D.C. Council Chair Vincent Gray and Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee met for about an hour and 20 minutes Thursday at Gray's office in the Wilson building.
Afterward, Gray said they had a great conversation. Rhee, stone-faced and standing about 10 feet away from Gray, had nothing to add to Gray's comments, News4's Aaron Gilchrist reported. The Washington Post's Mike DeBonis tweeted "Rhee looked shaken" after the meeting.
Gray said he spoke with Rhee about the state of education in the city and they both "fervently agree" they want what is best for the city's children.
Asked about the possibility of taking a job with public schools in Newark, N.J., Rhee paused, smirked and said she had no comment on that, Gilchrist reported.
Gray, the presumptive next mayor after last week's Democratic primary win, has pledged to continue school reform and has said Rhee's future with D.C. schools depended on this conversation. He said Thursday that no decision on Rhee's future has been made. Gray won't make any personnel decisions until after the general election in November.
Gray said Rhee hasn't said whether she'll stay or go, but the post-meeting press conference did nothing to change the consensus belief that Rhee is gone. Gray said he has not given a thought to a possible replacement.
Rhee was appointed by Mayor Adrian Fenty. Her approach, including closing some schools and tougher standards for teachers, has made her unpopular with many in D.C. Many a primary vote for Gray was actually a vote against Rhee, who told MSNBC she shares the blame for Fenty's defeat.
After the primary, Rhee called the result "devastating" for D.C. schools before backtracking.
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