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MAY UNITS ON EDUCATION IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLSAll LWVDC members and friends invited to attend any or all of the unit meetings on education in the DC public schools. See below. UNIT MEETING SCHEDULETUESDAY, MAY 16. 9:45 am. Speaker: Tommy Wells, Elected member, Board of Education. District 3 (Wards 5&6), wellsthos@aol.com Southwest, Capitol Hill, and Northwest Day units will meet in the home of Audrey Hatry, 530 N St. SW, Harbor Square Apt. S-605 (tel. 554-4450) Street parking. From Metro Waterside, walk 2 blocks south. WEDNESDAY, MAY 17. 9:45 am. Speaker: TBA from the Office of the Superintendent of Schools. Upper 16th Street unit will meet vela. me of Patricia Hallman, 1312 Geranium St NW (tel. 829-8852). THURSDAY, MAY 18. 9:45 am. Speaker: Victor Reinoso invited speaker, elected member, Secretary of Board of Education, District 2 (Wards 3&4) Email: Victor.Reinoso@k12.dc.us. Chevy Chase/Ingleside unit will meet in the Theatre at the Ingleside Apartments, 3050 Military Rd. NW. Ruth Allen (362-8953). Make your reservations with your unit chairperson:
FAMILY LEARNING FESTIVAL!The University of the District of Columbia and the DC State Education Office: Adult and Family Literacy are sponsoring a Family Learning Festival. It will provide families with resources and information to improve literacy skills. It will be held on Saturday, May 20, from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm at the Turkey Thicket Recreation Center: 1100 Michigan Ave., NE. Contact Stacey Downey at (202) 274-7183, sdowney@dcadultliteracy.org. Source: DC VOICE upcoming activities email. BROWN BAG DIALOGUECharles Allen LATEST NEWS ON MEDICAL HOMESMONDAY, MAY 8, 2006
Where are the clinics now? Open to the public. ANNUAL BREAKFAST MEETING OF THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF THE NATIONAL CAPITAL AREASaturday, May 13th. 9:30 am - 12:30 pm Keynote speaker: Michele Waslin, Ph.D., Reservation Form PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE: LOOKING TO ELECTIONS 2006
CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATION$200,000 GRANT PROPOSED TO LWVEFUS TO PROMOTE DC VOTING RIGHTS The District of Columbia Mayors office has included in the DC budget submission to Congress a grant for the League of Women Voters of the United States Education Fund (LWVUSEF) of $200,000 to do public education in communities nationwide about the lack of DC voting rights in the US Congress, and our unique relationship with the Congress. The LWVUSEF grant provides for targeted work in ten communities, to be based on League capacity, interest, media presence etc., and to encourage as many Leagues as possible to do community and media outreach on the issue. Jeanette Senecal, the US League's Election Director will be overseeing this project. Contrary to some of the local media coverage the grant is not specific to statehood but to Congressional voting rights. Available from LWVDC for Your Civic Meetings
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AFRICA: ART TOUR AND SPEAKERSAT. JUNE 3 & SUN JUNE 4 TOURS AT 3 AND 4 -- SPEAKER AT 3:30 AT HOME OF DANE AND JUDY SMITH WINE & HORS D'OEUVRES TRANSPORTATIONTo follow Washington area transportation planning, look on the web: www.mwcog.org/regionaltransportationplan. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., MEMORIAL LIBRARYWe are alerted by Gary Imhoff to a proposal to lease the MLK library for 99 years. The authorizing language is contained in the FY2006 Budget Support Act (Bill 16679, Subtitle D, Section 2032. Councilmember Kathy Patterson has requested that the provision be accorded a separate hearing, not included with the multiplicity of matters covered in the Act as drafted. Her request was contained in a memorandum to Council Chair Linda Cropp, and members Sharon Ambrose and Jack Evans. See April 12, 2006, editorial from themail@dcwatch.com, www.dcwatch.com RIVERBANK PARKLANDS/GEORGETOWN BOATHOUSERequests by the LWVDC and allied organizations for a full Environmental Impact Statement and presentation of alternatives to the Georgetown boathouse* proposal remain without response from the National Park Service. Release of the Environmental Assessment**, which is a very limited review, is expected in the near future.
LWVDC Joins in Request to the National Park Service for Environmental Assessment 90-Day Comment PeriodLetter to Joe Lawler, National Park Service, April 13, 2006, from the Defenders of Potomac River Parkland: I am writing to request a public comment period of 90 days for the draft Environmental Assessment on the Georgetown University boathouse proposal. The Defenders group is an alliance of 21 local, regional and national environmental, recreational and civic organizations representing hundreds of thousands of individuals. For three years, the Defenders have been calling upon the National Park Service to consider alternative locations for the GU boathouse outside the C&O Canal National Historical Park. Given the level of controversy associated with the proposal, the Defenders believe a 90-day comment period is appropriate. The Defenders would also appreciate knowing the dates planned for the release the above-mentioned EA, and the public meeting related to the document. Defenders of Potomac River Parkland: Sincerely, Sally Strain, DC Coordinator, Defenders of Potomac River Parkland (202) 363-4546 (cc.) Fran P. Mainella, Kevin Brandt List of the 21 member organizations of Defenders of Potomac River Parkland: American Canoe Association, American Hiking Society, American Whitewater Association, Audubon Naturalist Society, Canoe Cruisers Association, Citizens Committee to Save Laurel Lakes, C&O Canal Association, Coalition for the Capital Crescent Trail, Dupont Circle Conservancy, East Coast Greenway Alliance, Friends of the Earth, League of Women Voters of DC, Montgomery Sycamore Island Club, National Parks Conservation Association, Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, Potomac Conservancy, Potomac Heritage Trail Association, Potomac Pedalers Touring Club, Rails to Trails Conservancy, Sierra Club-DC Chapter, Washington Canoe Club. NATIONAL CAPITAL MEDICAL CENTEROn April 7, the DC League submitted to the DC Council and Mayor the testimony shown below on the National Capital Medical Center. DC Council members Phil Mendelson and David Catania responded appreciatively by return email:
From: Grace Malakoff, President, League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia. EDUCATION IN DC PUBLIC SCHOOLS - MYTH AND REALITYFrom Separate and Unequal: The State of the District of Columbia Public Schools Fifty Years After Brown and Bolling, Advisory Report of Parents United for the D.C. Public Schools, March 2005. "Promise of an end to racial isolation remains unrealized. The overwhelming majority of African-American students in District of Columbia public schools attend schools populated almost solely by other African-American students; 78% of African-American students attend schools where African-Americans comprise 90% or more of the student body. ... resources and facilities ... are well below ... most of the surrounding suburban school districts ... although DCPS enrolls a far higher percentage of students with special educational needs, such as low-income students (64%), than surrounding school districts like Arlington (36%), Alexandria (47%), Fairfax (19%), and Montgomery (23%), the District spends less per student than most of its neighbors. The District spends over $3,800 less per student than Arlington, $2,100 less per student that Alexandria, $500 less than Montgomery County and only $500 more than Fairfax County, where the percentage of low-income students is less than one-third of that enrolled in District schools." In addition, curriculum offerings in art, music, foreign languages, physical education and vocational education have deteriorated in the past 50 years, as has building maintenance. Teachers and principals in first-year positions receive lower compensation that their suburban peers. (From pp 1-3) CONTRIBUTIONS ACKNOWLEDGEDMany thanks for generous contributions received since the last DC Voter issue: Anne Anderson, June Bashkin, Jane Blair, Catherine Burnight, Suzanne Campagna, Joan and Arthur Domike, Jean Fleming, Naomi and Solomon Glass, Pat Hallman, Cecilie Jones, Sheila and Spurgeon Keeny, Rosella Kenaston, Barbara Luchs, Anna and Luther Marsh, Ruth Nadel, Jeanette Miller, Loretta Neumann, Betty W. Nyangoni, Marilou Righini, Leona J. Rumsey, Susan Smith Sedgewick, Constance P. Tate, Patricia Wheeler, Frances P. Wilkinson, Barbara T. Yeomans. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONSThe DC League's Great Decisions discussion group will hold its final meetings of the program year in May. Brazil: Invented pasts and hoped for futures
Turkey: On Europe's verge We will meet from 2 - 4 pm, conference room of LWVDC's new office, 1717 Massachusetts Ave., Room 600, an easy walk along Massachusetts Ave. from Dupont Circle Metro Station (south entrance); garage in building and across Mass. Ave.; on-street parking sometimes available. Call me if you are interested in joining us for either of these. Sheila Keeny, 966-1692, facilitator MEMBER NEWSWe congratulate Sue Whitman who is one of 26 volunteers chosen nationwide by the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging to receive a 2006 Metlife Foundation Older Volunteers Enrich America Award presented at an afternoon luncheon on April 28. Sue was featured in a front page article in the April 12 edition of THE NORTHWEST CURRENT written by another League member Gina Trippi. TRAVEL WITH THE LEAGUEDid you know? When you Travel with the League, the DC League will be sent $100 for each person who mentions the DC League when booking their travel. Contact: Travel-Concepts
International Inc., 2006 LWVNCA Annual Meeting
Saturday, May 13, 2006, 9:30 am Click for a printable reservation form MEMBERSHIP FORM TO JOIN OR RENEWQuestions concerning League membership can be directed to the League office at 222-0710. See the LWVDC MEMBERSHIP FORM. CALENDAR MAY 2006
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