Rage Against the Cyclist

This morning I witnessed an all-too-common site: a motorist expressing anger at a cyclist. What was the cyclist doing? He was riding lawfully down the road, on the right side of the lane. The driver, and not just someone driving to work, she was driving a DC Public Schools School Bus, was in full rage, pumping her fist and white-eyed. Now, I suppose it's possible the cyclist may have made an illegal move that I didn't see, but if so, should a professional driver (in the presence of children) be expressing road rage on the job?

But as far as I could tell what was pissing off the city employee (trained in safety, I'm sure) was the mere presence of the cyclist on the road. "Get the hell off the road!" is the thought I'm sure was going through her head -- it's an attitude I experience every time I commute by bike to work.

"Share the road" applies to city employees. At least it should.

DC School's Bookkeeping Gets an "F"

From today's WashPo:

An independent audit of the D.C. government has found serious problems with the public school system's financial controls, alarming District officials who say that the city's fiscal health could be at risk if the lapses are not corrected.

Not good news for defenders of the status quo who oppose Mayor Fenty's efforts to take mayoral control over the schools precisely because of the continual mismanagement of the system's current management.

And what of the response of the school system? A serious avowal to fix the problem? Naw, it's the typical dodge knowledge and responsibility game, Buried at the end of the Post story:

But the biggest fireworks came when Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), head of the council's Finance and Revenue Committee, demanded that Janey and Bobb respond to the auditors' conclusions. Evans said the auditors told him that the school system was the worst department to deal with.

"The cooperation was not there," said Evans, who supports Fenty's plan. "They could barely audit your system."

Janey professed not to know about the auditors' concerns. "They have not come to me and given me the same conclusion," Janey said. "I heard differently."

This is why I'm supporting the Mayor on this one.

Fenty's Opponents: Defense of Status Quo

Foes of the mayor's plan to take over DC schools aren't getting much traction, according to today's Washpo:

...the response to community activists' efforts has been underwhelming, with empty seats outnumbering attendees at some forums.

Last month at Kelly Miller Middle School, for example, the D.C. group Parent Watch flew in five school activists from New York and Chicago to discuss the problems with mayoral control of schools. The group provided a free buffet and invited the community, but fewer than 20 people showed up in an auditorium designed for 10 times that number.

Perhaps it's because the only thing they're offering is the whimpering defense of the status quo and the selfish whine of the threatened entrenched. Or as DC Councilman Jack Evans says:

"A lot of people are making a lot of money on our system, and they do not want that system to change," Evans said. "If you start with a cynical point of view, what is the reason they do not want to change anything?"

Carol Schwartz's Flunking Plan for DC Schools

DC Councilwoman Carol Schwartz opposes Mayor Fenty's plan for a mayoral takeover for DC schools. She raises one argument against: the Mayor is too busy, she says.

Then she goes on to undermine her argument by saying that if the schools don't get any better the Council should go ahead and grant the takeover in three years. Presumably by 2010 Mayorlicious will have nothing to do other than run marathons and send text messages to admirers.

The DC school system -- as it stands -- had had its chance. Last fall, the DC School Board gave the superintendent -- already the highest paid DC public official -- a whopping bonus, even though the schools have not shown progress on any measurable standard. That, to me, was DC's education Katrina.

The Mayor still has to prove himself -- but the DC School system is already a known entity. And the status quo, or changes at the margins of the status quo, aren't enough for DC's kids.

Fenty Offers Council a Role in Running Schools

Why? I thought the whole point was to streamline decision making and be able to execute change faster? Already he proposes adding an executive agency that would oversee the system and superintendent, who is now to be called "chancellor." Allowing the council to hold hearings and pass legislation and lift its leg on everything? Why?

Oh, here's the answer, in today's Post story:

Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D) welcomed the prospect of additional power. He has sought a significant role in Fenty's plan, and he said the council is justified in taking on the new role. "We appreciate the line-item power, and I'm not afraid to exercise that authority," Gray said. "I don't have to be saved from myself."

This is a bone to the council chairman. It's all about the politics. Who cares if it's good for the kids?

Your Nation's Capital

The Post has a good graphic of DC.

Note two stats in particular: 395,926 registered voters -- 1.36 million parking tickets issued. The ONE thing the DC govt does most efficiently is issue tickets. The parking Nazi who patrols my 'hood has to be DC's most dedicated public servant. I see her every morning, right on time, writing tickets as I walk the dogs in the morning then again in the evening.

DC Schools

This fight will be good, if both sides in the debate go beyond who's in charge and talk specifics about what will be done to improve DC's miserable public schools.

I'm inclined to favor Fenty's mayoral takeover as I think something drastic needs to be done and putting the power and clout of the mayor's office behind school reform -- not to mention Fenty's political future -- seems to be the right step.