Head Start to Oblivion

Lest we forget such things on a holiday weekend, let's recall that Windy M. Hill resigned on Friday as director of Head Start:

Hill's leadership of the administration's Head Start program started badly. As soon as the White House started announcing its intention to cut the program's budget, Hill's office sent terse letters to Head Start center across the country, telling parents and teachers that if they shared their concerns about the program's future with members of Congress, it would constitute illegal lobbying.

The sad attempt at intimidation was a sign of things to come for Hill. An HHS review later held her responsible for serious misconduct involving Hill's mismanagement of more than $150,000 when she was the executive director of the Texas Head Start program. (The HHS review findings were confirmed in an outside audit.) Reports also indicate Hill received three large bonuses that were not reported to the IRS as income.

Bush sure knows how to pick 'em, doesn't he? Hill mismanaged federal grant money for the Head Start program in Texas, so the president asked her to — you guessed it — lead the national Head Start program to disburse federal grants. And once the controversy broke, Bush waited until he thought no one's looking to throw Hill overboard.