The school board structure doesn't promote accountability because there are so many people involved, he says. As mayor, he would like to appoint a deputy mayor for education to oversee the school superintendent. After speaking with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, he believes that city’s model would work best for DC. "It's hard to imagine it not working here," he says. "New York is 10 times as big as our system." He adds, "When I talked with [appointed New York school chancellor] Joel Klein, he didn't even start the conversation without talking about direct accountability to the mayor. He was emphatic about that." However, Superintendent Janey questions whether drastic reform is necessary because his own strategy for overhauling the school system is underway. "Mayors ought to be involved," he says. "The question remains: Will that involvement help propel the efforts that have already been established?" Nonetheless, Mr. Fenty believes his overwhelming victory in the Democratic primary shows that the voters want drastic reforms. "There's such passion behind it that I would be petrified to not come in and make this my highest priority," he says. "Any tinkering around the edges is not going to be well received." He also insists that even if his bid to take over the schools is successful, it would not mean Mr. Janey would be let go. Mr. Fenty has criticized Mr. Janey for moving too slowly.