We all saw the 9-2 vote in the City Council yesterday indicating a pending approval of the Mayor's takeover plan. Now that the plan appears almost certain, let's discuss how to move forward. I believe that if the school board had done such an effective job running the schools, we would never have arrived in the dire state we are currently in. Whether the takeover was the right way to solve the problem is now a moot point. But there are some aspects that worry me, and one in particular:
As of now, I believe the City Council will have line-item veto power over the budget. This is worrisome because it leaves the door open for political game playing, with council members trying to direct money to their particular wards in order to please constituents. That could turn into pork-barrel politics, DC style.
Things cannot get much worse than they are right now, so let's not play games with the lives of our children. At this point, it is up to Mayor Fenty to provide the way forward for our schools. Let's let him do the best job he can without allowing politics water down his agenda. In four years we will give him his report card.
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