D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty said he will not attend a council hearing about the teachers recently laid off from D.C. Public Schools.
Chancellor Michelle Rhee will be at the council hearing on Thursday. It's an opportunity for her to explain her decision to lay off nearly 400 school personnel, including more than 250 educators.
The layoffs led to several protest rallies, lawsuits and an 18-hour council hearing where teachers and community members testified.
Council members and community residents have asked Fenty to come to the hearing, as well. But he said he won't be there.
"A mayor testifies once a year during the budget process," he said. "It's always been a custom and we've continued that custom."
Several questions remain over why the layoffs took place so close to the beginning of school, how teachers were selected and whether the layoffs were necessary.
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