Michelle Rhee has received much publicity recently for her attempts to transform D.C. Public Schools.
But while the school chancellor has been digging in her heels in a fight with D.C. teachers over job security and accountability, she also been flying across the country to help the Sacramento school district, according to the Sacramento Bee.
Rhee has been an adviser to former NBA All-Star and current Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson for several years. And even now, as she fights to gain control of D.C. Schools, she has traveled to Sacramento almost every other week, according to the paper.
Johnson, who just took office in Sacramento on Dec. 2, declined to discuss with the paper his relationship with Rhee, or her influence in his new administration.
But the two have been seen together a lot recently, according to the report:
Rhee has visited regularly. In addition, Johnson and Rhee appeared together Oct. 14 on a panel on public education at the Harvard Business School Global Summit in Boston. Four days later, Rhee accompanied Johnson to a mayoral debate in Sacramento. She was back Nov. 4 for Johnson's election night party. Less than a week later, she appeared at a press conference announcing members of Johnson's transition team. She was back at Thanksgiving.
At a Nov. 10 press conference, the mayor's spokesman told The Bee that Rhee took a vacation from her job to help choose applicants for Johnson's chief of staff. Rhee also has served on the board of Johnson's St. HOPE Public Schools in 2006 and 2007, the paper reported.
To read more about the close ties between Rhee and Johnson, click here.
