A Failure to Communicate
Dear Communicators:
On Saturday, Washington Post education reporter Justin Blum
neatly summarized his story in its first paragraph: “Jonathan Herring
is legally blind because of a brain tumor and can read text only if it
is magnified and held close to his eyes. For the past year and a half,
the District's public school system has failed to provide the
18-year-old with the equipment that would allow him to read and study at
home, despite two federal court orders to furnish the items.” Herring
wanted to study, and he could have studied if he had been provided with
the equipment, but he lost two years of schooling because DC public
schools stalled, lied, and refused to provide him with a laptop and
specialized software even after two court orders.
If this were an isolated case, which it is not, it would be possible
to swallow the excuse given by Anne Gay, the assistant superintendent
for special education, that this case is an “anomaly” that resulted
from “a failure to communicate.“ Gay, of course, is quoting Strother
Martin's memorable line in “Cool Hand Luke,” “What we have here is
a failure to communicate.” Nonsense. What we have here, in the DC
public schools just as in that movie's chain gang prison, is a system
designed to break the will and crush the spirit of its inmates.
Herring's case is not an anomaly. It is policy, the inevitable result of
the DC public school system's deliberate abuse of its students. DCPS
attempts to save money on special education by routinely denying and
delaying and refusing to provide services to students who need special
education. The people who run the special education administration were
hired to deny services, not to provide them; and the school system's
lawyers were hired to delay providing services until every last court
appeal is exhausted or until students age out of the system. And
Superintendent Paul Vance, the members of the Board of Education, the
members of the City Council, and the Mayor all know that this is the
policy and acquiesce in it.
Blum wrote, “School Superintendent Paul L. Vance said yesterday
that he was outraged by the case and that he could not get a 'straight
story' from his employees about what had happened. He said he planned to
call or visit the family to apologize and personally make sure Herring
gets all his equipment. He also said he would investigate why items were
not delivered and would dismiss those responsible.” Now, do you want
to know what the DCPS special education staff has really done since the
story appeared on Saturday? They have made preparations to go to the DC
Bar to bring ethics charges against Herring's lawyer, Karen Alvarez, for
revealing that the laptop it delivered to Herring was used, and for
possibly showing Blum the confidential files the school system had left
on it. That's how empty, how meaningless Vance's promise is. What we
have here is a system and policy designed and intended to communicate
failure.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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Help me please! I received an outrageously high PEPCO bill. The bill
is for $3560.21. PEPCO claims I was billed incorrectly for the period of
November 2002 until May 2003. So they re-billed me for the six-month
period. Now here is the kicker! I purchased my house in March 2002. I
moved into the house in November 2002. I had no heat or air conditioning
in the house until March 2003. Yes, I said no heat all winter! I have no
kitchen appliances! No refrigerator, no stove, no dishwasher, nothing!
I live in the house by myself with my dog Bailey (he is 13 lbs.) so
when I received the bill in June I immediately called PEPCO and
requested an investigation. Today I received a letter from investigator
L. Mayo saying that my bill was correct. That is an average of $600 per
month, which is outrageous! Someone please help me. Is it time to call 7
on Your Side? WTOP? Help me please! Has anyone else received an
outrageous bill like this?
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Ward 3 Parents Should Start Public Charter
Schools
Robert Cane, Friends of Choice in Urban Schools, rcane@focus-dccharter.org
There's a solution to the problem of under investment in Ward 3
schools identified by Ed Dixon (themail, July 30). That would be for
Ward 3 parents to join together to start public charter schools or to
convert DCPS schools into charter schools. Charter schools are public in
every way but are not part of DCPS. Because of this independence, 99.5
percent of per pupil funding goes to the school site, thousands of
dollars more per student than DCPS schools receive from the central
administration. These funds are controlled by each charter school's
board of directors, which is composed of parents, teachers, and
community leaders. The board also has complete control over curriculum,
instructional methods, personnel, and the school building.
Three years ago a group of breakaway parents from Phoebe Hearst
Elementary School started the Capital City Public Charter School, which
is now providing superior schooling to hundreds of children. A group of
young Capitol Hill parents will be opening a charter school in September
of 2004. After so many years of frustration, it's time for parents all
over the District to take matters into their own hands and create the
schools they want for their children.
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October 1st Will Be a B.A.D. Day in DC
Karen A. Szulgit, kaszulgit@ilsr.org
We’ve had enough. October 1, 2003, the beginning of the fiscal
year, will be a B.A.D. (Budget Autonomy Day) Day for those in support of
full democracy for the District of Columbia. On the day DC residents are
formally disenfranchised and democracy is disabled, we will fight back.
Using diverse tactics, such as lobbying, petitioning, and protesting,
District residents and friends of democracy will push for an end to DC's
underclass status. We will demand budget autonomy as a first step -- and
begin a concerted new fight for freedom, statehood, and voting rights.
Help make B.A.D. Day a major city happening that grows each year, until
we get our democratic rights! The first planning meeting for B.A.D. Day
was on Saturday, August 2, at the Flemming Center, 1422-26 9th Street,
NW.
Residents of the District of Columbia have had bad days since Article
I, Section 8, Paragraph 17 of the US Constitution allowed Congress to
have "exclusive legislation, in all cases whatsoever, over"
the area that was to become Washington, DC. DC residents have been
denied fundamental rights, ones that most Americans consider essential
for a democracy. Unlike states, we don’t elect or appoint our judges;
instead they are appointed by the President. Unlike states, we have no
representation in Congress, yet Congress can overturn our local laws.
Unlike states, we are the “Federal City” — we pay federal taxes,
we serve on federal juries we are subjected to all federal laws — yet
we have no formal say in the federal government. On Wednesday, October
1, we will take a stand: for every time federal legislation has passed
without DC residents getting a chance to weigh in; for every time the
District’s budget priorities have been delayed because Congress won't
pass the DC Appropriations Bills by the start of the fiscal year; for
every time Congress offends local democracy by passing our budget for
us; for every time our voter-approved referenda, initiatives, and
recalls have been overturned by overzealous members of Congress; and for
every time we have demanded change and been ignored. We’ve had enough.
Enough is enough!
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Local Police Shouldn’t Be Enforcing
Immigration Laws
Arthur Spitzer, artspitzer@aol.com
Our fearless leader wrote, “Metropolitan Police Department Chief
Charles Ramsey announced that the MPD would expand its policy of
avoiding its law-enforcement duties by refusing to enforce immigration
laws any longer and giving a free pass to illegal aliens. . . . DC
residents responded with surprise that the MPD had still been enforcing
some laws.” Ha ha. But this is not a new policy. It's been the
official policy of the MPD for nearly twenty years, and many local
police departments commendably follow the same policy, for three main
reasons. First, most violations of the immigration laws are simply not
crimes. If you overstay your visa you can be deported but you have not
committed a crime. Second, the immigration laws are quite complicated,
and local police generally don't have the expertise to know whether a
person is actually out of compliance. The absence of a Green Card is
certainly not proof of a violation. Tasking local police to enforce the
immigration laws will lead to ethnic profiling and lots of false
arrests. Third, and most important, we want local residents to call the
police if they need the police. If someone is mugged, or burgled, or
raped, or swindled, or a victim of domestic violence, or is a witness to
a crime, we want that person to call the police whether that person is
in the country lawfully or unlawfully. We don't want crime victims or
witnesses to be afraid to call the police for fear that they'll wind up
in deportation proceedings.
So I appreciate Gary's joke, but in this case the MPD is actually
right.
[When will I ever learn not even to allude to national issues? This
isn't the forum to debate immigration policy and illegal immigration,
but I do disagree with Art. Federal immigration laws aren't any more
complicated or difficult to enforce than the federal laws against
kidnapping or bank robbery, crimes that local police don't hesitate to
enforce. But illegal aliens have better lobbyists, who don't want the
immigration laws enforced. — Gary Imhoff]
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
Brown Bag Lunch Training on DC Budget
Susie Cambria, scambria@dckids.org
The Fair Budget Coalition — whose members represent service
providers, advocates, civic organizations, and houses of worship, and
which has a number of individual DC residents — is sponsoring a brown
bag lunch information session on the DC Budget Execution and Federal
Grants. The event is being held on August 12 from 12:00-2:00 p.m. at the
Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, 1800 Massachusetts Avenue, NW,
6th Floor (Large Conference Room). The guest speaker is Jim Spaulding
from the DC Office of Budget and Planning. This topic is important
especially in these tough financial times -- we need to ensure that
funds that are budgeted for specific programs actually are used for
those programs.
This event is for members of the Fair Budget Coalition — membership
for individuals is reasonably priced ($10) and waivers are available.
Membership forms are available from Susie Cambria, scambria@dckids.org
or 234-9404. Please RSVP to Susie, scambria@dckids.org
or 234-9404.
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Second Annual Bilingual Poetry Reading, August
13
Patricia Pasqual, changedc@yahoo.com
Please join us at this free event, the second annual bilingual poetry
reading, on Wednesday, August 13, at 6:30 p.m. at the Martin Luther
King, Jr., Memorial Library, 901 G Street, NW, Room A5, lower level
(Gallery Place Metro). The readings are presented by the Metropolitan DC
Interpreters and Translators Group. The theme this year is poetry from
around the world. For more information call 727-2313.
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TasteDC.com’s August 2003 Calendar of Wine
and Food Events
Charlie Adler, wine@tastedc.com
1) August 18, Monday, “Mezze, Mezze, Mezze at Cafe Ole,” Cafe
Ole, 4000 Wisconsin Avenue, NW; validated underground parking,
Tenleytown Metro (Red Line) is six blocks away, 7-9:30 p.m. seated
indoor/outdoor dinner, $58, tax and tip inclusive. Mezze (also spelled
as “meze”) is Greek for “hors d'oeuvres” or “appetizer.”
Join TasteDC.com as we taste a variety of mezze all paired with summer
wines! 2) August 23, Saturday, “Cooking 101 at Gabriel Restaurant:
Using Fresh Produce from the Garden,” Gabriel Restaurant at the
Radisson Barcelo Hotel, 2121 P Street, NW. Valet parking available,
Metro Dupont Circle, $58/person tax, wine and tip inclusive, 11:30 a.m.
to 2:30 p.m. These classes always sell out! Join Executive Chef Antonio
Burrell, formerly the Executive Sous Chef at Vidalia in DC and at
Aquavit Restaurant in Minneapolis, as we learn how to make four
different dishes with fresh vegetables sourced from local producers in
our area. This is a demonstration event with tasting, attire is casual.
Reservations: secure web form at https://secure.tasteusa.com/cgi-bin/order/order.cgi?X_DC
or phone 244-3700 (phone reservations $10 surcharge/person).
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CLASSIFIEDS — RECOMMENDATIONS
Heating Contractor, Moving Radiators
Bell Clement, bellclement@msn.com
Well, now that the house is more-or-less dry, it’s time to see what
can be done to keep it warm come winter. Can anyone recommend a
contractor who's good with old-house radiators ? I’d like to: 1)
replace the furnace; 2) re-hang pipes in the cellar higher (for some
reason they were dropped down a foot below the ceiling; also one has
developed a leak); and 3) (drum roll here) move a couple radiators to
permit enlarging windows. Anyone have any experience with someone out
there who could tackle this competently and soon? And: any advise to me
about the wisdom / do-ability of moving radiators?
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If you have it, he can fix it. He can fix stoves, refrigerators, and
electrical wiring. He puts in floors, hangs sheet rock, installs ceramic
tile, and builds cement steps and walks. Contact him, Jerome Belt, at
562-3649.
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We've been away a month and have returned to find a continued
invasion of big ugly mostly nocturnal bugs up to an inch and a half in
length. We have fought them unsuccessfully with electronic bug chasers,
bug bombs, and glue traps. Thanks for any help you can give.
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Borax is the answer. Sprinkle it where they enter the house and on
their little walkways. They don't like it, and will soon find another
house to live in.
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Keeping the Ants Out
Paul Dionne, News at PaulDionne dot com
You can keep ants from entering the house by spraying Raid (for Ants)
along the top of the concrete foundation at the base of the outside of
the house. While the deadly effects of the spray will wear off in a few
hours, some of the toxicity will actually last for a few months. Given
that ants are particularly sensitive to such chemicals, they will turn
back once they reach a spot that has been sprayed.
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