in april, 2007, the d.c. council approved fenty's school takeover plan, and in may 2007, legislation needed to approve the change was passed by congress and signed by president bush. under the new structure, the existing superintendent was replaced by a school chief, or chancellor, who was selected by the mayor and would report directly to him. this power shift also allowed the mayor to make swift changes in the system's central office, alter teacher qualification requirements, and implement a school consolidation process. his selection of michelle rhee to manage district schools surprised many people. in choosing rhee, he stepped outside of the local landscape to consult with national education experts including new york city school chancellor joel klein.