Mayor-elect Adrian Fenty seems to have stumbled on a back-up plan if he can’t manage a takeover of the D.C. public schools: just keep appointing school-board members to posts in his administration.

His selection Tuesday of appointed school board member Joanne Ginsberg to be his legislative director means Fenty will get to add three people of his choosing to the board in January. The terms of board members Robin Martin and Carrie Thornhill, who were appointed by Mayor Anthony A. Williams, expire at the end of this year.

Fenty tabbed another board member, Victor Reinoso, to serve as his deputy mayor for education. Reinoso’s departure creates a vacancy that will be filled by a special election in the spring.

By the way, Reinoso was elected in 2004 to represent Wards 3 and 4 after an endorsement by Fenty. Expect a repeat in the special election.

That would give Fenty four presumed allies on the nine-member board. And there could be more. It is common knowledge that board Vice President Carolyn Graham never really got along with incoming board President Robert Bobb, who defeated her for the top post in November. She could not be reached for comment.

One of the candidates Fenty did not endorse in 2004 is likely to end up on the board via the appointment route. Education expert Laura McGiffert Slover forgave Fenty for backing her opponent Reinoso and volunteered for his mayoral campaign. She also has been advising the mayor-elect on education issues during the transition.