Rally Supports Laid-Off Ballou Teachers

On Friday, a group of former Ballou High School students rallied behind a popular athletic coach and teacher who lost his job when more than 200 D.C. teachers were laid off recently.

Two veteran Ballou High School teachers are both bitter about their layoffs, one week after getting riffed.

"I was informed-- I should have been informed in person rather than by telephone," said Robert Willis, one of the teachers fired from Ballou.

Willis says he was out sick, but got a phone call from his principal dismissing him after 24 years in the classroom. He taught 9th thru 12th grade biology.

"I think one of the reasons I was targeted was because I was a union rep for the building," said Willis.

On FOX Morning News on Friday, D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee had words for those angry about her actions.

"It's not surprising that when you have to implement something like a budget cut, you're going to have a lot of people who are upset," said Rhee.

But the student protests continue. On Friday, a group gathered outside school headquarters, but the crowd was not as big as Thursday's down at Freedom Plaza.

But the former Ballou students and athletes were passionate in speaking on behalf of fired Ballou coach and business teacher Noel Cyrus. In several recent years, he was named the Washington Post coach of the year, but now he is home taking care of his 10-month-old son instead of coaching and teaching.

"He raised a lot of men in that school, not only in terms of academics, but teaching you the walks of life," said Emem Akpan, a former student.

"I'm completely not understanding why you hired so many teachers over the summer, and now you're cutting them," said former student and track team member Laketa Coates. "And you're not cutting the ones you just hired, you're cutting the veterans."

But Chancellor Rhee says she's trying to dispel misconceptions.

"The bottom line is only 6 percent of the teachers who were separated had 25 years or more of experience, compared to 17 percent of the brand new teachers hired this year," said Rhee.

Council chairman Vincent Gray is troubled by the layoff process and has scheduled several oversight hearings, starting Saturday morning with one where young people under the age of 21 can testify. Saturday's youth hearing starts at 11 a.m.

A hearing for the general public is scheduled for October 16. Chancellor Rhee and Mayor Adrian Fenty are being summoned to testify at a hearing later this month.