Senior Andrew Clark, a Hatchet columnist, notes that if incoming Mayor Vince Gray gets rid of D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, D.C. students will suffer.

Students, not Adrian Fenty, were the ones who lost the most this week in D.C.’s high-pitched election for Mayor. If incoming Mayor Vince Gray gets rid of D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, D.C. students will have lost their best advocate and friend in the government.

The D.C. public school system is a textbook case of failure. Despite having one of the highest spending-per-pupil rates in the United States, Washington students’ reading and math proficiency rates are hovering near the single digits. It’s hard to justify how anyone could call this a success – yet for decades, teachers received tenure, were given pay raises and were ensured ultimate job security.