Washington, D.C., schools chancellor says system will be able to afford plan to boost teachers' pay

Washington, D.C., Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee says a financial consultant's report shows that her plan to pay teachers as much as $135,000 a year in salaries and bonuses can be sustained after a promised five-year, $100 million contribution by private foundations is spent. The city's long-term ability to pay for such an unprecedented compensation package is one of several questions surrounding Rhee's proposal. Leaders of the Washington Teachers' Union have expressed concern about the risks of signing a contract based in part on private funding, given the troubled economic climate.