The New Teacher on the Block sums up Rhee’s testimony last week:

“So it boils down to this: Michelle Rhee intentionally and illegally fabricated a budget shortfall in order to fire teachers. Around the time of the RIF she blamed the City Council for the lack of funds, but all this shows that there was room and time for DCPS to make adjustments (not hiring 900 new folks?) to the system before a RIF became necessary.”

Dee Does the District has their own reaction to Rhee’s testimony:

“I don’t know whether to throw my laptop off my balcony or weep. I think instead I’ll just go to bed, speechless.”

Read More “Our Morning Roundup Shocker: Teachers Not Pleased With Rhee’s Testimony” »

DC Teacher Chic stresses about having to monitor at-risk students. A huge number of your colleagues just got canned. And you get to complain about your job on a blog. Maybe you should quit. Here’s what they wrote:

“I have the fortunate task of progress monitoring at least three-quarters of the students in my classroom. To progress monitor a student in the intermediate elementary school grades, the assessment takes approximately thirty minutes to complete. And here’s the cherry on this hot-mess sundae — for students identified as high-risk, I have to perform the assessments every two weeks and for the students identified as some-risk, I have to perform them every three-weeks. YIKES!”

Read More “Our Morning Roundup: Should Bloomingdale Become A Gated Community?” »

Dee Does The District doesn’t appreciate a sad bit of race baiting reported from the marathon hearing on the DCPS teacher layoffs.

Harry Potter and the Urban School Nightmare despairs over their students’ poor attendance. They write:

“Our school’s enrollment is down, and attendance is lower than I’ve ever seen it. When I first started at my school, I routinely had between 25 and 30 students in my class each day. Now, I’m lucky if I get 12. Today, less than half of my students were in class, and last week the average was 55%. Now, the kids who are there every day are learning like FIENDS, but at this rate 45% of my kids are going to fail. So what gives?”

Read More “Our Morning Roundup: DCPS Students Discover The Working Lunch” »

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McKinley Technology High School lost 15 staff members on Oct. 3 to controversial “reductions in force,” an effort by Chancellor Michelle Rhee to fix what she says is a budget deficit in District schools. The teachers were escorted out of the school by police, as if they posed a danger to their pupils. Students were angered, and hundreds of them left school to denounce the moves, garnering the attention of the media, teachers advocates, and the D.C. Council.

Over a week later, the episode still casts its shadow at McKinley. “The whole atmosphere totally changed,” according to senior Jessy Beach, an organizer of the protests. “You can sense the dreariness,” says Kyler Jackson, a sophomore. “Overall, it’s just very gloomy,” says senior Ikechukwu Umez-Eronini.

Read More “Students: Post-RIF McKinley High School “Dreary”” »

Dee Does the District believes last week’s protest will have no effect on Rhee’s hold on DCPS:

“The City Council uses only rhetoric to denounce the pairs’ actions; remember when Vincent Gray caved and restored the school funding he originally cut? The Washington Teachers Union has been utterly useless in the struggle between 825 and teachers’ rights; George Parker continues to cancel meetings and overall, has not been proactive in addressing the layoffs. With the Mayor’s reelection looming within a year, there are no candidates that pose a serious threat to him. And while the protests and sit-ins are a start, I seriously doubt Chancellor Rhee or Mayor….o until someone with a better vision and a stronger hand comes along, I think Chancellor Rhee is here to stay, despite what you think of her.”

Read More “Our Morning Roundup: What’s On Your Agenda?” »

Prince of Petworth posts on the effort/petition to save the Black Rooster. One reader’s response:  “i LOVE the black rooster. if the peace corps really closes it down…i just…i might just not go to happy hour anymore, ever, anywhere. and that would make me terribly sad. save the rooster!”

Penn Quarter Living debuts a new column called High Rise Life. The first one is on elevator etiquette. It’s not so much a column as bad comment bait of which I am sometimes guilty of. Here’s a sampling from PQL’s rookie effort on sharing an elevator: “Fob in and offer to push buttons or don’t offer and make sure others belong in the building? Remind neighbors that bicycles and their owners usually ride the freight elevator or zip it? Heel your dog or let him/her sniff around and be friendly? What is good neighborly elevator etiquette?” Fascinating.

Read More “Our Morning Roundup: A Metrobus Strikes Again” »

Some security guards charged with protecting D.C. schools neglected to show up this morning. Maybe that’s because they were unlikely to get paid.

After all, their employer, Hawk One Security, folded yesterday afternoon. The business provided about 300 guards to D.C. schools.

Education insider and activist Robert Brannum , who last night posted to a Listserv warning DC residents the security guards would be absent today, says via e-mail that he got a call last night, telling him the company was imploding. “Hawk One employees were advised not to report to work because there was not a contract.” he writes.

The Washington Post says the company’s going belly-up is no surprise:

“Hawk One had recently lost a lucrative contract to provide security at District government buildings. It also owes the Internal Revenue Service $4 million in taxes and penalties, records show. The company was also having trouble paying its employees. Hawk One officials said earlier this week that untimely payment from the city was the reason for the payment troubles.”

Preventing any Lord-of-the-Flies scenarios, the D.C. police department has moved in to take up the slack as far as DCPS security is concerned. It has also, according to a recent release from the mayor’s office, already hired two brand new contractors to protect D.C. schools.

Frozen Tropics reports that the H Street Festival almost didn’t happen. Why? Because of one NIMBY who thought the festival permits might not have been in total compliance. The blogger calls out the NIMBY by name:

“For a few hours there it actually looked like Bobby Pittman (a well known local gadfly) might be able to stop the Festival through last minute bureaucratic tie ups (NB, [nothing] is wrong with checking signatures, but this was a dirty Bobby move at the last minute). In the end Bobby did not get his way, and the Mayor’s office allowed the Festival to proceed. But I’d like to send out a personal Evil Eye to Bobby on this one.  If you really hate seeing all this great stuff on H Street, maybe you should just move dude. Bobby, you have gone on some Don Quixotesque crusade of harassing local businesses (including, but not even close to limited to: Rock and Roll Hotel, the Pug, and the Atlas Performing Arts Center [!]). Aside from the one time I saw you planting flowers on H Street, acting as the PSA 102 Coordinator, and a few other very isolated incidents, I’ve yet to see you do anything to positively contribute to life on the H Street Corridor, or on Linden. It’s one thing to want the laws enforced, and to want good neighbors (both admirable qualities and pursuits). But what you are doing is unacceptable in my opinion, and I hope that others who agree will tell you so to your face. I certainly intend to do so the next time I see you. Until then, Evil Eye to you Pittman.”

Read More “Our Morning Roundup: NIMBYS Almost Ruin Everything” »

On this anniversary weekend of the Dunbar/Fort Hill debacle, it’s about time to call for an investigation of Michelle Rhee for her handling of the racial slur allegations made by Dunbar coach Craig Jefferies a year ago.

DCPS, the agency she lords over, has impeded every attempt to find out what really happened on that Allegany County football field last Sept. 19, 2008.

At least, that’s what school officials in Allegany County and Maryland athletic overseers say about Rhee’s handling of the matter.

Rhee won’t say anything. So why not believe everybody else?

(AFTER THE JUMP: Why didn’t Michelle Rhee cooperate in the Dunbar/Fort Hill investigations? Why won’t Michelle Rhee explain why she didn’t cooperate in the Dunbar/Fort Hill investigations? How did we reach a point where Michelle Rhee feels she doesn’t have to explain why she didn’t cooperate in the Dunbar/Fort Hill investigations? Redskins fans are racist? Dinosaurs and Indiana and preseason hockey trump postseason Mystics? )

Read More “Cheap Seats Daily: What Does Michelle Rhee Know About Dunbar/Fort Hill, and When Did She Know It?” »

Frozen Tropics has more info on the recent mugging of Capital City Diner’s owners. The owners post their own account here. As many of you know by now, the two claimed they were robbed while walking home on Bladensburg Road NE. This is just a small excerpt from their account (you really should read the entirety of their post):

“We were walking down the street, passed by a group of 4-5 young people (one in a wheelchair), one of which asked if we had any money.  After we passed about 10-15 feet, he quickly approached us, presented what appeared to be a sawed-off shotgun in his pants, and then demanded money from us.  Two of us handed over some money and they fled up L St NE toward Carver/Langston.  911 was called immediately after, but it took some time for a respose and thus the police couldn’t locate them.

It also took a lot of effort to get interviewed by the police.  Frustrated with the slow response, we continued walking home, as the police had Matt’s cell number from when he called.  As we reach home, the police dispatcher calls back, asks for our current location, and Matt gives her the address, which she is heard relaying to the police unit (Trinidad 1) responding to our call.”

They finally flag down a detective nearby. But the detective is not interested in filing a report (emphasis added):

“Unfortunately, the detective tried repeatedly to convice Matt out of making a report.  He stated that a robbery hadn’t occurred since Matt “gave up the money” willingly and the suspect didn’t actually reach into Matt’s pockets to steal the money (Matt handed him the robber money when asked for it).  Matt recounted that DC code doesn’t require that a robbery physically touch someone, and that someone using fear (even without a weapon displayed) to take something is considered robbery.”

Read More “Our Morning Roundup: Policing Indifference” »

Georgetown Metropolitan reports that JFK’s first house in Georgetown is up for sale: “From 1947 to 1949, then Congressmen John Kennedy lived at 1528 31st. St. with his sister Eunice Kennedy. Most recently it has been the home of Republican Whip Roy Blunt. He has announced that he’s running for Senate in Missouri next year, so perhaps this sale is part of that effort. It is listed for $1.595 million by neighbor Nancy Taylor Bubes of Washington Fine Properties.”

Ward 3DC takes on the traffic calming debate, speed bumps, etc.: “The issue of traffic calming seems to have reared its head again in the Ward. Earlier this spring, there was consternation when speed humps were installed on Newark Street in Cleveland Park without ANC or community discussion.”

Frozen Tropics reports that construction work has begun on a German-themed beer joint on H Street. Is H Street becoming the Epcot of D.C.? The blog writes: “Expect about 12 beers on tap, and a full menu of German staples.”

Read More “Our Morning Roundup: How Well Do The Police Respond The Day After A Shooting?” »

As much local politics as humanly possible. Send your tips, releases, stories, events, etc. to lips@washingtoncitypaper.com. And get LL Daily sent straight to your inbox every morning!

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT—”Jack Evans Says He Still Supports Peter Nickles,” “Councilmember Alexander Raises Concerns Over AG Nickles.”

Morning all. Last night may have been National Night Out but for Mayor Fenty, it’s Greek Week. WaPo breaks the stunning news that the District government actually paid the $37,000 tab for his Kappa Alpha Psi’s welcoming party. The bash was held on Monday night and featured an open bar, crab cakes, red velvet cupcakes, and jazz bands tooting on two floors. The Post makes no mention of beer bongs and togas. The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development had put out the dough via a grant. AG Peter Nickles apparently has forced Fenty and Co. to reimburse the city for the shindig. But Nickles swears Fenty knew nothing about the city’s involvement. Key graphs:

“Attorney General Peter J. Nickles said he looked into the matter Tuesday morning at the request of the mayor. ‘I concluded immediately that this was not proper,’ said Nickles, who said the society reimbursed the money that morning.

Although the mayor attended the affair and was on stage as fraternity members thanked him for paying for the event, ‘he didn’t put two and two together that this was money that had come from the city,’ Nickles said.”

SEX ED NEWS: The District plans to expand its STD testing program into all public high schools. WaPo has the full story on this progressive move. There are plenty of reasons to do this. Key graphs: “The program conducted last year at eight high schools found that 13 percent of about 3,000 students tested positive for an STD, mostly gonorrhea or chlamydia, according to the D.C. Department of Health. The expansion places D.C. public schools in the vanguard of a growing number of urban school districts that test adolescents for STDs. About 12,000 students attend public high schools in the District.” The news came within hours of DC Appleseed releasing its report card on how the District is dealing with the HIV/AIDS crisis (for public education, the District received a C+). WaPo covers the DC Appleseed’s findings noting the overall positive scores: “But the report took Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) to task for failing to give the disease more visibility. ‘While Mayor Fenty and his administration deserve recognition for the continued support of . . . numerous HAA initiatives, his public appearances and statements about the epidemic have fallen short of his enthusiasm for action inside the government,’ it said.”

THE NEW YORK TIMES IS ON OUR SIDE: The paper’s editorial board comes down hard against Congress and its attempts to meddle in our needle exchange program. The editorial dubbed the meddling an “outrage.”

NATIONAL NIGHT OUT: As we mentioned above, National Night Out happened. This meant another All-Hands-On-Deck effort from the D.C. Police Department. Police visibility was high! But News Channel 8 reports that the District still endured at least one violent incident. Three people were injured during a shooting in Southeast shortly after 10 p.m. News Channel 8 reports: “Fire officials say two 38-year-old women and a 17-year-old boy have each been shot in the leg.”

AFTER THE JUMP: A power outage, more Metro news, Harry Jaffe pens a quick profile of the judge in the Pershing Park case, and much, much more.

Read More “Paying For Fenty’s Frat Party: Loose Lips Daily” »

Good Morning, City Desk Readers!  The big news today is presidential, of course, but poor Barack Obama got usurped on his birthday by America’s other First Black President.  Bill Clinton is receiving all the accolades today after his trip to North Korea, where he met with President Kim Jung Il and helped negotiate the pardoning and release of the two Current TV reporters who were captured near the Chinese border in March.

• While President Clinton’s trip was described as a private humanitarian mission before he left for Pyongyang, the Washington Post is reporting that both Clintons played an integral role in planning the trip.  The State Department was reportedly negotiating with the North Koreans for weeks and Bill only left the U.S. after repeated assurances that Laura Ling and Euna Lee would be released.  Regardless, it’s good news for embedded journalists.

• In worse news for journalists, MSNBC is now admitting that they erred by not revealing that former Newsweek reporter Richard Wolffe is now working as a strategist for the public affairs firm Public Strategies, Inc. Since his book Renegade, detailing the rise of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, hit the best-seller lists, MSNBC has been showing off Wolffe like a prize, having him fill in for Keith Olbermann on Countdown as recently as last Friday. However, his close ties to the Obama administration (like those private meetings with David Axelrod) and his work at Public Strategies have resulted in major conflicts of interest.  Luckily, he’s already got his next Obama book all lined up. Read More “Our Morning Roundup: Save the Journalists Edition” »

As much local politics as humanly possible. Send your tips, releases, stories, events, etc. to lips@washingtoncitypaper.com. And get LL Daily sent straight to your inbox every morning!

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT—”Pershing Park Case: Now It’s All About The Coverup; Nickles Faces Huge Test In U.S. District Court,” and “Councilmember Cheh Calls For Nickles To Resign.”

Morning all. LL has biked to Dewey Beach leaving me to takeover the LL Daily franchise for a week. LL was kind enough to e-mail me a handy rundown of what he does to fuel this beast. I am no LL. So please, take it easy on me. It’s also August.

Mayor Fenty was involved in a car accident on Sunday evening. Thankfully, he wasn’t driving his Le Car. Fox is reporting that “No injuries were reported in the crash on Broad Branch Road in northwest Washington. A spokeswoman for Fenty says he was behind the wheel of a sport utility vehicle when another vehicle apparently went through a stop sign and pulled in front of the mayor’s SUV. There was minor damage to the vehicles.” (WTOP has same).

Columbia Heights is again the focus of a potentially controversial shooting. WJLA is reporting that a Special Police Officer (i.e. a private security guard) shot and killed a resident during a confrontation on Friday night. WUSA9 is also on the story. The D.C. Police Department has issued more info on the shooting via a press release:

“At approximately 9:06 pm on Friday, July 31, 2009, officers from the Third District responded to the 1400 block of Girard Street, NW, to investigate the report of a shooting. Upon arrival they discovered an adult male lying in front of a building at that location suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. The victim was transported by personnel from the DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The decedent in this case has been identified as 31-year-old Michael Dwayne Parker of the 4000 block of Livingston Road, SE.

A preliminary investigation into this case indicates that the decedent may have been fatally shot at the above location during an alleged confrontation with a Special Police Officer employed by a private company. It must be noted that all of the circumstances surrounding this case remain under active investigation and that all facts will be subsequently presented to the United States Attorney’s Office for their review.”

Last week, the D.C. Council gave its OK on that huge hotel development near the Convention Center. The Post offers a fine rundown of the development’s lengthy backstory and its major selling point—that it may revive Shaw. Key graph: “The hotel, promised when the District broke ground on the convention center in 1998, will stretch more than 1 million square feet at Ninth Street and Massachusetts Avenue NW. It will rise 14 stories, a mix of modern glass and steel and brick dating to 1916 in a design that incorporates the old headquarters of the American Federation of Labor, a landmark building on the otherwise vacant property.” Honestly, how many major projects does it take to develop Shaw? Not sure if a big shiny hotel is it.

The D.C. Council also voted to increase unemployment benefits (Washington Business Journal, WTOP , WJLA, NC8).

Hope and change remain the main narratives on the education front. The Post’s Bill Turque breaks down the different groups taking over a number of District public schools this coming year. NYC’s Friends of Bedford is set to takeover Coolidge and Dunbar. Friendship Public Charter Schools is taking over Anacostia High. Key graph: “Experts say one of the lessons learned is that starting a school from scratch is usually easier than taking control of an existing one, where political feuds, bureaucratic inertia and scar tissue from past reform attempts can make change difficult.” And then there’s this: “Friendship and Friends of Bedford will face that challenge at Anacostia, Dunbar and Coolidge. Although they have autonomy on matters of curriculum, instruction and teacher professional development, the schools’ staff.” Meanwhile, the Post reports that MOCO expanded its summer school programming.

AFTER THE JUMP: More Fedex Field controversy this time over this past Saturday’s Paul McCartney show, an upcoming hearing is scheduled over the fire hydrant-water-flow issues, and so much more!

Read More “Mystery Shooting In Columbia Heights: Loose Lips Daily” »

(Life) Lessons And Tests From A First-Year Teacher is confused about what to do when a student bites them: “Today i was bit by one of my students…it was sort of inevitable, but damn, hurt nonetheless. and with the classroom not being my own, with few structures in place, i’m not quite sure what to do about it–i’m not sure that the teacher even knew it happened; i didn’t want to make it even worse (he wound up biting someone higher up on the pecking order of the summer institute right after, so that sparked a lot of attention)…”

Read More “Our Morning Roundup: Where Is Pickles?” »