It’s War
Dear Warriors:
The Washington Post has published two more of its long series
of embarrassingly sycophantic “Fenty is right about everything”
editorials back-to-back. Today (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/26/AR2008082603073.html),
it praises Fenty’s and Rhee’s transparently patronizing “Capital
Gains” or “School Is Money” plan to pay students to attend school,
and dismisses as “hysterical” critics of the plan, such as Post
columnist Marc Fisher, who called it a “deeply cynical effort,” “unproven
and depressingly classist, bordering on racially condescending” (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/25/AR2008082502452.html).
The editorial, by the way, fails to reveal a huge conflict of interest;
the Post’s own Kaplan Educational Foundation is a major funder
and backer of the man who designed and who will administer the program,
Roland G. Fryer.
Yesterday’s even worse editorial trashed the Washington Teachers
Union and “teachers who don’t want to participate in a new pay
arrangement that lets them trade tenure for big money,” and sneers at
veteran teachers: “And we agree with those who wonder why it seems to
be the veterans who are most worried about using student outcomes as a
yardstick for teacher rewards” (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/25/AR2008082502215.html).
Let me try to explain to the Washington Post’s editorial
board, which seems determined not to understand, why teachers are not
eager to trust their professional futures to people who are hostile to
and contemptuous of them and their union, like Mayor Fenty and
Chancellor Rhee. Yesterday’s editorial expressed its admiration for
teachers who support Rhee’s proposed contract: “We were struck by
the confidence of second-grade teacher Julia Rosen, 25, who told The
Post’s Bill Turque that she has no problem with a system in which
her pay, and perhaps her job, are linked to what her students learn.”
I propose that the editorial board of the Post accept a similar
contract from the newspaper, one that holds them accountable for their
work. There’s a simple, objective measure for how well those who write
for a newspaper serve their paper’s readers: circulation. If the
circulation of the Washington Post rises, members of the
editorial board should get handsome raises and bonuses; if the
circulation falls, they should be fired. Editorialists should make no
excuses about societal changes that have an impact on circulation or any
similar nonsense; we all know that it’s the performance of a paper’s
writers that determine its success or failure, and it’s editorialists
who represent the newspaper most directly. Why should they be afraid of
being held accountable? Or do they just want to protect their own jobs
at the expense of their readers? As soon as I have heard that the Post’s
editorial board members have accepted new contracts with these
terms, terms similar to those of the proposed teachers contract, I’ll
take their criticism of teachers seriously.
Is it fair to call Fenty and Rhee hostile to teachers and hostile to
the teachers union, and to call Fenty hostile to unions in general?
Well, that’s what the unions think. In a press release and flyer
distributed at the Democratic National Convention today, the
Metropolitan Washington Council of the AFL-CIO called Fenty a “budget-shattering,
union-busting, promise-breaking political boss whose poor performance
and bad management are costing DC taxpayers millions of dollars” (http://www.dcpswatch.com/wtu/080827.htm).
Fenty has gambled that Washington union locals wouldn’t unite, and
that he would be able to pick them off one-by-one, starting with the
teachers union. But the flyer links together five of the most prominent
antiunion actions taken by Fenty (“Fenty cost the District when he had
to rehire union workers fired without proper investigation; Fenty broke
his promise to rebuild DC schools using union labor; Fenty is trying to
gut seniority rights for unionized DC teachers; Fenty has created a
crisis for hardworking rank and file District employees by refusing to
appoint qualified people to fill vacancies on the Public Employee
Relations Board (PERB); Fenty stooped to reveal his petty, vindictive
governing tactics when he unilaterally abolished city jobs held by some
union leaders, a retaliatory move to intimidate unions who have pushed
for reform through partnership”) and closes with the line, “An
injury to one is an injury to all.” Just as importantly, the parent
unions of the WTU, the American Federation of Teachers, and of the
Metropolitan Washington Council, the AFL-CIO, support their locals’
calls for confronting and picketing Fenty whenever and wherever he
appears nationwide campaigning for Barack Obama. It’s a war now, and
the war is on.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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Rent Administrator Grayce Wiggins was fired for ruling in favor of
Kennedy Warren residents. She was a mayoral appointee, but Fenty did not
seem to stand by her, and she is now gone. (So much for ethics in DC or
from Fenty.) However, a coalition group of tenants are meeting to try to
get her reinstated.
DC Medical Director Dr. Michael Williams was also forced to resign
recently, and he was replaced by Fire Chief Dennis Rubin’s crony from
Atlanta. The new medical director, Dr. Augustine, is now the sixth
medical director in seven years. A great record for the city! Fenty
promised that he would separate the Fire Department and Emergency
Medical Services, but he didn’t.
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Inequality of Information
Dorothy Brizill, dorothy@dcwatch.com
Since August 21, when Mayor Fenty and School Chancellor Michelle Rhee
announced their “School Is Money” cash incentive program for middle
school students in the District, I have tried unsuccessfully to get
detailed information on the initiative. At the press conference, it was
announced that the District would partner with Dr. Roland Fryer’s
American Inequality Lab at Harvard University (http://www.americaninequalitylab.com),
which has a similar pilot program (Sparks) underway in New York City.
Since the press conference, New York City’s Department of Education
and Harvard University have repeatedly refused to provide basic
information about Dr. Fryer, the Lab, and the Sparks program. The
American Inequality Lab and Harvard University have refused to reply to
my questions about the budget of the Lab and will not provide the full
list of funders with the amount of their donations, and it will not
confirm whether or not Dr. Fryer has taken a leave of absence for this
academic year. The New York City Department of Education has provided
conflicting information, first sending me a press release saying that
Dr. Fryer would be on leave from Harvard and working on the NYC DOE’s
payroll this year, and then denying that he was on leave or on DOE’s
payroll. I asked the NYC DOE repeatedly who was funding its Spark
program; it replied only that it was “privately funded . . . through
Mayor Bloomberg’s Opportunity initiative.” As Fenty and Rhee prepare
to roll out the cash incentive program in DC, which Fryer’s Lab will
administer, citizens can expect the wall of secrecy to become even more
insurmountable.
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Jack Evans receives $92,500 for his part-time job as Ward 2’s
councilmember. In 2006, he voted to raise council salaries, and if
reelected he’ll receive over $120,000 a year, plus an annual
cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA). While Mr. Evans feels COLAs are okay
for him, he hasn’t felt the same way for recipients of Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). During his seventeen-year tenure
on the Council, the District’s TANF benefits have fallen to fourth
worst in the nation, down 40 percent, because COLAs don’t apply to
them. And at a recent debate, Mr. Evans said he was unsure if he would
support COLAs for minimum wage workers. To be clear: Mr. Evans is
against COLAs for people struggling to survive, yet for them when it
comes to his future six-figure salary.
Speaking of six-figure salaries, Mr. Evans already has one. The elite
law firm Patton Boggs is paying the councilmember $240,000 a year! What
exactly Mr. Evans does for Patton Boggs to earn $1,000 for each and
every working day is unclear (you can try to figure it out at http://www.pattonboggs.com/jevans/).
Could it be that this financial arrangement has something to do with Mr.
Evans’ consistent support for steering vast amounts of public dollars
toward private initiatives — always under the cover of ‘economic
development’? Did Patton Boggs benefit in any way from tax dollars
going to the Convention Center ($850 million), the Nationals’ Stadium
($800 million and counting), the recent Verizon Center giveaway ($50
million), to name a few? If Mr. Evans is reelected, and continues to
chair the Committee on Finance and Revenue, will Patton Boggs benefit?
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This weekend I watched the 1960 version of Ocean’s 11, with an all
star cast of characters including the entire rat pack. There was Sammy
Davis, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Cid Caesar, Peter Lawford and Angie
Dickenson, for a start. I was surprised at how young Sammy Davis, Jr.,
and Frank Sinatra looked. Everyone was of course dressed glamorously,
even Mrs. Bergdorff who ran the dog salon while her husband was in
prison and son “Timmy” was away at a military academy. It was very
much set in the era and in many ways was a slow moving but interesting
meander through the eleven characters’ lives. So, not having seen the
remake, should I? I am sure it will be more high tech and action packed,
but the ending isn’t plausible in today’s world (and barely then) so
was it changed?
I am also interested in some remakes that are worth seeing, maybe
along with the original. Can you suggest remakes that are better than
the originals to round out my summer?
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School Is Money
Malcolm Wiseman, mal@wiseman.ws
It may be offensive to some, but fortunately school is money. Would
that it be wisdom as well. Better to say truthfully that “School Is
Money,” and follow up with a commitment to tightly administered
biweekly cash awards for good service than to pay lip service to “Excellence.”
But “Capital Gains,” the new name of the program, is rather obscure
and says nothing about school. I guess they want to use all the senses
of the first word at the same time. Maybe we should think of it as a “thank
you for staying out of public assistance programs” rebate. We don’t
care where they spend it. It’s not a food stamp; it’s an award.
I could come up with a much cheaper program called School Is Status.
Same criteria as in Money, except that SIS pays off by conferring upon
students a broad and legal favoring system. Mr. Barron has an excellent
point about who gets paid and who gets the “slap up side the head.”
Still, the performance is ultimately up to the kid, who may be just
going along and really intends to be a bum or something else
lightweight. This might hook him. The routine where he gets paid at
least something after a month of head slaps would give him a regular pat
on the back, to merit and to anticipate. What would be the parent’s
stinger?
The idea of the government’s paying for school performance is not
unheard of (GI bill, etc), but it does seem strange to pay a child to do
what is good for him. Someone said it happens all over America, so is
this “allowance” to be dispensed only among the students of the rich
and well-off? Hmm. Adults already get this with deals like tax
incentives for good energy behavior, etc., which goes back to Mr. Barron’s
point, parent being the taxpayer. I can see why the program in New York
City, similar in concept but narrowly focused, might fail. The measure
of success was an annual test score. That sounds like one award per
year, payment in the far future. Maybe it was different, I don’t know.
It would be better to have a range of comportment qualifiers weigh-in on
a biweekly score. Pay into a card account, or give an incentive to save
and deposit into a school savings account some portion plus a matching
token. Whatever we’re baiting with, it’s better to give a little bit
more often.
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I agree with you on this one [introduction to themail, August 24].
Newsweek is simply a Washington Post-NBC hack of a
periodical. What rubbish, clearly by a pro-Fenty writer. In reading the
article, I’m left with imagery of either Rhee as riding on a white
horse and black mask saving DCPS or as a platoon leader in an epic
battle of good versus evil. The one thing I do agree with Rhee on is her
views of the Democratic National Committee. While No Child Left Behind
is horrid, Democrats on the national and local levels surely haven’t
ponied up with new legislation that would stop the hemorrhaging of the
urban public education system.
One of the interesting facets of the article was Rhee’s upbringing,
particularly her experience in Baltimore. While the article admits that
they could not verify past classroom records, they surely paint Rhee as
co-Messiah of the second grade class. Most interesting was her first
impression: “Rhee was placed in one of the lowest-performing schools
in Baltimore as a second-grade teacher. ‘It was a total culture shock
for me,’ she recalls. While she was talking to her students as they
lined up for lunch, one of the students fell down on the floor. ‘Each
kid, as they were walking by, kicked the kid that was down,’ Rhee
says. ‘I was, like, “What are they doing?” But it was like second
nature to them. The kid is down. Kick him.’” Isn’t she kicking the
WTU and teachers’ while they are down with this anti-seniority
contract?
Am I the only one who sees a parallel to what she was trying to stop
in Baltimore to what she is effectively doing to the Washington Teachers
Union and other teachers? The other articles are just as laughable.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
Eric Kulberg’s 1963 March on Washington,
August 28
Andre Johnson, proimage3@aol.com
Join the Historical Society of Washington as it presents a unique
historical retrospective with the opening of Eric Kulberg’s 1963 March
on Washington exhibit this Thursday, August 28, from 6:30-9:00 p.m., at
the Historical Society, 801 K Street, NW, across the street from the
Washington Convention Center. The evening’s event will also mark the
forty-fifth anniversary of the March on Washington and Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr’s famous “I have a Dream” speech. The opening reception
will also include a special performance of that remarkable speech by Dr.
King’s; performed by Jimi Bethel. The Historical Society of
Washington, DC, also invites the public to a live interview of Eric
Kulberg by C.R. Gibbs, and participate in a public forum to share
memories of the March on Washington.
Eric Kulberg: 1963 March on Washington consists of color 35 mm
photographs taken by Eric Kulberg as a young freshman at American
University in 1963. He shares images of leaders, marchers, the
overwhelming mass of participants and the media. He recalls, “It was
hot and steamy that day, but no one seemed to mind. There was a great
sense of joy in the air. Everyone seemed to know something special was
to happen.” All exhibits are free and open to the public,
Tuesday-Sunday, 10-5.
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Fun Family Films Under the Stars, August 28,
30-31
John A. Stokes, john.astokes@dc.gov
The District’s Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) will hold
“Fun Family Films Under the Stars,” its 2008 Family Movie Night
Season, this summer. “Fun Family Films Under the Stars,” which
continues until late-September, will afford residents of all ages and
families of all sizes the opportunity to enjoy viewing the free,
family-oriented films in DPR’s outdoor settings. As in previous years,
viewers are invited to bring their own snacks, chairs, and blankets.
This year, District residents will have a greater selection of viewing
locations. Movies will be shown from 8:45 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Community members who arrive early enough for each screening will
have the opportunity to place a vote between two movies that may be
shown that evening. The movie that receives the most votes will be
shown.
Thursday, August 28, Stead Recreation Center, 1625 P Street, NW
Saturday, August 30, Trinidad Recreation Center, 1310 Childress Street,
NE
Sunday, August 31, Brentwood Recreation Center, 2311 14th Street, NE
###############
Public Library Events, August 31, September 2,
and following
George Williams, george.williams2@dc.gov
Sundays, August 31, September 7, 14, 28, 2:00 p.m., various
locations. Percy Smith, Jr., noted local drummer, will lead jazz groups
featuring local musicians at five neighborhood libraries. Smith studied
percussion at The Peabody Conservatory of Music while honing his skills
in the Jazz and R&B clubs of Baltimore, MD. After arriving in
Washington, DC, to study Pre-Medicine at Howard University, he became
the house drummer, for the Howard Theater Orchestra under the direction
of Charlie Hampton. During this period he performed and traveled with
such acts as The Coasters, Wilson Pickett, Charlie and Inez Fox, and
Billy Stewart among others. In later years, he founded the “Percussion
Discussion Ensemble”, which entertained many children and young adults
throughout the Metropolitan Area. Percy has also performed in numerous
venues such as the Apollo Theater, Blues Alley, One Step Down, the East
Coast Jazz Festival, Westminster Jazz Series, etc. In the late 80s and
early 90s, Percy recorded and traveled with Dakota Staton, Dorothy
Donegan, and infamous “Juke Joint Central!” All performances at 2:00
p.m.: August 31, Chevy Chase; September 7, Southeast; September 14,
Capitol View; September 28, Shepherd Park.
Tuesday, September 2, 9, 4:30 p.m., Palisades Neighborhood Library,
4901 V Street, NW. Elizabeth Taylor Classic Film Series. September 2,
The VIP’s (1963); September 9, Taming of the Shrew (1967).
Tuesdays, September 2, 9, 16, 30, at 6:00 p.m., Martin Luther King,
Jr., Memorial Library, Auditorium A-5. September 2, Redbelt (2008);
September 9, The Forbidden Kingdom (2008); September 16, 88 Minutes
(2007); September 30, Iron Man (2008).
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Digital Bookmobile Download Events, September
3-4
George Williams, george.williams2@dc.gov
The DC Public Library will host the Digital Bookmobile, an immersive
download experience inside a high-tech tractor-trailer, on September 3
and 4 at the Old Convention Center site located at 10th and H Streets,
NW. Readers of all ages are invited to engage digital downloading
through interactive demonstrations and experience the Library’s
audiobook, eBook, music, and video download service at this free event.
The Digital Bookmobile is housed inside an 18-wheel tractor-trailer.
This community outreach vehicle is a high-tech version of the
traditional bookmobile that has served the District of Columbia for
decades. The vehicle is equipped with broadband Internet-connected PCs,
high definition monitors, premium sound systems, and a variety of
portable media players, all of which help visitors explore the DC Public
Library download service. Interactive learning stations give visitors an
opportunity to search the digital media collection, use supported mobile
devices, and download and enjoy eBooks, audiobooks, music, and video
from the library.
DC Public Library users can take advantage of the download service
twenty-four hours a day by visiting the library’s web site. From
there, they can browse the growing collection of best-selling, new
release, and classic titles, and check out a digital title with a valid
library card. Once downloaded, digital titles can be enjoyed on a
computer or transferred to supported mobile devices. Many audio titles
can also be burned to audio CD. At the end of the twenty-one day lending
period, titles will automatically expire and are returned to the digital
collection. There are never late fees or damaged items. The Digital
Bookmobile will be will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Digital
Bookmobile is a service of the DC Public Library and is operated by
OverDrive, Inc. To check out and download digital books and more, visit http://overdrive.dclibrary.org.
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State Superintendent of Education Events,
September 4, 23
Kadida Thiero, kadida.thiero@dc.gov
The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) is
launching a new citywide literacy campaign, Reading: It Takes You
Places. The campaign will work to combat the growing problem of
illiteracy in the District and will encourage residents to engage in
reading as a daily practice. The OSSE will launch the campaign with an
event September 4, at 10 a.m., at the Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial
Library. State Superintendent of Education Deborah A. Gist and DC Public
Libraries Chief Librarian Ginnie Cooper will introduce the city’s new
multilingual literacy campaign by unveiling the campaign materials that
include television and radio public service advertisements, outdoor
advertising, posters, flyers, and postcards. There also will be
testimonials from people who learned to read as adults.
District students are making strides in reading, according to the
recently released DC Comprehensive Assessment System (DC-CAS) test
scores. Students showed significant improvement in reading at both the
elementary and secondary levels for the 2007-2008 school year. In
reading, the number of elementary students performing at the proficient
level or higher went up 7.3 percent from last year, and secondary
students reaching or exceeding proficiency also increased by 7.3
percent. However, 36 percent (170,000) of all District residents are
considered functionally illiterate, compared to 21 percent nationally.
People who are functionally illiterate have some ability to read and
write but may have difficulty with crucial tasks such as filling out job
applications, reading maps, understanding bus schedules, and reading
newspaper articles.
The Office of the State Superintendent of Education will hold a
College Awareness Month Policy Forum on Tuesday, September 23, from 5:30
p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at Bell Multicultural High School. The topic will be
State-Level Strategies for Supporting a College-Going Culture. For more
information, call 727-6436 or E-mail osse.communications@dc.gov.
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Coffee, Confusion, and Jim Morrison, September
18
Beth Meyer, kensingtonbookevents@gmail.com
Mark Opsasnick, author of the books Capitol Rock and The
Lizard King Was Here, will discuss his recently published article
“Coffee, Confusion and Jim Morrison: The Forgotten History of Hip
Coffee Houses and Beatnik Poets in the Nation’s Capital.” He will
speak at the Kensington Row Bookshop, 3786 Howard Avenue, Kensington,
MD, on Thursday, September 18, at 7:30 p.m. The article, which appears
in the current issue of Beltway Poetry Quarterly, can be accessed
for free by visiting http://washingtonart.com/beltway/contents.html.
Opsasnick will talk about his research behind the article and his
presentation will conclude with a question-and-answer session. Free
copies of the article will be distributed to those who attend and a
reception will follow his talk. Opsasnick’s last presentation at
Kensington Row Bookshop in August 2006 drew a capacity crowd, so please
arrive early! For additional information, please visit http://www.xlibris.com/markopsasnick.html.
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