Advisory Neighborhood
Commission 6B
Minutes of Regular
ANC Meeting
December 12, 2006
Commissioners
Present:
Commissioners Absent: Sandra Brown Thomas, and Mary Wright
Chairperson Scott Cernich chaired the meeting and the Commissioners introduced themselves.
There was a quorum for conducting business.
Adoption of Agenda
The Chair asked the Commissioners if there were any additions to the agenda. Commissioner Jarboe stated he would like to add a financial item and the second is to ratify or not ratify the recommendations that were made at the Special Called Executive Committee Meeting regarding BZA Case # 17537, 740 13th Street, SE.
The Chair then moved that the Commission adopt the agenda as amended by Commissioner Jarboe. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Hill. The Chair asked if there was any opposition. Hearing none, the Chair stated that the agenda was adopted as amended.
Community Speakout
Ms. Kaye Pyle who lives at
Ms. Pyle stated the alley is concrete along the sides and has pressed-pebbles/asphalt-concrete “cobblestones” in the center part. Near her home the concrete has cracked and the “cobblestones” have sunk leaving an uneven surface. In the past, the city has twice patched the center with asphalt, but within six (6) months the asphalt has deteriorated leaving large areas several inches deep where rainwater collects and when it dries it leaves asphalt dust, fine pieces of rocks and other construction material in the alley that invades their homes.
Ms. Pyle stated that she has spoken with the city and have had a sympathetic response from Christopher Delfs, Ward 6 planner for DDOT. According to Mr. Delfs, because it is an historic District, the city plans to reconstruct the alley using brick, but it is not on the schedule to be worked at this time. Therefore, she is requesting the Commission’s assistance and support in asking DDOT to place her alley on the schedule for renovation in the near future.
The Chair stated that he would be happy to recommend to the Commission that a letter be submitted to DDOT in support of her request. However, he did warn her that he thought the letter was not going to help move her project along very quickly. The Chair went on to say that DDOT tends to usually keep their schedules regarding alley renovations.
Commissioner Garrison asked if there was a general DDOT schedule for alley renovations.
Commissioner Campbell responded that there is one and it is usually set a year or two years in advance. He also stated that if a location is not yet on the schedule it is not likely to be added because the schedule is based upon a budget of projects to be completed.
Both Commissioner Olson and Campbell stated that their sidewalks have been on the list for several years without any action.
Commissioner Garrison asked if it would be advisable for the Commission to request someone from the Office of Planning to come before the Commission and make a presentation about the specifics of the process for administration of alleys.
Commissioner Campbell stated that in his conversation with Chris Deft, the DDOT representative, it is DDOT policy that if there is a request for someone to be placed on the list, the requester must in-turn request that someone already on the list be removed to balance it out. This poses a major problem because as stated earlier, some locations have been on the list for many years and you would be required to find justification to remove them from the list, which is very difficult to accomplish. He went on to say that it would not hurt to send the letter, but he does not think it will have any impact on their decision.
Commissioner Olson agreed that it would not hurt for the Commission to send a letter therefore she would be in support of sending such a letter.
Commissioner Jarboe stated that he would not have any objection to requesting DDOT to place her alley on the schedule. However, he does have a problem because there are the other requests that have been in for sometime that need to have some action as well and he is sure there are other alleys in worst shape. Commissioner Jarboe stated he would not have any problem with writing a letter of support requesting that Ms. Pyle’s alley be added to the schedule and also requesting that a DDOT representative come and explain what is on the schedule and what has happened to the other items that have been sitting on the schedule for so many years.
The Chair made the motion that the Commission send a letter of support to DDOT and/or Office of Planning as appropriate, that Ms. Pyles’ alley, 600 block of A Street, SE, be placed on the list (schedule) for renovation and requesting that a representative from DDOT come and provide an update on projects in ANC 6B already on the schedule. The motion was seconded by Commission Garrison. The Chair then asked all in favor to raise their hands. The vote was unanimous (8-0).
Ms. Susan Lose, who lives in the unit block of
Commissioner Jarboe asked Ms. Lose if she was seeking a 4-way stop. She responded that she was told that she will need a study before she could get the 4-way stop, but in the end it is the 4-way stop that she is seeking. Commissioner Jarboe then made the suggestion that the Commission consider writing a letter of support for a traffic calming study for a 4-stop, which would ensure that the end objective is taken into consideration.
The Chair then made the motion that the Commission write a
letter of support to DDOT to conduct a traffic study for 4-way stops at the
intersection of
Community and
Commission Announcements
Commissioner Campbell stated he has someone attending
Commissioner
Glick announced that he wanted to recognize three (3) young members of the
Capitol Community who are present to study democracy in action as part of their
Boys Scout Merit Badge Program. The
three boys were: Nick Hulse (7th grade at St. Peter's interparish school), Andy
Woodhull (same), and Nick Eckenweiler (freshman at
The Commissioners welcomed the young men and congratulated them for taking time to learn about community governance.
Commissioner Olson stated that this would be Commissioner Cernich’s last meeting with the Commission and she wanted to thank him for being the Chair for two years and all the hard work associated with the position.
Commissioner Cernich thanked everyone and stated it had been his honor and pleasure to serve and that he could not have done his job without the hard work and support of the other Commissioners and he was glad to have had the opportunity to serve the community.
Presentations
2nd Annual National Marathon – Chris Browne, Director of Sports Initiatives for the Greater Washington Sports Alliance made a presentation to the Commissioners and community regarding their 2nd annual marathon. Mr. Browne stated the purpose of the event is to raise funds for local youth investment organizations and to create a civic tradition. The marathon will be held on March 24, 2007, starting at 7:00 am and ending at 1:30 pm. The event is being held on a Saturday in order to minimize the conflicts with community worship services. The field of participants is limited to a total of 5,000. The full marathon course will cover 26.2 miles and the half marathon is 13.1 miles, and to qualify the participant must have a time of under 5 hours. The course and finish line clean-up will be provided by Goodwill Industries. Mr. Browne provided each Commissioner with a brochure that detailed the race route and additional information.
Commissioner Jarboe told Mr. Browne that he wanted to commend him and his organization for the outstand job they did last year with the race. He stated the race past his home and when he looked outside that morning he was very pleased to see how well and quickly his street had been cleaned after the racers had passed.
Mr. Browne thanked Commissioner Jarboe for his supportive words and reminded everyone that if they have any problems with next year’s race to please contact his office and they will make every effort to correct them.
Commissioner Russell stated that it would be nice in the future if they would inform the Commission of date they are planning to hold the next race.
Mr. Browne stated that in the future they will provide the Commission with future dates prior to coming before the Commission to ask for support.
Commissioner Jarboe made the motion that the Commission support the 2nd Annual National Marathon. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Russell. The Chair asked all in favor of the motion to raise their hands. The vote was unanimous (7-0).
Committee reports
and announcements
The Chair stated the Commission would consider the Executive
Committee’s recommendation regarding
Planning and Zoning Committee Meeting
December 5, 2006
Regarding BZA case # 17537, 740 13th Street, S.E., the Planning and Zoning Committee met on to hear additional information from the applicant and the neighbors concerning a number of issues, including 1) whether a variance is required for the top story, 2) whether the addition negatively impacts air and light of the neighbors and 3) whether a variance is needed for the side courts.
The applicant presented measurements that indicated the height of the ceiling above grade of the basement is less than four feet, thus he argued that the basement should be classified as a cellar and thus was not a story. The neighbors presented a measurement showing the height to be over 4 feet. The difference is based on where the measurement was taken. The applicant’s measurement was at the front of the porch. The neighbor’s measurement was taken at the building, essentially at the front door. The Committee believes that because the porch slopes down from the first floor and that the area below the porch is a crawl space, not the basement, thus the proper place to measure the height of the ceiling is at the face of the building ( the location where the neighbor’s measurement was taken).
On the issue of air and light, the neighbors testified that the addition would have a significant impact. They presented a photo showing a view of what the finished addition would look like and argued that the addition would create an enclosed courtyard effect, given the construction of the Jenkins Row development immediately to the rear of their property. A letter from the next-door neighbor (738 13th) was read in which he stated his strong objection to the addition.
Concerning the side courts, the concern is that the walls of the addition are set back slightly (less than a foot) from the property line. Applicant stated that he would fill in this area with a second exterior wall, thereby eliminating the side courts.
Based on that discussion, the Committee (by a vote of 4-0) recommends that the Commission reconsider its vote to take no action regarding the special exception portion of the application that was rendered at the Full ANC meeting on November 14, 2006. Additionally, the Committee recommends that the Commission do the following:
In the event that the BZA approves the applications, despite the ANC’s objections, the Committee would recommend no action on the issue of the side courts as the applicant would correct the problem through modified construction.
The Chair then asked Commissioner Russell to read the report of the Executive Call Committee, which follows:
At a Special Called Executive Committee meeting and properly noticed meeting on December 11, 2006, with a quorum present, the Planning and Zoning Report of December 5, 2007, was presented to the Executive Committee.
After reviewing the Report, the Chair made the motion for a friendly-amendment to change the language of the final paragraph of the report from “The Committee recommends no action on the side courts, as the applicant will correct the problem through modified construction.” to read “In the even that the BZA approves the applications, despite the ANC’s objections, the Committee would recommend no action on the issue of the side courts, as the applicant would correct the problem through modified construction.” The motion was seconded by Commissioner Russell. The Chair then asked all in favor of the motion to raise their hands. The vote by the Executive Committee was unanimous (5-0).
The chair then made the motion to support the Committee’s report as amended. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Hill. The Chair then asked all in favor of the motion to raise their hands. The vote was unanimous (5-0).
The Chair stated this was a case the Commission had discussed at its last meeting regarding an illegal construction case that was finally referred to BZA for a variance to add an extra story and a special exception to exceed lot occupancy. He stated that the Planning and Zoning Committee had previously voted to oppose the application and the Executive Committee ratified that decision. The Chair stated that Commissioner Jarboe had attended the BZA meeting this morning to represent the Commission regarding the case. Because of the timing of the BZA hearing, the Executive Committee had to meet in order to voice the Commission’s opinion regarding the case. Therefore, the Commission needs to ratify or overrule the Executive Committee’s recommendations.
Commissioner Jarboe stated that he originally supported the special exception but after hearing the testimony that was given at the Planning and Zoning Committee meeting earlier in this month, he agrees with the Planning and Zoning Committee Report that the Commission should oppose the special exception. He went on to say that after seeing the neighbors’ drawings of how high the structure would go over their backyard, he changed his mind on the issue.
The Chair made the motion that the Commission ratify the Executive Commission’s decision in this matter. Commissioner Garrison seconded the motion. The Chair then asked all in favor of the motion to raise their hands. The vote was unanimous (7-0).
Commissioner Campbell reminded Commissioner Jarboe that, at the Planning and Zoning Committee meeting, there was some discussion regarding as to where the basement started and where the front of the building started. He wanted to know if the decision was from where the porch was or from where the first story started. Commissioner Jarboe responded that their argument was that the regulations states you measure from the front of the building. The question was, why is it that the front of the porch not the front to the building. He reminded everyone that the porch in this case sloped down and grade was the same around the porch, but the actual porch sloped down. Commissioner Olson offered that there was also a step up to enter the house.
Commissioner Russell stated that the front of the building can act as a porch in the historic district and can be decapitated, which means it can be a part of the actual structure of the building. Commissioner Jarboe agreed with her and further stated he had argued the same point, but Zoning came back and said “but it counts in the building lot occupancy doesn’t it” and he responded that he did not know. Commissioner Jarboe further stated that on Capitol Hill there are problems in identifying where the front of the house is in those situations where buildings have bays. He stated that bays actually project out but they don’t count as lot occupancy.
Commissioner Olson asked Commissioner Jarboe if it was pointed out that the project started out as “illegal construction?” Commissioner Jarboe responded that it was pointed but he was reminded that that was not a part of the BZA’s review. He did point out that the drawings were not the drawings of what the applicant was actually building. Therefore one of the things that BZA will be requiring of the applicant is a complete set of new drawings, which will show what he is actually proposing. He reminded everyone that the drawings that were reviewed with the Commission were not what was actually in the ground and are not actually what he is asking the relief. He went on to say that if the applicant actually built what was in the drawings he would not need the relief because he would be within the permitted lot occupancy. Additionally, Commissioner Jarboe pointed out to the BZA that the incorrect drawings were submitted for permits after the applicant had already begun to build the addition. Therefore, the applicant never submitted a request for permits for what he was actually doing. He went on to say that this is a case that the Commission has to bring to DCRA’s attention again. Because when DCRA realized that the drawings were not what he was actually building, they should not have been looking at the drawings. Once the applicant provides the Commission with copies of the actual drawings, the Commission can take them to DCRA for their review.
Approval of
November Minutes
The Chair asked if the Commissioners had had an opportunity to review the minutes. The response was that they had. He asked if there were any corrections to the minutes. Commissioner Russell stated that under community speakout, the fourth paragraph, first sentence, were it reads “hold a” it should be “will be holding a.” The Chair then moved that the Commission approve the November minutes as corrected. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Olson. The Chair asked all in favor of the motion to raise their hands. The vote was unanimous (8-0).
Financial Report
Commissioner Jarboe stated that he had two financial items to discuss. The first is that the Commission received a memo dated December 8th from the Auditor releasing the Commission’s next allocation. This means the auditors reviewed the 3rd Quarter Financial Report and are releasing the Commission’s 1st Quarter FY2007 allocation. He went on to say that they are releasing it now because Congress has adjourned with Continuing Resolution, which includes the DC Budget. Therefore, the City now has the authority to spend FY2007 money. He pointed out that the Continuing Resolution Congress is likely to approve will run the entire year. He is not sure how this will affect the Commission’s budget allocation, but he doesn’t think the CR will cut funds for the ANCs because these funds are local money, not federal. Commissioner Jarboe thinks he will know how much there is in the allocation shortly and he hopes to come back with a revised budget at either the January or February meeting regarding exactly what the total allocation will be.
The second item is that at the Executive Committee meeting it was decided that because the Executive Director has done such an outstanding job during the past year, the Executive Committee recommends a $500.00 end of the year bonus for the Executive Director. Commissioner Jarboe stated this action comes as a motion and thus he moves the action.
The Chair then asked all in favor of the motion to raise their hands. The vote was unanimous (8-0).
Commissioner Jarboe then stated that as part of the review of the budget for next year, the Commission will also be looking at a possible salary increase for the Executive Director. He went on to say that the salary in the budget for FY2007 is exactly the same as FY2006, so there is no raise built into the originally proposed budget. Once the new budget from the Auditors is available, the Commission can figure out exactly whether it can afford a raise for the Executive Director’s salary and, if so, what the raise will be.
Commissioner Garrison mentioned that he would like to see funds added into the budget for the purchase of additional software to convert documents into a more universally readable format, possibly Adobe.
Commissioner Cernich recommended that the Commission authorize the expenditures of $400.00 for the purchase of such software.
Commissioner Jarboe stated that he would recommend that the Commission task the Executive Director to investigate what would be the most economical and effective way of accomplishing the document transfer function and report back his findings at the next Executive Committee meeting.
Commissioner Campbell asked if the Commission would need to approve the purchase of new business cards for Commissioners because he and Commissioner Russell are current out of cards and the new Commissioner will need cards. Commissioner Garrison stated that he also needed cards.
Commissioner Jarboe made the recommendation that the
Commissioner (Secretary) Olson and
The Chair announced that Mr. Daniel Ostergaard will be the new Commissioner who will be taking his place as the representative of SMD 6B-04.
The Chair announced that Mayor-Elect Fenty was now present and invited him to speak.
Mayor-Elect Fenty thanked the Commission for the opportunity to speak with the group. He stated that in the past he was the Commissioner of 4C-03 and he had a real appreciation for all the hard work that goes into representing the community and he was sure the community appreciated the efforts also. He went on to say that the City Councilpersons have an opportunity to work with some outstanding ANC Commissioners to help improve our communities and he is looking forward to having the same collaborative relationships when he is sworn-in as Mayor in January.
Mr. Fenty briefly talked about the many challenges the City faces and his excitement about working with the entire community to meet those challenges. He invited the community and ANC Commissioners to please keep him informed of matters that would help him direct the improvement of our City.
Commissioner Jarboe asked Mr. Fenty if he would look at the backside of the DCRA process for making improvement. He went on to say that the Commission had just finished discussing a building issue and the problem was not in the permitting side, but with the enforcement side. It is where you have illegal construction and the people downtown are so busy they can’t come out and inspect the jobs and when they do come out to inspect they look at small piece of the project and not the total project. Commissioner Jarboe mentioned that the Commission has been dealing with a case over several months where a person got permits but the project was already larger and in the ground than what the project’s drawings showed. So the inspector did not catch the problem because no one takes the drawings out and inspect against them. Commissioner Jarboe further stated that in the case he mentioned, the person was actually using inaccurate drawings and was not caught until after the fact. Commissioner Jarboe stated that self-certification is fine, but if you must have certification, enforcement on the backend is the key to achieving compliance.
Mr. Fenty thanked Commissioner Jarboe and stated he will definitely look into it. Mr. Fenty went on to say that he had visited the Permit Office and he is in the process of instituting some very high standards to make sure they upgrade personnel, put more frontline resources in to make sure they get the inspections done, not only in a timely way but also according to the law.
Commissioner Campbell mentioned a construction situation in his neighborhood where the permit was for a fence, which turned into a garage, which turned into side windows on the structure. Side windows are not legal. Commissioner Campbell further stated that when DCRA come out to inspect, after the fact, they did not see a problem because that the construction was completed. The point is that the construction should have been prevented while it was taking place, but no inspector come out to inspect what the permit was for until it was too late. Beside that fact, the original permit was lost (not in the file). Thus, there are no corrective methods to solve situations like this.
Mr. Fenty responded that the situation was unacceptable.
Commissioner Cernich stated that if the City would publicize teardowns, where someone has constructed something illegally, it would demonstrate that there is actual enforcement of construction regulations because to-date the Commission has yet to see any enforcement.
Commissioner Jarboe added that the Commission keeps hearing from each new director that he is looking for something to demonstrate how serious they are about taking enforcement action and their willingness to teardown such illegal construction, but nothing ever happens.
Mr. Fenty stated he does know of one situation they are currently in negotiations with and it may become city-wide, but he is not at time able to disclose who it is.
Commissioner Hill mentioned that there is a problem with weekend construction taking place. Commissioner Hill further stated that most illegal construction is started over the weekend because the builder/owners know that the inspectors will not be out there during that time period.
Commissioner Russell asked if the hours for construction over the weekend were 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Saturdays. The reply was that Saturday construction was okay, but not on Sunday.
Mr. Fenty asked if it was true that inspectors do not work on Sundays.
The Commissioners all responded that they have not seen any inspectors over the weekend inspecting projects.
Mr. Fenty stated that he would check to see if this was the case or not.
Commissioner Campbell voiced his concern with the people in the Special Education Department and their inability, historically and presently, to do their jobs in a timely fashion and effectively. He went on to say that it appears that the workers have the attitude that they are just biding their time until they can leave the office or when the elected officials leave office, so why should they care. Commissioner Campbell stated this is something that he has personal experiences dealing with on too many occasions. He added that the manner in which special education is currently being handled is not very cost effective.
Mr. Fenty that the situation is one more example why he is looking at drastic reform measures in the school system because he believes there is almost no opportunity to drive home accountability in the school system. Mr. Fenty stated that he agrees with Commission Campbell’s comments about special education.
Commissioner Russell voiced her concerns about the people
who live in
Mr. Fenty responded that the State Education Department is conducting an audit and he will see how much early a.m. and p.m. site inspection is taking place regarding this issue. Mr. Fenty asked if the group was aware of fraudulent information or the use someone else’s address to secure admission. The Commissioners and audience jointly responded that that was the case. The group went on to say that a lot of time the parents will use the student’s grandparents address for the student and they are paying utilities at that address.
Commissioner Olson stated that she was not aware if he had been in the building (The Old Naval Hospital) before, but it is considered a historic building and a hero building, according to the USDC Urban Environment Institute. Commissioner Olson went on to say that the City has been offered money for the building. It has been the home of ANC6B for almost 27 years and the ANC is the only tenant in the building. She stated some money has been spent on the building and there have been a lot of plans for the building. The current Mayor has thrown some of those plans by the waste-side unfortunately and she is hoping that he as the new Mayor that he can revive the building and will get the Office of Property Management to revive the building. Commission Olson further stated that one of the main things the Commission would like to do with the building is to fix it up. The front façade on E Street has been fixed up with new windows, brick re-pointing, and the porch restored and that side is beautiful, but that is only about one-fifth (1/5) of the building and nothing has been done on the inside of the building. She also pointed out the temporary heating system that is currently being used because the boiler system was so old it had to be replaced. One of the plans for the reuse of the building is for a community center
Mr. Fenty asked what plans have the ANC voted on regarding the building.
Commissioner Jarboe responded that the Commission has not specifically voted on any of the plans, but there is one plan, mentioned by Commissioner Olson, to have the building become The Hill Community Center. The Office of Property Management knows about it and is working on it although it appears to be a low priority. Commissioner Jarboe went on to say that the building renovation project needs to be put on the fast track.
Mr. Fenty asked if there would be a public private partnership involved in the project.
Commissioner Garrison replied that it would be and in fact a very sophisticated proposal was submitted and OPM has a copy of it.
Mr. Fenty responded that he was not aware of that situation at all and he would look into it.
Commissioner Jarboe then stated that OPM is putting out another RFP for another set of studies on the interior of the building to see what it would house, but everyone knows what it will house. He went on to say that the problem is that things are being done in a piecemeal fashion.
Mr. Fenty suggested that as a follow-up the ANC invite the Deputy Mayor for Economic Development to come to the February ANC meeting to discuss future plans for the building.
Commissioner Jarboe responded that he thought the Commission
was a month away from that because the Commission would like to have the
Mr. Fenty asked the Commission to keep him informed and he will support it and he was sure the Commission would get the community involved with it.
Commissioner Glick stated that the Commission has “great weight” when it comes to issues before DCRA and ABRA. Commissioner Glick went on to say that for the past 10 years or more the Commission has supported the no sale of singles. Fighting ABRA on this issue has been such a nightmare. He said that he would like to see the total ban on the sale of singles in DC.
Mr. Fenty asked if Commissioner Glick was speaking of the ABRA board or staff or both.
Commissioner Glick responded that it is the board that needs to listen more to the residents.
Mr. Fenty asked if he was getting good cooperation from the staff.
Commissioner Glick responded that the staff has been outstanding.
Commissioner Cernich stated that some of the board’s decision in the past two years have left ANC 6B and 6A really scratching their heads after putting in a whole lot of hard work into drafting Cooperative Agreements that are then thrown out by the board, even though the liquor store had agreed to sign them. Commissioner Cernich referred to a situation in another ANC where a major grocery store chain, which has competent legal counsel, negotiated a Cooperative Agreement. Despite a sophisticated party like that agreeing to the Cooperative Agreement, the board felt they had to protect the grocery chain and threw out the Cooperative Agreement.
Commissioner Glick stated that he has a great concern about the educational system and its effect on the neighborhoods in community. According to Mayor Williams, the city is looking to increase the population by 100,000 residents, which is great. But Commissioner Glick stated that problem is people are moving into neighborhoods with small children and when they become school age they are moving from the city seeking better schools for their children. This is causing in his neighborhood a large turnover of people. Commissioner Glick went on to say that the District has sold off a lot of school building that have been turned into condos. He has a school in his neighborhood, Paine Elementary, that is falling apart and he suggested that the District could take one school in an area and move it temporarily and fix it up and continue the process throughout the city until all the school building have been renovated. Commissioner Glick further stated that he is concerned about Robert Bobb coming in at the school board and the fact that he is development friendly and may start selling off all the important building assets.
Mr. Fenty responded that the climate these days on education
in lot of jurisdictions are so advanced and people have so many good ideas that
he does not believe the city has scratched the surface, maybe 10%, of where the
city needs to be. Mr. Fenty agreed that
better utilization of school buildings is needed. He referenced his recent experience visiting
the schools in
Commissioner Glick commended Mr. Fenty on his selection of the new Police Chief and that Peter Jones from the First District, who was present, is the Ward 6 Coordinator and that he has been extremely helpful to everyone.
Commissioner Hill stated that he had a pet peeve regarding parking. People who live around a metro station find it impossible to leave their home during the day in their vehicle and return later because they will not be able to find a parking spot when they return. He went on to say that people who live outside the area and even those who live in the area, but not the immediate area around the metro, are taking spaces away from those residents who live next to the metro. Commissioner Hill suggested that some type of identification sticker be issued for residents who live within a certain area of a metro station that designate them as having priority parking in the area.
Mr. Fenty agreed with Commissioner Hill that this is a problem and recommended that the Commission consider making a recommendation as to how large of a zone such as a quarter mile or half-mile radius or etc. should the area be around the metro station for this special designation. Mr. Fenty stated this is important because if you make the area too large it is meaningless and if you make it too small the same is true, and he would image it would be different for each metro station.
Commissioner Russell stated that that would be great, but it also is an enforcement issue, because without enforcement nothing will change.
Mr. Fenty agreed that enforcement is critical to any new rule.
Commissioner Garrison asked why the DC Public School System seem to be in such strong denial that students are shifting away from DCPS schools over to charter schools. This year, nearly 30% of all District public school children are enrolled in charter schools. Commissioner Garrison went on to say that DCPS lost nearly 3,000 from last year’s count and the charter schools picked up 2,500. There is a big shift going on each year. Commissioner Garrison urged the Mayor-elect to consider the entire system – DCPS and charters -- as a complete unit
Mr. Fenty concurred with Commissioner Garrison that all of the pieces of DCPS must be looked at in order to improve the overall educational system. Mr. Fenty went on to say that he believes the lack of a sense of urgency on the competition issue is a point.
Commissioner Garrison then stated that it is not so much the competition between the public schools and charter schools because the charter schools are not going to go away. At the current rate, charter schools may soon be schooling 50% of all students. Therefore he strongly suggested they charter schools be considered part of the total educational system and not as an independent operation.
One of the young scouts asked about the budget shortfall and would this cause him to cut spending to address it.
Mr. Fenty responded that there is actually a projected shortfall of 300 million dollars, so that means the city must align spending with the amount of money that is coming in. He went on to say that it is very likely that the projected shortfall will not be that great once the city starts the new fiscal year next October. Mr. Fenty stated that this is very early in the process and he as asked all agency directors to come back to him with a balanced budget and if he agrees with all their cuts he will present them to the City Council. He will present a balanced budget for fiscal year 2008 to Council sometime around April of 2007. Mr. Fenty went on to say that he thinks some of the revenue forecasts will increase and the city will be able to find additional savings through fine tuning the budget. So, by the time he sends his budget to the City Council, he will be able to recommend a balanced budget, and one that improves service delivery by cutting away any fat or waste.
Mr. Fenty stated that in FY2008 he is going to try and make sure the city recoup more of its Medicaid dollars for programs such as MRDDA. He went on to say that the city spends roughly thirty million dollars, in local dollars, and should actually get those funds from the federal government as most states do. There are other Medicaid reimbursements that the city can get, which include even the school system, so there are significant savings right there in the budget.
Executive Director Randolph stated that he substituted in one of District’s schools and wanted to know what could be done about discipline in District schools. Mr. Randolph stated that he was shocked to learn how much time was spent on discipline or getting order in the classroom versus actual time spent on instruction. He further stated that if teachers had more quality time to teach (deliver instruction) versus discipline (getting order), student performance would improve.
Mr. Fenty responded that one of the things he had discussed
is how can they get new ideas into the system.
Mr. Fenty stated that he had visited other jurisdictions and looked at
some of the reforms they are making. A
lot of schools in lower income neighborhoods suffer from a lack of discipline
or order and one of the ways to address that is to make sure you have very
talented teachers. He went on to say
that in a city like
Adjournment
There was no further business and Commissioner Hill made the motion that the meeting be adjourned until its next meeting date of January 09, 2006. The motion was seconded, and the vote was 8 to 0.
Meeting Adjourned.
Prepared by
Attested: