Chutzpah

Dear Chutzpah Watchers:

There they stood at Friday's press conference — the mayor, the school board president, the city council chairman, and the chair of the council's Committee on Education — all expecting praise as they announced the formation of a “school board 'collaborative.'” There stood the people who for the past several years had neglected, ignored, and evaded responsibility and accountability for the public schools — at least when they were not bickering and engaging in power struggles for control over them. They were promising to sign an agreement to work together, although they weren't quite ready to sign on Friday, when they held their press conference. And the substance of their agreement? Mostly empty, except for the promise that they would hold private, secret meetings together and work out their disagreements out of the public eye. And this, they assured us, would solve the problem of the sorry state of DC's public schools.

The good news is that some people are now thinking seriously about governance issues, even though they may not agree, and I may not agree with them, on the solution to those issues. Mary Levy has written two useful articles, “History of Public School Governance in the District of Columbia,” and “Mayoral Control of Public Schools: Lessons from Other Cities.” Mayor Williams is distributing these papers at his public meetings to promote his own takeover plan, which he calls a “governance reform proposal,” but if these relatively skeptical papers are the strongest support he can muster for a mayoral takeover of the schools, he should simply stop trying. And Erich Martel has written a thoughtful brief paper on “School Governance, Academic Accountability, and Student Achievement,” in which he elegantly states the real problem of all the governance proposals in our current debate, including in the thinking behind the School Board “Collaborative”: the mistaken call for an miracle-worker superintendent, free from being accountable to the public.

The Levy and Martel papers, the Memorandum of Understanding, and the mayor's “fact sheet” on his proposal are all available on DCPSWatch, and linked from its home page: http://www.dcpswatch.com.

Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com

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

WASA’s Chutzpah
Dorothy Brizill, dorothy@dcwatch.com

Even as DC residents, the EPA, and the entire District of Columbia government continues to grapple with the problem of lead in the drinking water, the DC Water and Sewer Authority (WASA) is seeking a water and sewer rate increase. An ad on page 13 of last Thursday's Washington Post District Weekly (http://www.dcwatch.com/wasa/040325.htm) indicates that WASA will hold a public hearing on Thursday, April 1, at 6:30 p.m., at 777 North Capitol Street, NE, first floor conference room, to "receive comments on proposed rules, which, if adopted, would establish new rates for retail water and sewer service. WASA will also receive comments on proposed rules, which, if adopted, would expand the Customer Assistance Program to tenants." The ad indicates that individuals and organizations can present testimony at the public hearing, provided that they had signed up by last Friday, but the ad doesn't provide any detailed information regarding the proposed rate increase.

After searching WASA's web site and making several frustrating telephone calls to WAS on Friday to secure information on the new proposed rates, WASA's Board Secretary, Linda Manley, E-mailed me two "notices of proposed rulemaking" that had been published in the DC Register (http://www.dcwatch.com/wasa/040123.htm and http://www.dcwatch.com/wasa/040206.htm). The first rulemaking, published in the January 23 Register, would "amend Chapter 41 of the Water and Sanitation Regulations to adopt new retail water and sewer rates." Under the proposed rules, to become effective on October 1, 2004, the rate for water services would increase from $1.74 to $1.83 for each 100 cubic feet of water used and the rate for sewer service would increase from $2.63 to $2.76 for each 100 cubic feet of water used. The second rulemaking, published in the February 6 Register, would expand WASA's Customer Assistance program to tenants.

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

School Governance, Academic Accountability, and Student Achievement.
Erich Martel, ehmartel at starpower dot net

The release in December of the 2003 NAEP 4th and 8th grade math and reading achievement results, reconfigured as comparative urban assessments of nine cities, found the DC public schools last. It exposed former Superintendent Vance's attempt, last June, to excuse as unfair the initial state comparisons results. That same week, the report of the Council of Great City Schools found the central administration with “no plan for improving student performance [and] no accountability for results” and “lack[ing] any sense of moral outrage about the poor state of student achievement” in DCPS.

The continuing, fully documented failure of DCPS to educate the majority of our students to national standards of academic achievement is the product of academic policies instituted or approved by the last four superintendents and their chief academic officers. No one compelled or “micromanaged” them into adopting or retaining the deficient academic policies and programs currently in effect or scheduled for implementation. No one prevented them from instituting stricter standards of student decorum and behavior or asked why neither superintendents and their subordinates make surprise visits to the schools. Instead, Board after pliant Board gave them a free hand to make these decisions with no evidence of their effectiveness, ignoring deficiencies cited in independent evaluations and teacher complaints. Yet, as in previous school crises, governance proposals portray a fictional image of recent superintendents as competent academic leaders whose efforts to improve achievement were obstructed by meddlesome, micromanaging bosses. On the basis of that imaginary problem, they want future superintendents to enjoy even greater freedom from transparency and accountability. In short, we are again offered the promise that a miracle-worker superintendent will fix the schools — if left unaccountable.

The fictional superintendent as academic leader is periodically revived, because failed student achievement is a proxy for the real political issue: the control of school finances. The mayor, influential political and business leaders, and most city council members promote this imaginary superintendent, because they don't know — and don't want to know — how academic policies are made and implemented or how the DCPS central academic staff has long been a job trust for the well-connected. By promising us a miracle-worker “super superintendent,” they can shift governance talk away from academics to school finance, since their choice of superintendent, they assure us, will improve student achievement. That's how they absolve themselves of responsibility for failure. The Mayor and the Council (with business leaders' support) can take responsibility for academic improvement in the real DCPS by making the Council the primary, oversight body, statutorily responsible for confirming the appointment of the Superintendent and top academic officials and with full authority to review and approve all academic policies and programs prior to implementation and subject to periodic review. Examples of DCPS and Board failure explain why. The whole article is at http://www.dcpswatch.com/martel/040326.htm.

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

Heads Up
Ed T. Barron, edtb@aoldotcom

For those of you who have not yet mailed in your D.C. 2003 Income Tax return, be alert that the envelope provided by D.C. to mail in your return requires 49 cents postage, not 37 cents. The US Postal Service, with little public notification, has imposed a 12 cent surcharge on any non-letter sized envelope (even those that weigh less than one ounce). To avoid having your return sent back to you, put 49 cents postage on the envelope provided by the D.C. Tax and Revenue folks.

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

Illegally Parked Advertisements?
Julie Eisenhardt, jkeisenh at hotmail.com

OK, OK, so bear with me for a short story here. I'm biking home from work, though Columbus Circle, and there, sitting in my lane, is this God-awful giant ad/car/lit-up thing for Nissan, parked in a traffic lane, right next to a no parking sign. “Hmm," I think to myself, "I'm surprised nobody has called in this illegally and hazardously parked vehicle ad thing.” So I call 311 and report it, only to discover, “Oh, they have a special permit from the District to park that there.”

OK, so wait a minute here. I can get a permit to place a big ugly ad in a traffic lane, creating a hazard for bikers (and cars too, I suppose) in a historic district?? It leaves open a door to such beautiful ideas as giant inflatable Coke cans, or worse, let's just get a permit to park a billboard there.

What gives? The area between Union Station and the Capitol is ad-free, and for a reason. Why DC would give Nissan a permit to park that monstrosity is beyond me. But I'm going to find out who did this, how, and hope it never happens again. Meanwhile, I'd encourage my fellow Washingtonians to call either Councilmember Ambrose (if you're a fellow Ward 6-er) or your at-large friends and let them know that parking exceptions for advertisements are appalling.

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

The Artist’s Eye: Downtown Silver Spring
Jerry A. McCoy, sshistory@yahoo.com

A new page, titled “The Artist's Eye: Downtown Silver Spring,” has been recently added to the Silver Spring Historical Society's web site. Prior to Silver Spring's ongoing "revitalization," the Central Business District had a real Edward Hopper quality about it (or dare one say . . . a John Water's quality!). Unfortunately, it is now becoming rapidly homogenized and is beginning to take on the trappings of other planned commercial cores. Its uniqueness is rapidly fading.

A few artists have been inspired to document downtown Silver Spring's many memorable places and people. “The Artist's Eye: Downtown Silver Spring” will serve as a virtual art gallery for such works. If you would like to suggest a work of art, in any medium, that would be appropriate for inclusion in this gallery, please let us know. To tour the exhibit go to http://www.homestead.com/silverspringhistory/ArtistsEye.html. Please be patient in downloading the page as there are lots of great images!

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

Residential Parking Permits
John Henry Wheeler, zippytrash@att.net

Angela Powell is correct that in order to get a residential parking permit, the street in front of the building she lives in must be restricted to residential parking. Instead of just writing a letter to DMV requesting that it change her block to restrict it to zone parking, I recommend that she also get other residents of her building and the block to sign a petition making that request. Having the request come from many residents of the block (especially if most sign) will be much more effective. I've seen this work both for changing unrestricted blocks to zoned blocks, as well as for removing restrictions. Also find out who in the DC government is in charge of this. That person can tell you just what you should do to get the desired results.

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

Nosy Parkers
Mark Eckenwiler, themale at ingot.org

Angela Powell inquired in the last issue about DC's residential parking permit rules. A helpful summary is available online at http://ddot.dc.gov/ddot/lib/ddot/services/rpp/rpp_brochure.pdf, and the form at http://ddot.dc.gov/ddot/lib/ddot/services/rpp/rpp_petition.pdf can be used to petition for imposition of RPP restrictions on a given block. Note that a majority of the households on the block must endorse the change.

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

Klingle Fence Response
Peter McGee, Mt. Pleasant, peterm@lcsystems.com

Last week Larry Lesser asked about the chain link fences on Klingle Road. The fences are there for your protection. More than a decade of rampant neglect by our city government has led to the creation of many hazards in the Klingle valley, from fouled soil and water to a roadbed ruined with chasms and debris. The fenced areas are treacherous and unsafe, the ironic legacy of a self-serving scheme to appropriate our historic public road as a personal playground, and the myopic politics of special interest groups who can’t see the urban forest for a few dying old trees.

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

Browsing the Washington Post Online
Brian Vogel, vogelbp AT mail DOT com

This letter is both to assist and chastise Paul Penniman (themail, March 24. He writes about trying to browse The Post online: “I was asked a bunch of nosy questions before I was allowed to read any articles. I was assured that it was 'free and required.'” Is this really unreasonable? Newspapers (even with the transition to web versions) make their money by selling advertising based on the demographics of their readership. Those nosy questions, the last time I answered them, were three: 1) sex, 2) year of birth, and 3) Zip Code. There is no way this sort of information could be individually identifying, but it does give the basic demographic information. One is always free to lie, if one feels that necessary, on these online questionnaires. That may be reasonable when information that would make one personally identifiable is requested.

He follows with: “To make matters worse, I repeatedly answered every question (and honestly) and the site kept looping back, erasing my answers and asking me all over again.” This sounds very much like he has cookies disabled in his browser. The Post's website, like myriad others, creates a cookie noting that you've answered this information and it's not asked for again. If you've chosen to disable cookies, which is your right, this is expected behavior from many, many web sites. Free access (as in not requiring cash payment) typically requires the exchange of minimal demographic information. I personally think that the content of The Post is more than worth it. Others may differ.

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

CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS

DC Public Library Poetry Festival, April 3
Debra Truhart, debra.truhart@dc.gov

For the first time ever, the District of Columbia Public Library will put D.C. on the map in terms of National Poetry Month by hosting a citywide celebration of poetry of all kinds in our nation’s capital. Taking Poetry to the Street: a D.C. Public Library celebration will take place on Saturday, April 3, in front of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G Street, NW, between 9th and 10th Streets). The day long event is free and will offer a stunning variety of entertainment for all ages. Media personalities Kojo Nnamdi and Josephine Reed will be the masters of ceremonies. Guest speakers will include D.C. poet laureate Dolores Kendrick; E. Ethelbert Miller, author of Fathering Words and Where are the Love Poems for Dictators; and Tree Swenson, executive director of the Academy of American Poets.

Even the youngest attendants at the event will be able to enjoy the day’s activities. Scheduled events include poetry games, songs, and visits by both the beloved Mother Goose and well-known children book character Amelia Bedelia. Teens can participate in poetry slams, and entire families can attend a family workshop of poetry writing, all conducted by the D.C. WritersCorps. An art exhibit, a film series, jazz performances and indoor poetry readings round out the day. For more details about this D.C. Public Library event, call 727-1281.

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

National Building Museum Events, April 3, 4, 8
Brie Hensold, bhenhold@nbm.org

Saturday, April 3, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., construction watch tour of Eastern Village. The 60-unit, loft-style, co-housing development of Eastern Village in Silver Spring, Maryland, fosters community by allowing residents to own their own units, while sharing many common areas, such as a kitchen and workshop. Donald E. Tucker, principal of EDG Architects, will lead a tour of this project. $14 for museum members. Appropriate clothing required. Prepaid registration required and must be received by March 29.

Sunday, April 4, 1:00-2:30 p.m., the films of Charles and Ray Eames. Charles and Ray Eames created more than 75 films that reflect their broad design vision. Eight of these will be presented, including Powers of Ten, a look at scale and perception from the outer edges of the universe to a carbon atom. Free, registration not required.

Thursday, April 8, 7:30-9:00 p.m., Bernard Tschumi lecture. Bernard Tschumi explores the meaning of architecture in projects ranging from small residences to urban plans. Principal of the New York-based firm Bernard Tschumi Architects, he will discuss the firm's work, including Parc de la Villette in Paris, the New Acropolis Museum in Athens, and Columbia University's Lerner Hall. After the lecture, he will sign copies of his book Tschumi (Universe). This lecture complements the exhibition Envisioning Architecture, which features Tschumi's work. $12 Museum members and students; $17 nonmembers. Prepaid registration required.

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

Representative John Lewis at UDC, April 12
Joe Libertelli, jlibertelli@udc.edu

Please Join us for the 12th Annual Joseph L. Rauh, Jr., Lecture to be delivered by Congressman John Lewis at the UDC David A. Clarke School of Law, 4200 Connecticut Ave. NW, Building 38, 2nd Floor, on Monday, April 12. Reception at 6:00 p.m., lecture to follow; admission is free. RSVP to Delores Jackson, 274-7349, or Jlibertelli@udc.edu. Described as “One of the most courageous persons the Civil Rights Movement ever produced,” John Lewis has dedicated his life to protecting human rights, securing personal dignity and building what he calls “the beloved community.” Born the son of sharecroppers, he grew up on his family's farm and attended segregated public schools in Pike County, Alabama. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Religion and Philosophy from Fisk University; and he is a graduate of the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville, Tennessee.

As a student, Lewis organized sit-in demonstrations at segregated lunch counters in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1961, he joined the Freedom Rides, organized to challenge segregation at interstate bus terminals across the South, and was beaten severely by mobs for his participation. From 1963 to 1966, Lewis was the Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which he helped form. In 1964, he coordinated SNCC voters' registration drives and community action programs during the “Mississippi Freedom Summer.” The following year, he and Hosea Williams led over 600 marchers across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, who were attacked by state troopers in a confrontation that became known as "Bloody Sunday." That fateful march and a subsequent march between Selma and Montgomery, Alabama led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In 1977, John Lewis was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to direct more than 250,000 volunteers of ACTION, the federal volunteer agency. He was elected to the Atlanta City Council in 1981 and to Congress in November 1986, where he represents Georgia's Fifth Congressional District encompassing the entire city of Atlanta, and parts of adjacent counties. He is now in his ninth term.

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

CLASSIFIEDS — VOLUNTEERS

Taking Poetry to the Streets, April 3
Diane L. Mohr, diane.mohr@dc.gov

I am the volunteer coordinator for the event Taking Poetry to the Streets: a D.C. Public Library Celebration of Poetry, that will be held on Saturday April 3, at the Martin Luther King, Jr., Public Library, 901 G Street, NW. We are seeking volunteers to help with hospitality/logistics from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Shifts would last approximately two hours, and you will be assigned a variety of tasks as needed. These might include escorting speakers, monitoring equipment, providing directions, schedules or information about the program to customers and possibly cleanup tasks.

Events will take place outside on G Street and inside the MLK mail library building. We hope this experience will be lots of fun for you as well as informative and inspirational for all lovers of poetry! If you can't volunteer, please try to stop by and enjoy the day's events. To volunteer please contact me at diane.mohr@dc.gov.

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

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.