Media Spin

Dear Spinners:

Must reading in order to understand the next few years in DC’s school governance is Sol Stein’s article on Mayor Bloomberg’s takeover of the New York City public schools, “Grading Mayoral Control,” in the current issue of City Journal, http://www.city-journal.org/html/17_3_mayoral_control.html. Stein details how school test results are manipulated, massaged, and misrepresented by Bloomberg’s administration, and how the city’s press has largely gone along with that manipulation. Stein writes that Bloomberg’s “Department of Education routinely undermines accountability with a public-relations juggernaut that deflects legitimate criticism of his education policies, dominates the mainstream press, uses the schools as campaign props, and, most ominously, distorts student test-score data. Without transparency, real accountability doesn’t exist.” The media spin operation is so large, Stein writes, “the Department of Education’s communications office is 29-strong, four times as many employees as worked in the press office under the old Board of Ed. And that doesn’t include the city hall press operation, which often joins in promoting new education initiatives, or the substantial public-relations and marketing services that the administration has received from companies, either pro bono or paid for by third-party private contributions.”

The Fenty takeover already tracks the Bloomberg takeover in several respects, including detailing Marafa Hobson from the mayor’s press office to be Chancellor Rhee’s spokesman. Whether the media spin strategy succeeds in the District as well as it has in New York depends on whether Washington’s press corps accepts Fenty’s and Rhee’s handouts without serious questioning. Perhaps not everyone will; Mike DiBonis’ cover article in The Washington City Paper on Rhee’s relationship with the Washington Teachers Union (http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/display.php?id=2156&comments=show) is a good example of the kind of in-depth reporting that will have to be done to discover what will be happening in the newly enlarged and enriched school bureaucracy.

The controversy over Jonathan Rees’ complaint about Councilmember Mary Cheh’s campaign continues in this issue, below. I received other messages that were not for publication that castigated me for printing anything by Rees, but all of those messages were dedicated to denigrating Rees himself. None of them said or attempted to prove that the specific charges he made were unbelievable, incredible, baseless, or frivolous; instead, they simply said I should ignore anything Rees says. It should be obvious by now that that argument doesn’t work with me. I’m open to being convinced that Rees’ charges are wrong, that the Ward 3 Action group was nothing like a political action committee and that the Cheh campaign occupied only a part of its headquarters space, and for no longer than two months. But convince me with the facts, not personal attacks.

Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com

###############

Altering the DC Library System’s Collections
Bryce A. Suderow, streetstories@juno.com

Most of you are probably unaware that the head of the DC Libraries, Ginny Cooper, is trying to boost circulation statistics by buying whatever books are big sellers at the supermarket’s check out line, graphic novels, and DVDs. She hopes to lure readers into the libraries through these methods. Once the readers set foot in the library, she believes they’ll want to read and will check out more books. At the same time, however, she is removing books of substance and replacing them with junk.

There are two reasons why I think Ginny Cooper’s plan to change the content of the libraries is a bad idea. First, the capital of the United States deserves a first-rate collection that can stand alongside the greatest cities in this country. Instead it has a collection of books that at present is inferior in quality to the neighboring towns of Alexandria and Fairfax. If Library Director Cooper has her way, the quality of the collection will be further reduced. By quality, I mean that many of the books in the DC system are not the ones that serious readers with a good high school education or better will read. Second, Cooper’s plan to lure people into the libraries won’t work because she’s not aware of the real reason for the low circulation statistics in this city. They stem from the fact that 33 percent of adults in Washington, DC, are illiterate and an unknown, but probably even higher percentage, are so handicapped by being semiliterate that they don’t read either. Nothing will induce those nonreaders to read the system’s books, not filling the libraries with books written at a grade-school level, not increasing the number of graphic novels, and not replacing books with large numbers of CDs and DVD’s.

The August issue of the Hill Rag will present an article by Virginia Spatz on what happened at SE Library, which served as the laboratory experiment that Cooper says proves her ideas are right. The Rag will also contain letters responding to the changes. And on Monday the DC Examiner will feature an article on how what happened at SE is being planned for the entire city. I believe that the bureaucrats in the Washington, DC, Library system are willing to settle for a third-rate collection, and I think that’s wrong. What do you think?

###############

Deed Recordation Confusion
Jeffrey Norman, jeffrey.norman@att.net

For purposes of deed recordation and property taxes, all private property in DC is divided into squares and each square is divided into lots. As in the case of other buildings, rental apartment building usually have only one lot number. But when a rental apartment building becomes a condominium, each apartment is assigned a new lot number. However, whenever any transaction (such as a sale, mortgage creation, mortgage payoff, etc.) concerning that condo is registered with the Recorder of Deeds, the new deed usually references both the original lot number as well as the new lot number. Because of that, a new transaction may sometimes be recorded under the old lot number and sometimes under the new one, creating great confusion for anyone attempting to trace the deed history of any one condominium apartment.

I learned about this problem when I attempted to find a mortgage payoff for my condo on the Recorder of Deeds web site, and discovered that it was listed under the obsolete (pre-condo) old lot number. However, the other transactions pertaining to my apartment since I bought it in 1989 were correctly listed under the new lot number. This whole thing would be no big deal if this were a mistake involving only one apartment (which presumably can be easily corrected). However, I discovered that since 1980 when our 166-unit building became a condo, nearly 1400 transactions involving dozens of apartments were recorded under the obsolete old lot number.

This could really be a problem if someone is doing a title search using the correct current condo lot number and is trying to prove ownership of a property or payoff of a mortgage and also does not realize that he or she needs to look under both the current lot number as well as the old one. (The current lot number is always on your real property assessment and tax bill notices; but you would have to locate your original deed to find the old lot number, assuming that you even realized that it may be necessary to do so.) I wonder how many other condos there are in DC in which any transaction could be recorded under either one of two different lot numbers.

###############

I Want Meters
Ed T. Barron, edtb1@macdotcom

I seldom take a cab in DC, preferring to use the Metro. When I have an early flight from National Airport or, when returning late in the evening, I take a cab from the airport to northwest DC. At least half the times that I have taken a cab on my recent returns from the airport, I’ve been overcharged based on the info sheet provided in the unmetered cabs. My only defense is to insist on a metered cab as I leave the airport from the cab stand. I would prefer that all the cabs in DC be metered.

###############

Our Own Worst Enemy
Dennis Moore, dennis@DCIndependents.org

Ward 5 DC Councilmember Harry Thomas. Jr., wants to form a Black caucus of the District of Columbia council. What a great and timely idea. Unfortunately, there are few or no Black people on the council. The council is currently populated with what we used to describe back in the militant 60s and 70s as “Knee-grows.” This was a derisive term used to define Black officials who politically, economically, and socially kneeled down to the White controlled political and business interests that effectively decided the destiny of majority Black cities. Some of us still play the "go along to get along" game.

The big Black elephant on the coffee table is that the District’s Black political power and population is being designed to decline. Mr. Thomas can’t depend on the likes of Ward 7’s new council member Yvette Alexander, who prefers not to alienate her White fellow council members and constituents. With six Blacks remaining on the council, she is quoted on the issue as saying, “I need some vanilla in that chocolate.” Moreover, the silence so far from other Black council members and officials was like only hearing crickets on a plantation. We actually and officially now have a cast of sleep and eat public officials who have bamboozled us into believing they’re protecting the socioeconomic and political interests of DC’s remaining Black low and middle-income residents. Follow the money.

"The Plan" is in full effect. Blacks at various socioeconomic levels are being erased from the District’s future. One- and two-bedroom condos on top of high-end stores aren’t designed for attracting families, Black or White. Also, fiscally irresponsible public policies and dysfunctional governance is sucking the soul out of DC. The irony is that powerful White controlled interests now have the right mix of Black officials to implement the plan. Perhaps DC’s Black elected officials will wake up before Election Day. I won’t bet a number on that. Nevertheless, as they continue to do their sleep and eat routine, District voters should start thinking about ways to cancel this new millennium minstrel show. Harry Thomas needs serious backup on his caucus plan. Additionally, I suggest we all serve strong cups of black coffee to council member Yvette Alexander and others who prefer to sleep on their real job.

###############

Let’s Get Our Priorities Straight
Tom Monroe, tmonroe77@yahoo.com

I’m shocked that some of themail’s readers want the mayor and city council to put the potential collapse of Greater Southeast Community Hospital and Prince George’s Hospital Center at the top of their agendas [themail, July 25]. There’s been only one crisis in the city over the past five years that’s been worthy of their attention in the form of thousands of hours of work from city officials and well-paid consultants and hundreds of millions worth of public money: the baseball stadium. Even now, consultants and city officials are diligently working on such worthy projects as timing shuttle routes to the ballpark from, of all places, RFK Stadium (which would suggest that the ballpark probably should have been there all along).

City officials have left no stone unturned in rushing that shrine to public excess to completion. The amazing level of dedication from them to a project driven by private business concerns and politicos obsessed with having the best suites in the house is a crime when compared with the abysmal way that the city has addressed the DC General fiasco and the current hospital crisis, which would never have gotten this bad had top city officials given it a tenth of the money and human-hours that they’d given to the troubled ballpark project. All that being said, I’m betting that the mayor and city council will dedicate more attention and funding to the DC United stadium "crisis" than the hospital crisis, unless Herb Miller or Victor MacFarlane figures out a way to add condos to the hospital parking garages.

###############

More Blackmail from DC United
Ed Delaney, profeddel@yahoo.com

From http://www.wtopnews.com/?nid=25&sid=1196718: “‘In order to make the 2010 season, we need to be moving forward at the end of this month,’ MacFarlane tells WTOP. ‘We have been approached by others which we have fended off, but at the end of the day we have to be responsible to our investors.’” The city has to be responsible to its backers, as it were, as well, which does not include being bullied into even more reckless spending of public money on stadiums designed for private use and benefit by an out-of-town developer who wants in on several more public-private development opportunities with the city. While MacFarlane’s talking about responsibility, he needs to ask Kevin Chavous, Sandy Allen, Harold Brazil, Kathy Patterson, Vincent Orange, and Linda Cropp (along with Jack Evans, whose mayoral dreams went up in smoke with every stadium-related rant) how well their ballpark support turned out for them politically, since their lack of responsibility on that issue appears to be the main reason they are no longer serving as public officials. Current officials aren’t going to put themselves in harm’s way for you, MacFarlane, and will likely view your blackmail tactics and threats as ample reason to prevent you from participating from the other development partnerships you crave with the city. Who’s feeling the heat now, Victor!

Speaking of responsibility, Major League Soccer is going to have to be responsible to its investors at the end of the day by maintaining a presence in arguably their most successful market in terms of fan support. If they’ve got any business sense whatsoever, they’re not going to let MacFarlane remove the team from this market, but would likely have him sell back to the league in the same way his predecessor did when it couldn’t strike a stadium deal with the city.

“Team President Kevin Payne tells WTOP Radio the proverbial ball is now in the city’s court. ‘We really have been bad negotiators. We’ve said we don’t want to leave. This is where we want to be. This isn’t about greedy team owners. Of course we need a stadium. We can’t continue to function as a business at RFK stadium. End of story.’” Beggars can’t be choosers, Kevin. The marginal success of MLS further undermines DC United and its desire for hundreds of millions of dollars of public money for a badly conceived stadium design with almost no practical uses due to its open-air design and minuscule capacity that won’t even allow for the city to host major tournament matches as RFK Stadium currently does. All of this likely leaves the team the option of negotiating a better deal at RFK Stadium or striking a deal with a local government in Virginia or Maryland. Given the amount of money desired by DC United and MacFarlane in particular, other local governments are almost certain to balk, leaving the city with the upper hand. So basically, DC United is going to have to hammer out a more team-friendly lease agreement, which is fine with me if it’s based not on straight subsidy but with a higher percentage of gate, concession, and parking revenue that gives the team the incentive to pack the stadium in order to succeed. Make it work at the refurbished RFK Stadium or join MacFarlane on your way out of the door, since I’m sure there are plenty of businessmen who could make a go of it with the use of an updated stadium with better parking and access than any other stadium or arena in the city!

###############

The Cause for Fair Assessments Suffers Major Setback
Peter S. Craig, swedecraig@aol.com

The legal rights of DC homeowners for fair assessments were sharply curtailed by a DC Court of Appeals decision on July 19 reversing the decision of Judge Eugene Hamilton in the class action suit initiated by Cleveland Park residents in 2002. Acting under the Civil Rights Act, 42 U.S.C. 1983, which was amended by Congress in 1979 to permit any District resident to sue DC government officials for redress against any violation of Constitutional rights done under color of local DC law, Judge Hamilton issued a decision on September 26, 2005, ruling that the use of across-the-board multipliers by the Office of Tax and Revenue for tax year 2002 assessments was unconstitutional and in violation of the DC assessment laws and therefore void. On January 13, 2006, he awarded refunds for the class of 35,000 D.C. homeowners adversely affected by these across-the-board increases. The refunds were limited to any increase in their 2002 taxes plus 6 percent annual interest. The city estimated that such refunds would come to $15 million.

The Williams administration appealed this decision. On brief and at the oral argument, the District’s lawyers argued that the city could secretly adopt any methodology for assessment that it wished (despite the requirements of DC law), even using a dart board if OTR so desired, and that DC residents were barred from contesting assessments on the basis of discrimination or lack of notice as to how the assessments were made. Despite the Congressional directive to permit class actions on “any matter” involving assessments, the city argued that such class actions could not be brought.

A three-judge panel of the D.C. Court of Appeals (Chief Judge Washington, Associate Judge Thompson and Senior Judge Kern) has now agreed with the Williams administration’s position. It has ruled that local DC law supersedes the 1979 Congressional amendment to the Civil Rights Act, that the District assessors may use any method they want to assess properties without regard to the requirements in the DC Code that each property must be assessed on the basis of its own characteristics, and that DC taxpayers may only challenge the fairness of their own assessments and are not entitled to any redress if others are given preferential treatment. Although Congress amended the DC assessment law to permit class actions in the Tax Division of the Superior Court as to "any matter" involving personal and property taxes, the decision effectively rules out any class action by insisting that the class be limited to persons who appealed their assessments to BRPAA (although BRPAA panels are powerless to correct discriminatory assessments). Mysteriously, the panel relies on the District’s Anti-Injunction Act for most of its discussion, although no injunction was sought or granted in the present case. A full copy of the forty-page decision may be read at the D.C. court web site, http://www.dcappeals.gov/dccourts/appeals/pdf/06-TX-177+.PDF. 

At a meeting held Sunday evening, the five DC lawyers who have been tirelessly working on behalf of the DC taxpayers since this controversy began in 2001 met and agreed that it was essential to seek reconsideration before the full panel of the DC Court of Appeals. If the full panel fails to take corrective action, the burden will fall upon the DC Council to restore fairness to the assessment process. So far, Councilman Jack Evans has been a full supporter of OTR’s desire to do whatever it pleases in any way it pleases, without regard for traditional statutory and constitutional requirements. In 2002, he introduced and supported “emergency legislation” that the court now finds eliminated any requirement that OTR inform the public of the methodology used in revising assessments.

The present controversy began when OTR, under the leadership of Williams’ new appointee, Henry Riley, decided that it would be “more efficient” to assess residential properties in groups, rather than on a property-by-property basis. Riley reintroduced a system that he called “trending,” by which all properties in a group would be increased or decreased in their assessments by the same percentage, as determined by secret studies. That system had been declared illegal under DC law in Levy v. District of Columbia in 1990 and was condemned by the Montana Supreme Court as an unconstitutional denial of equal protection in the same year. Likewise, in District of Columbia v. Green, a class action suit decided in 1973, the DC Court of Appeals had ruled out across-the-board increases in assessments as in violation of the Equal Protection clause, insisting that under DC law assessments had to be made on a property-by-property basis, not a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis. In reintroducing this so-called “trending,” Mr. Riley claimed it was consistent with the standards of the International Association of Assessment Officers. However, in the trial in this case, it was shown that the practice violated IAAO standards, and the IAAO’a chief expert, Dr. Robert Gloudemans, prepared a study showing that the practice reintroduced by Mr. Riley resulted in discriminatory assessments far worse than were acceptable by IAAO standards and in general they favored owners of more expensive properties, resulting in regressive taxation.

Mr. Riley’s brainchild touched off the class action lawsuit contesting 2002 assessments. A similar class action lawsuit has been filed contesting 2003 assessments. That second case has been stayed by agreement until the first case is resolved. In the interim, Mr. Riley has been relieved of his job and the city has abandoned the use of so-called “trending.” However, the decision of the three-judge panel, unless overruled by the full court or the DC Council, threatens once more to cause havoc in the city’s assessment practices, where the dart board and secretly derived across-the-board multipliers will replace the constitutional requirements of equality and fairness in assessment practices. After all, as Mr. Riley knew, it was far easier to assess by playing computer games in an office rather than assessing each property based upon its own characteristics.

###############

Georgetown News Now Available
Jerry A. McCoy, sshistory@yahoo.com

I am pleased to announce that the weekly neighborhood newspaper, The Georgetown News, is now available on microfilm at the Washingtoniana Division, Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library. Original copies of this newspaper had been housed in the Georgetown Branch Library’s Peabody Room and had been sent out for microfilming before the devastating fire that took place on April 30, 2007. The microfilm holdings for this newspaper is October 1932-March 1942.

Not all of the weekly issues are available. If anyone has information on the existence of any additional holdings of this newspaper title, please let me know.

###############

Property Manager Faces Child Porn Charges
Frank Winstead, frank.winstead@gmail.com

Tuesday’s print edition of the DC Examiner reported (complete with name and address) that a Washington man was arrested and charged with receipt of child pornography. He admitted to possession of more than one hundred photos and videos of child porn on his computer. In the fourth and final paragraph his employment was listed as real estate property manager. I can find no other references on the Internet to this arrest. Here is a link to the page 4, column 1, story from July 24: http://dcpaper.examiner.com/shared-content/e-edition/display.php?pubdate=2007-07-24&page=04&pub=2. The Examiner did a fine job of reporting what they did report. But, I and maybe you would like to know where this individual works and whether he has master keys to apartment buildings.

###############

OCF Report
Theresa Conroy, theresa.conroy@yahoo.com

Bill Coe gave the impression in Wednesday’s themail that Jonathan Rees did not show up for any of the candidate debates when he ran last year for the council. I can certify that Mr. Rees participated in the public safety forum last September, at the Sibley auditorium. All the Ward 3 candidates were at the debate but one — Mary Cheh.

I’ve read the OCF report that Wednesday’s DCWatch links to. It does seem to give Councilmember Cheh a clean bill of health, but there is a troublesome omission. The OCF concluded that the Cheh campaign began its occupancy of PN Hoffman’s Wisconsin Avenue location in August 2006, when the campaign began paying market rate rent. The OCF report, though, also summarizes testimony from workers at the next-door tenant, the Christian Science Reading Room, that the Cheh campaign began its occupancy at about the same time Bill Rice became a candidate. Surprisingly, the OCF report does not mention when Bill Rice became a candidate, even though it is in OCF’s own records: April 2006. By not addressing head-on this inconsistency in testimony as to when the Cheh campaign actually started occupying the PN Hoffman space, the OCF certainly gives the impression that there might be some whitewash in its report.

Mr. Coe expressed concern that the time it takes a public official to answer baseless charges takes away from the official’s public works. Councilmember Cheh has advanced some substantial initiatives since she came on the council. For instance, all of Ward 3 can support her crusade to rid DC of invasive weeds that damage indigenous plants. Although we all have suffered if answering the charges took time away from Councilmember Cheh’s weeding, it is still important that citizens retain the right to bring complaints regarding possible campaign finance irregularities.

###############

Councilmember Cheh and OCF
Paula Edwards, deliriousindc@aol.com

Many compliance complaints against campaigns originate with the opposition. This is a free watchdog service that helps to keep the process honest, since committees are aware that opposition research will be poring over their reports and practices, searching for imperfections. While complaints must always have a reasonable basis before being investigated, Ms. Cheh’s proposal that Mr. Rees should have to repay the city for the cost of the investigation would have a chilling effect on the rights of citizens to ensure that campaigns abide by the rules. In addition, the complainant cannot be held accountable for the cost of the investigation — that is a function of investigation risk and scope, investigation staff, the condition of committee records, and the cost of gathering any outside documentation. If the right of citizens to file complaints and to have reasonable complaints investigated is imperiled in this way, then I would propose that the committees of all candidates appearing on a ballot be reviewed after an election as a matter of course. If evidence of compliance discrepancies is found, then the review could be expanded to an investigation and corrective/punitive action taken as deemed necessary.

###############

Who Is Jonathan Rees
John Henry Wheeler, Tenleytown, wheels-dc@att.net

Jonathan was one of nine Democrat candidates for Ward 3 Council. He ran a very odd campaign using only the Internet. Apparently he created many Yahoo IDs and used them to post messages on Ward 3 listservs saying what a great person Jonathan Rees was. Pretty soon, most people saw through this, and most listservs banned him and his aliases from posting. On the Tenleytown listserv, a message was posted by "stewart2007." The style of the message suggested Rees to me, and I suggested the readers of the listserv ignore it. I got an indignant reply from “stewart2007,” who claimed not to be Jonathan Rees. However, if you Google stewart2007’s address, what do you get? Jonathan Rees.

Mr. Rees received only several hundred votes in the election. That reflects that DC voters are generally very well informed. Now through themail, he’s found a way to continue spreading his words of hate. I personally think allowing postings by Mr. Rees in themail lessens the credibility of the publication.

###############

I Goofed
Danilo Pelletiere, dpelleti@gmu.edu

I goofed. I left off my last name on my soccer stadium post [themail, July 25]. Not sure if it merits a correction, but I’ve already had one person ask if I was using an alias. Not sure how stupid I would have to be to choose “Danilo Pelleti” as a pseudonym but I’d hate to have people think I wasn’t standing behind my words.

###############

CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS

National Building Museum Events, July 30, August 1
Lauren Searl, lsearl@nbm.org

Monday, July 30, 12:30-1:30 p.m., How to Win with Smart Growth. Greater Ohio has been advancing smart growth issues for only three years yet has produced a candidate briefing book that has redefined how political leaders address planning issues. State Director Gene Krebs will use humor, polling data, statistics, and real examples of how to communicate, in order to demonstrate how campaign managers, speech writers, and candidates, in that order, can frame smart growth issues in a compelling way. Free. Registration not required.

Wednesday, August 1, 7:30-9:45 p.m., Films: Visionary Architecture: The Process and the Product. The process of creating architecture varies from one designer to the next. Join us for an evening as we discover the process behind the great visions of two internationally renowned architects, Shigeru Ban and Renzo Piano. The documentary Shigeru Ban: An Architect for Emergencies (52 min., 2000) features interviews with this innovative architect who explains the practical, philosophical, and aesthetic aspects of his work. The documentary Renzo Piano: Work in Progress (52 min., 1999) follows three projects at different stages, examining the artistic philosophy of Piano and the working methods of his Renzo Piano Building Workshop. $5 Museum members and students; $10 nonmembers. Prepaid registration required. Both events at the National Building Museum, 401 F Street, NW, Judiciary Square stop, Metro Red Line. Register for events at http://www.nbm.org.

###############

DC Public Library Events, August 2
Randi Blank, randi.blank@dc.gov

Thursday, August 2, 10:00 a.m., Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library, 901 G Street, NW. The Business Planning Process. Learn the steps you need to take to start a business in DC. This class is free and cosponsored by DC’s Small Business Development Center. Enhanced Business Information Center (e-BIC), A-level, e-BIC Conference Center. For more information, call 727-2241.

Thursday, August 2, 1:30 p.m., Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library, 901 G Street, NW, Enhanced Business Information Center (e-BIC), 1st Floor. Local, Small, Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (LSDBE) Office Hours. Are you eligible for LSDBE certification? Come to the Library during LSDBE office hours if you are a small business owner in the District, plan to become one, or currently sell to the District Government. Please call 727-2241 to sign up for this session.

Thursday, August 2, 2:30 p.m., Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library, 901 G Street, NW, Room 221. Let’s Talk About Books. We’ll will discuss Flannery O’Connor’s short story “A Good Man Is Hard to Find.” Call 727-1264 for more information.

###############

DC Education Citizen Academy Forum, August 14
Maya Graham, mgraham@greaterdccares.org

As DC’s new Chancellor of Schools, Michelle Rhee, recently commented, education has the potential to be the true equalizer within our divided society. Unfortunately for DC’s youth, that promise continues to remain unmet by the local public school system. Despite the best efforts of our local educators and the fact that DC has one of the highest per-pupil spending rates in the country, student achievement consistently falls in the bottom of national rankings. Many have argued that the failures of our system result from issues such as frequent turnover in school leadership and staff; misappropriated allocation of resources, both financial and material; anachronistic state of the system’s infrastructure.

On August 14, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Greater DC Cares will host a forum to discuss how these issues and others, inclusive of the Mayor’s changes, affect college access, early childhood education, adult and vocational education, and special education within the context of the District’s educational system. Join us to better understand the issues and learn specific, actionable steps to directly contribute to this important cause. Panelists include College Summit’s National Capital Region Director; Martha Ross, of the Brookings Institution’s Greater Washington Research Program; Jesse Bailey, Advocacy Director, Pre-K for All DC; Anne Gay, past DCPS Assistant Superintendent for Special Education.

For more information or to RSVP, contact Maya Graham at mgraham@greaterdccares.org or 777-4445. As always, our event is free and open to the public. Space is limited, so please sign up as soon as possible. Location: 1727 I Street, NW.

###############

themail@dcwatch is an E-mail discussion forum that is published every Wednesday and Sunday. To subscribe, to change E-mail addresses, or to switch between HTML and plain text versions of themail, use the subscription form at http://www.dcwatch.com/themail/subscribe.htm. To unsubscribe, send an E-mail message to themail@dcwatch.com with “unsubscribe” in the subject line. Archives of past messages are available at http://www.dcwatch.com/themail.