URbanStudies

A major problem in any urban city is said to be its school system, as stated by Chief Financial Officer, Harry Black, at his recent visit to our class.  A recent article in the Richmond Times Dispatch, points out that Richmond is making tremendous strides in improving the city’s school system, which has been referred to as “a work in a progress” by School Board Chairman, George Braxton. 

Well, you may question: what are the improvements and what work is left to be done? During a ceremony this week in celebration of the school system’s improvements, Braxton highlighted school system advances such as, a decline in number of dropouts, improved graduation rates and the closing of schools “to maximize existing classroom space”.  Though Richmond city schools have seen great successes, the school board chairman says the celebration can’t last for long. Braxton states, “We will celebrate often, but quickly, because we have so much to do.” 

There is so much work that must be done to improve Richmond public schools, but those issues aren’t stated or even mentioned in this article.  Instead, the focus is on funding from the city of Richmond or in Braxton’s case— the lack thereof.    At the ceremony, Braxton makes sure to mention that while city revenues have increased, the percentage of dollars given to the school system has decreased.  City spokesman, Linwood Norman, later states that the city’s contributions to the school system have increased over the last seven years. 

Braxton doesn’t doubt that fact, but makes it known that without more money from the city, he nor his staff should be blamed when further improvements are not made.  Does the city spokesman’s statement imply that the city’s contributions to the school system have increased and therefore peaked? It is clear that seven years ago there were improvements that needed to be made and required funding from the city. City schools did not provide quality to its students.  

 Well, the school system was in bad shape and has improved, but a need is still there.  Now that some improvements have been made, should they not continue? Braxton believes continuance requires funding.   Chief Financial Officer, Harry Black, also stated during his visit that power is held by whomever holds the money, but in this article he is quoted as having said, Braxton’s allegations against the city are both “incorrect and disingenuous.”  I wish this article would have gone into more detail regarding what exactly Black felt was incorrect or untruthful in the statement provided by Braxton. 

As it stands, the city has made several strides, up to now to increase funds to the school system, but with further increased revenues in the city, it is possible they can do more?  Because of the city’s increased revenues, without increasing funds to the school system, Richmond public schools will seem low on the city’s priority list.  But are there other acts that can be made to improve Richmond city’s schools that don’t include funding?  Mr. Black hinted to some of these acts on his visit as well, but as it currently stands, Richmond city schools don’t hold the power because they lack in dollars in comparison to the city’s overall increased revenue. 

The eighth annual “State of the Black Union” address took place last week at Hampton University’s Convention Center.  Over a two-day span, over two dozen black American leaders discussed the impact and influence of African-Americans on the United States for the past 400 years.The focus of the convention was to discuss how to make democracy real for a “people still weighed down by the malignancy of white supremacy” (From the Richmond Free Press). 

 Author, historian and former Ebony executive editor Lerone Bennett Jr. reminded the attendees that African-Americans were among the founders of the United States, not guests.Richmond Mayor L. Douglas Wilder was also in attendance, urging the black community to use their own initiatives to make a difference and not rely on the permission of others. 

Before the conference, last Friday, over 1,300 people gathered in Williamsburg, Va. for the kickoff sessions to the conference.  People engaged in discussions concerning a variety of topics which were reported to be entertaining and thought provoking, including: dysfunctional families, black voter disenfranchisement, voter apathy and the hip-hop generation. 

One prominent message was to avoid confusing “black-leaders,” who are chosen by the black community, with “leading-blacks,” who are chosen by the media.  Other topics of discussion were the lack of aid given to black Americans during Hurricane Katrina and Senator Barack Obama’s coalition-style politics.  The Richmond Free Press defined the message as follows:

“We define the change that’s needed in our homes, our families, ourselves, our neighborhoods, our communities, our country and our world. And we must work to make that change. We can join like-minded people to come up with a plan and put it into action. Our ancestors require it; our children demand it, they said. We owe it to those who have come before and those yet to come.”

During the conference, there was an opportunity to ask questions to a panel of established black leaders, some including: The Reverends Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, Radio One founder Cathy Hughes, Mayor Wilder, Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott and Princeton University professor Cornel West.  The question selected was from Malik Gray, 11, which read “Can we become slaves again?”  The question provoked a lot of restlessness among the audience, which was noted by the
Richmond Free Press.  Dr. Eddie S. Glaude, a professor at Princeton University, answered with the following response:

“You can become a slave to your passions.  You can become salve to money. You can become slave to someone who doesn’t quite love you right. You can become a slave to a broken past, a broken heart, a broken spirit.  Whatever the human condition, we’re always going to vulnerable and must be careful not to be beholden to those things than can constrain our possibilities…So if you know you can go back into slavery…then you will always work not only to make yourself better, but to make the world better for others.”

Another goal of the conference is to outline the major problems facing black Americans in order to construct a plan of action to tackle the obstacles.  Last January, the list was on the New York Times bestseller list. 

The Church Hill People’s News is a neighborhood news blog concentrating on the Church Hill area in Richmond, VA.  Questions are circulating regarding Mayor Wilder’s comments on deconcentrating poverty and public housing within the city. Some residents are concerned with their own property value as the poor are displaced and public housing is dispersed. Nonetheless, it appears that many residents are hoping for safe neighborhoods that are racially and economically integrated. They also want the surrounding area to be well-maintained and owned, either individually or by the government so it can be rented out. Some people tend to think that public housing and renting is not the answer but helping the poor afford to buy houses so they can put a stake in the community and feel as though they are a part of the society. Public housing tends to give people the feeling that they are temporary residents that do not need to invest or care for their community. The larger issue here seems to be that there is too much rented property and poor public housing. If the government can assist the poor in buying property and homes they can decentralize the poor and integrate them into the community.  If rentals continue to exist, they must be better managed and maintained, with landlords on site and constantly overlooking their rentals and the people who live in them.  It should not be up to the renter to put their own money into conserving the home, and the manager should be present so that the renters respect the area and community.  Two sides of this argument exist: either replacing rentals all together and subsidizing buyers, or creating a more effective rental system where managers are accounted for and renters are kept an eye on. What system do you think is best and/or feasible?

http://www.chpn.net/archives/2006/01/lets_deconcentr.php

Ever so consciously, 53 members of the Virginia House of Delegates failed their citizens today by voting for a measure that sends back to committee SB1327, which would increase the minimum wage to $6.50 an hour. 

So what’s so bad about sending the bill back to committee, you ask?  Well, there’s the dirty trick.  There are NO MORE committee meetings this session. 

After being forced to re-consider a minimum wage boost due to its passing the  Senate, last week the House  Commerce and Labor Committee voted in favor of allowing the bill a fair vote on the House floor.  Today, 5 of those committee members changed their votes and supported a motion which they knew would kill the bill. Worth noting not one Democrat supported the measure. Apparently in Virginia, keeping low-wage workers out of poverty is a red vs. blue issue.

I guess it’s just too bad for you, low-paid working Virginians!  Your last hope for a raise died with the bill today.    Guess you had better hope that the federal government is a bit more responsible.

You can be sure that those 53 legislators won’t be taking any blame for failing to give the mimimum wage it’s 10 year overdue increase.  After all, they didn’t vote against it, now did they?  They just sent it back to another committee. It’s not their fault there aren’t anymore committee meetings.  Right??

Below is a press release from Virginia Organizing Project expressing their (and my own) outrage.  Be sure to see how your legislator voted.

Statement from the Virginia Organizing Project regarding minimum wage legislation

“While middle class people complain about increases in the cost of living, our fellow Virginia citizens at the lower end of the economic scale continue to live with the same pay they received ten years ago,” said Janice “Jay” Johnson, chairperson of the Virginia Organizing Project, a statewide citizens organization committed to engaging grassroots Virginians to work on social justice issues.

“We are really disappointed with this unfortunate move by the House leadership,” said Sandra Cook, vice-chairperson of the Virginia Organizing Project. “Instead of allowing a genuine vote on a bill that passed the Senate 31-8 and passed the House Commerce and Labor Committee 13-9, it seems that Speaker Bill Howell and Majority Floor Leader Morgan Griffith used their power to engineer an undemocratic travesty.”.

“In our seventh grade civic classes, we learn about fairness and that the government exists to serve the people of our Commonwealth. To play legislative gymnastics with such an important matter is completely contrary to what we are taught,” Cook said. “Why wouldn’t the House leadership allow an open vote on this issue?”

“We are outraged and disgusted that we could not get a vote on this important public policy, especially when every poll shows that more than 80 percent of the respondents support an increase in the minimum wage,” Cook said.

“Twenty nine other states have raised their minimum wage in the past few years, including our neighbors in North Carolina, West Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. Their leaders recognize, unlike a majority in our General Assembly, that a stable workforce must be paid enough to maintain a stable home,” Johnson said.
 

The vote on Senate Bill 1327 broke out as follows:

YEAS (to send the bill to the Appropriations Committee) — Abbitt, Albo, Athey, Bell, Byron, Carrico, Cline, Cole, Cosgrove, Cox, Dudley, Fralin, Frederick, Gear, Gilbert, Griffith, Hamilton, Hargrove, Hogan, Hugo, Hurt, Iaquinto, Janis, Jones, S.C., Kilgore, Landes, Lingamfelter, Lohr, Marshall, D.W., May, McQuigg, Miller, J.H., Morgan, Nixon, Nutter, O’Bannon, Oder, Orrock, Peace, Purkey, Putney, Rapp, Reid, Saxman, Scott, E.T., Sherwood, Suit, Tata, Wardrup, Ware, R.L., Welch, Wright, Mr. Speaker–53.

NAYS — Alexander, Amundson, Armstrong, BaCote, Barlow, Bowling, Brink, Bulova, Callahan, Caputo, Dance, Ebbin, Eisenberg, Englin, Hall, Howell, A.T., Hull, Ingram, Joannou, Jones, D.C., Lewis, Marsden, McClellan, McEachin, Melvin, Miller, P.J., Moran, Phillips, Plum, Poisson, Rust, Scott, J.M., Shannon, Shuler, Sickles, Spruill, Toscano, Tyler, Valentine, Waddell, Ward, Ware, O., Watts–43.

Amidst a story dealing with Henrico’s apparently oversized vehicle decals, there is an interesting report about the county’s plan to redevelop a neighborhood. From the RT-D:

Also last night, the supervisors approved plans by Gumenick Properties to redevelop 79.5 acres between Staples Mill Road and Libbie Avenue.

The Henrico-based developer plans to spend $434 million to build Staples Mill Centre, a compact, urban-style community where homes would be mixed with businesses. Plans call for 2,090 condominiums, town houses, homes and apartments, plus about 165,000 square feet of stores and offices.

After reading about redeveloping plans in New York and Atlanta, this plan has important implications for our class and for the people in the area around this redevelopment. Zoning and redevelopment policies have clear ramifications for land use in the area itself, of course, but these policies also shape incentives for people living and working in the immediate and surrounding areas.

The plans for redevelopment seem to be cause for at least some optimism. The land will be used for office, retail, and single- and multi-family housing. The plan takes most of its land from a demolished apartment complex and will bring commercial jobs to the redeveloped area.

Still, one should not be overly optimistic; questions still remain. Specifically, to what income levels will the housing be targeted? One Board of Supervisors member, Richard Glover, remarked, “It takes people to serve that retail [the Willow Lawn Shopping Center], and this brings the people for that area.” This plan has an appeal to it, but it is not certain that the plan will revitalize the retail area. If the housing is targeted to upper-income individuals, they may not shop at a run-down area. On the other hand, lower-income housing may not bring much money into the shopping area. While a good idea, this plan alone may not revitalize all of the surrounding retail.

As spring inches ever closer, and as temperatures creep higher (okay, so I’m dreaming now), you might want to take a look at some of Chesterfield county’s very beautiful parks.

Saturday night was a strange party. The Richmond Convention Center played host to the Democratic Party of Virginia and some 4,000 supporters. It was a Halloween party of sorts, there was enough fur in the building to make Cruella DeVil jealous. But not only were the well to do of Richmond there, but so were the youngsters… high schoolers involved in Student Government, college students participating in Young Democrats, and many more. There was something electric in the air, and it came from one source - Sen. Barack Obama. And as supporters of the presidential hopeful, we were there too. Forty of us showed our enthusiasm by handing out information, signing up future volunteers, selling t-shirts, buttons, and signs, as well as taking donations. There were other candidates represented at the convention as well. Clinton and Edwards had booths, but it was Obama’s day and it was obvious by the crowds swarming his tables.

Governor Tim Kaine gave a wonderful speech (without notes) endorsing Sen. Obama, as did former Governor Mark Warner and current Va Sen. Jim Webb. Giving the keynote address, Mr. Obama touched on the changing political landscape of Virginia, as well as the importance of Virginia politics, and his vision for a unified and hopeful America, among various other topics. The speech ran about 30 minutes, and though we’d been on our feet working for nine hours, we volunteers stood for the whole thing. It was the most incredible experience to hear a the Senator speak… he has a captivating presence. I hope you all get the chance to see him in person.

If you haven’t already, I encourage you to check out his web site and if you’re so inclined sign up to be part of the volunteer team, cleverly named my.barackobama.com. The site is a great way to network with local Obama supporters.
For those of you looking to get to know more about Sen. Obama, University of Richmond Political Science Professor Jimmy Kandeh has already organized a meeting at UR. You can sign up here.

-Happy campaign trails-

A press release issued on February 13 from Richmond Public Schools claimed that the school board will deliberate the cost reduction proposals of the audit and make a formal response on March 19.  School Board Chairman George P. Braxton added “We are taking what we consider to be an aggressive position and working on a quick timetable as we review the recommendations and work of the City Auditor. We consider this audit an integral part of our financial planning; therefore, we want to truly investigate its ramifications and recommendations.” 

The results of this audit come at an inconvenient time for the school board, hoping to stretch the City Council’s ordinance to include more local aid.  The $7.7 million addendum is now up to $11.6 million, covering the costs of moving the school system’s offices from City Hall to another site.  The same day, Mayor Wilder called for an independent investigation into the school’s spending policy, as well as into the rise of recent property assessments.  Mayor Wilder declared that the school board was not completely cooperating with the city auditor’s investigation and that a more comprehensive review would be required.  His frustration was illustrated in his statements that “Now they are going to be held accountable to provide the information.  If they don’t provide it, it’s bye-bye, no money for you.” 

The three main areas that Mayor Wilder wanted the audit to focus on were central administration, instructional programs, and school facilities.  Braxton responded with examples of past audits that have explored these issues, adding “He’s in a position to say whatever he wishes to say.  We’re taking many positive steps to make our school system better.”  Hopefully, the Mayor, City Council, and School Board can put aside their differences to reach an agreement about the school system budget.  In an effort to improve the city administration’s public image, the mayor joined City Council members yesterday in an informal retreat, during which the mayor collaborated with council members on the problems facing the city, especially those concerning the city school system. 

Richmond’s CFO, Harry E. Black, commented on Mayor Wilder’s newest proposal of releasing budgeted money to the School Board on a monthly basis, instead of quarterly, describing the condition that the school board would also have to report how the audit’s recommendations were being honored.  The council reiterated its request for the mayor and School Board to reach a decision about closing and consolidating schools while building new ones, as set forth by the City of the Future plan.  Mayor Wilder says that he is waiting for the superintendent’s recommendation on the matter.  School Superintendent, Deborah Jewell-Sherman, confirmed that her latest appointment with the mayor, set for February 13, had been rescheduled by the mayor’s office for February 26.

The preliminary results of a recent audit of the school district found $19 million in potential savings, and 40% of these inefficiencies are associated with overspending in pupil transportation.  Because the schedules of city schools are not all the same, more buses are needed to transport students at certain times of the day.  On average, regular buses run with 52% of its seats occupied, and special-education buses run with 18% of its seats occupied.  These varying school schedules should be streamlined in order to reduce the number of buses needed.  The audit also found that buses are in use without any passengers 40% of the time, referred to as “deadhead miles.”  If Richmond could reduce this figure to 25%, they would save about $1.4 million. 

This overspending is also caused in part by students who do not attend the school closest to their home.  This out-of-zone transportation problem is costing the school system $3.4 million a year.  The major overspending issue the audit found was school bus maintenance.  Because some of the buses are over 15 years old, the city is spending way too much on maintaining them when it would be better in the long run to invest in new buses or look into leasing programs.

Despite the audit’s findings, the school board elected to pass their proposed budget, which they approved 7-2 on Feburary 12.  Regarding the annualized 3.5% raise and elimination of about 130 positions, School Board Chairman George P. Braxton said that nothing would be final until the board receives its allocations from the City Council this spring.

Prince George County (south and east of Richmond) is considering cutting real estate taxes after unanticipated growth in the tax base. RT-D reports:

New homes and buildings gave Prince George County a bigger tax base than officials thought, which could result in a deeper cut in the tax rate than initially proposed.

The county’s latest reassessment shows a 10.5 percent increase in real estate values.

But an additional $90 million of new construction boosted the county’s real estate tax base 15.2 percent to $2.22 billion, county Assessor Roderick Compton said yesterday.

Board of Supervisors chairman Dr. Joseph A. Leming said he will be looking hard at the county’s real estate tax rate, to try to keep tax bills from rising as fast as assessments have.

The tax base has expanded in the county by 72% in the last five years, resulting in a significant stream of revenue into the county’s coffers. The tax rate is currently 88 cents for every $100 of real estate owned; officials in the county are proposing cuts between three and six cents, with the remaining revenues going toward increased spending.
Two sorts of questions run through my mind when I read this. First, I want to know: what is fueling this explosive growth? Where are these people coming from? Why are they choosing to reside in Prince George County intead of Colonial Heights, Chesterfield, Henrico, Hanover, or even the city? Will this growth continue?

I also wonder: what are the implications of this growth? Specifically, does (or can) this growth serve the public interest? I don’t know many of the answers to my first series of questions, but I’d like to reflect on the second. What one considers to be in the public interest turns on scope; as such, I’d like to ask about the public interest of the county and of the region as a whole.

1) What is the best use of this revenue for the county? The three-cent cut proposal includes a 9% increase in spending, while another proposal favors more cuts in taxes. The Board of Supervisors, Joseph Leming, remarked:

I am very cognizant that each and every dollar is important to each and every taxpayer. I also firmly and deeply believe that those dollars are better used, and create more economic benefit when in the control and use by the owner and private citizen.

But is this necessarily true? The interesting thing about taxes is the pooling of resources that it fosters. In other words, each individual in a community (“community” in the sense that they pay revenues to the same government) sacrifices a small amount of money, pooling these revenues together for collective action. The various plans have a difference in taxes only about 100 dollars apart (just under $1,600 to $1,700) for a $200,000 property; is this really such a significant sacrifice for property owners? Moreover, a tax cut may not improve the city’s well-being as much as direct expenditures, since the money from the tax cuts may flow out of the county when individuals spend it.

Social investments, improved infrastructure, and beautified nature areas are but three examples of collective actions that could further enhance the appeal of the county. Enhancing this appeal could, in turn, promote more growth in the tax base and further ease the tax burden for property owners. If counties and cities are indeed competing for residents, isn’t this a sensible policy for a rational, self-interested county government to pursue?

2) But questions about the public interest hardly cease at the county level. What is best for the region as a whole? Reducing the tax rate – or maintaining it and investing in appeal-enhancing projects – both risk bleeding residents from the city and other counties. When this occurs, Prince George’s gain is another’s loss. The bleed is part of a vicious cycle that we have previously seen in the growth of suburbia: the increased tax base resulting from prosperity lowers the necessary levels for taxation, giving individuals further reason to flee the higher-taxed city or even other counties. Is it best for the region if each individual county makes calculations and decision in its own interest?