2 Votes Short, Mayor Pushes School Control

2 Votes Short, Mayor Pushes School Control
Williams Cites 'Moral Obligation' To Change System
By Justin Blum
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 20, 2004; Page B01

Mayor Anthony A. Williams yesterday made a last-minute appeal to D.C. Council members to give him control over the city's troubled school system, saying District leaders have a moral duty to change an oversight structure that has failed the city's children.

But on the eve of a council vote on who should govern the schools, Williams (D) conceded that his plan remained two votes short of the number needed for passage, with only five of the 13 council members backing it. He said he was working hard to gain more support.

"The District's public education system is broken," Williams said, addressing a midday rally attended by a few dozen supporters in front of the Wilson government building. "We have a moral . . . obligation to do something different."

Williams wants to turn the school board into an advisory body and assume its power to hire and fire the superintendent, whose title would be chancellor.

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More here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25553-2004Apr19.html