Adrian Fenty and the Art of Bullshitting.

Let me first say this: I have an Adrian Fenty sign in my front yard. I'm not sure how long it will stay there, but for now it's in the front yard. Fenty helped push through large capital funds for improving DCPS infrastructure, and he has advocated for more support, both financial and logistical, for the school system, although the fact that the mayor has limited power over the school system leads to such useless wording as "ensure that we prepare our students for high-skill/high-wage careers in our labor market." The useless part of that statement is that the mayor's office doesn't determine curriculum. All the mayor's office can do is advocate and cajole. That being said, I think Fenty is sincere in his desire to bring stability and efficiency to DCPS and to raise the superintendent's profile within the mayor's office.

However, I cannot accept it as anything at all but supreme bullshit Fenty's response to his not sending his children to public school as he pledged before last school year's end. Here's the Washington Post -- which by the way has been in my opinion rather favorable to Fenty -- report on Fenty's mealy-mouthed BS:

Meanwhile, Fenty, who has made improving public education a cornerstone of his campaign, said in February that his 6-year-old twins would be enrolling in public school "next year." But when school starts today, the boys won't be going to West Elementary. Instead, they will be staying in the private Tots Developmental School for at least another year, Fenty recently acknowledged.

Now I don't know about most people, but when you're talking about schools, my perception of a statement made in February about "next year" indicates the next school year, as in September. As in "who are your teacher's next year?" or "Next year I'll be in 5th grade." Now his kids are in something called "Tots Developmental School." It sounds like a cutesy place for infants and toddlers. Except Fenty's kids are 6 years old -- also known as 1st grade age.

What makes Fenty's backtrack particularly galling is his description, in typical weasel politician style, of his statement and the school:

Fenty said his February statement was a "miscommunication," adding that "I've always said" the boys will start public school "after they finish the nursery school that they're in." But even some of Fenty's closest allies were surprised when they found out that Tots, which Fenty said costs about $6,000 a year, holds classes through the third grade.

Nursery school? I went to nursery school, too. When I was 4. Nursery school is what comes before even kindergarten. Nursery school? Can you imagine being a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd grader and being told you're going to nursery school? Hello, even my kid last year in kindergarten would have yelled back, "I'm not a baby."

On a side note, $6,000 a year? What do they do, lock the kids in the basement and feed them through a slot in the door?

It's upsetting that such a supposedly strong advocate for public education would pull such a hypocritical stunt as school doors are opening around the District. Especially when West Elementary is one of the better public elementary schools in DC (not top ten, but close to it, and small as well). Of course, it's Fenty's choice to send his kids wherever he wants to send them, but as a public figure he should know such choices will be scrutinized and held up as symbols or statements about his perception of reality. Especially after making public statements about sending your children to public schools, it's going to be hard going to elude some public scrutiny of your personal education decisions.