Arlington Affordable Housing: County Board’s Pike Trolley will Eliminate Most Remaining Market-Rate Apartments, Says Arlington Greens leader, Jan. 30, 2011

The Arlington County Government’s redevelopment on Columbia Pike should be called by one of its real names- “the minority removal plan,” says Arlington Greens chairman John Reeder. Just the the cost of the trolley alone will exceed $240 million, much of which will likely come from county revenues, Reeder said.

County board Democratic chairman Mary Hynes tells us that she wants to keep current moderate income renters along the Pike, but the economic impact of the trolley makes that impossible, says the chairman of the Arlington Green Party. The county’s own economic consultant, Partners for Economic Solutions (PES), concluded that the cost to the county of subsidizing preservation of 5,000 of the existing affordable apartments along the Pike would be roughly $300 million ($60,000 per unit).

Over the past decade, the county government was unable to meet its annual countywide goal of adding 400 committed affordable apartments, in 2010 adding only 141 units and spending $5 million from its Affordable Housing Investment Fund for this purpose. It is highly unlikely that the county government will be able to come up with at least $300 million to keep 5,000 affordable apartments along the Pike, particularly given the severe school overcrowding, and need for more school classrooms.

“The County Board’s urban renewal for the Pike should be described as to what it really is: minority and low income people removal and a gift of public money to developers.” John Reeder, Chairman, Arlington Greens, www.greensofarlington.org

If you are concerned about affordable housing, fiscal responsibility for schools and and preserving your historic communities, Reeder says that the Arlington Greens county board candidate Audrey Clement will help by working to block the trolley and the inevitable loss of nearly half of the remaining market-rate rental housing in Arlington County. To help go to AudreyClement.org.

Arlington school and county board members routinely claim that Arlington public schools are “blue ribbon” and “world class,” but actual, reported high school graduation rates indicate that Arlington Public Schools are not meeting the needs of all students, particularly those who are Latino, black or with special needs, and that Arlington schools are barely above typical U.S. schools, but below other Virginia schools including Fairfax.
On January 20, 2012 for example, the Arlington School Board trumpeted that 87 percent of Arlington students graduated “on time” in 2011 (see Scott McCaffrey, the Arlington Sun Gazette, “School Officials Tout Progress in Upping Graduation Rates”, Jan. 20, 2012). The school board claimed that 97 percent of white students, 88 percent of black and 74 percent of Hispanic students graduated “on time.”
However, as measured by actual reported graduation data for school year 2010/11 using the Federal standard for high school graduation ratios, Arlington Public Schools reported to the State of Virginia an actual graduation rate of 76 percent which is below the Virginia average of 80 percent, and further below Fairfax County’s 85 percent ratio. This rate is for entering 9th graders who graduated within four years. With one quarter of its 9th graders dropping without a high school degree, the Arlington school system clearly does not merit adjectives “world class” or “blue ribbon.” https://p1pe.doe.virginia.gov/reportcard/report.do?division=7&schoolName=All
Arlington County reported for academic year 2010/11 under the No Child Left behind Act “Federal Graduation Indicator” that the percentage of Arlington high school students earning a standard or advanced studies diploma was 76 percent. For white students the graduation rate was 95 percent, but for blacks, 70 percent, and for Hispanic students only 54 percent.
In neighboring Fairfax County, 77 percent of its black students and 62 percent of its Hispanic students graduate within four years with a standard or advanced diploma. About 65 percent of students with disabilities still graduate within four years in Fairfax, while only 54 percent graduate in Arlington. Fairfax’s overall 85 percent graduation rate is 9 percentage points higher than Arlington’s overall rate. Fairfax public schools annually spend in recent years about $13,000 per student, whereas Arlington spends about $18,000 per student.
About 45 percent of Arlington’s public school enrollment consists of white students so the minority students represent the majority of the student body. To raise the overall academic achievement, Arlington school officials must reduce the minority achievement gap, something they have failed to do for many years, despite spending near record amounts of money per student among Washington Metropolitan schools.
A typical U.S. high school graduate will obtain higher employment and earnings than a high school dropout — an astonishing 50 percent to 100 percent increase in lifetime income, according to a recent NY Times article (Henry Levin and Cecilia Rouse, “The True Cost of High School Dropouts,” Jan. 25, 2012). High school drop outs are more likely to end up in jail and unemployed than high school graduates. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/26/opinion/the-true-cost-of-high-school-dropouts.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=levin%20drop%20out%20rate&st=cse
Professors Levin and Rouse recommend proven strategies public schools can take to reduce dropout rates: preschool for all 3- and 4-year-olds taught in small groups; home visits by teachers; group meetings of parents; and smaller class sizes in the early grades particularly for at-risk students. Why isn’t Arlington strongly implementing all these strategies as well as learning from Fairfax County which is working so well there? By 9th grade, many students seriously behind in reading and math are already lost, likely to quit school, and then it is too late.
Arlington children deserve better. But first county board and school board members must stop inflating actual graduation numbers and hiding the painful truth. Arlington public schools have wonderful teachers and administrators, a number of truly outstanding neighborhood schools, excellent parent volunteers and activists, and $18,000 per child to spend each year. It is time to put those resources to work. Fairfax County Public Schools (the largest school system in the Washington-Baltimore Metropolitan Area with 175,000 students) provide a direct example of what Arlington with its 20,000 students could achieve if our political leadership would provide momentum and tell the truth.

Jill Stein, a Massachusetts Green and pediatrician, is running to obtain the U.S. Green Party’s nomination for President in the November election. On January 18, about two dozen Greens from Arlington and Northern Virginia got a chance to meet and heear Dr. Stein at a house party in Arlington.

Dr. Stein Jill Stein, Green Party presidential candidate, called for a Green New Deal to counter the “trickle down economic agenda” laid out by President Obama in his State of the Union address. Stein’s “People’s State of the Union: A Green New Deal for America” that is on her campaign website: http://www.JillStein.org

Occupy Supreme Court Demonstration on January 20: Amend the U.S. Constitution to Ban Corporate Political Contributions and Corruption

A group of Arlington Greens, including Steve Davis, Miriam Gennari, Don Rouse and John Reeder attended the Jan. 20, 2012 demonstration at the U.S. Supreme Court asking that Congress pass a consitutional amendment to reverse the Supreme Court’s decision that legalizes unlimited corporate political contributions and to declare that only living people are “persons” under the Constitution.

http://movetoamend.org/press

Green Party Presidential candidate Jill Stein spoke eloquently at the Demonstration about Greens support for eliminating corporate campaign contributions of all kinds. The national and Washington DC Occupy groups also supported the constituional change. Speakers all pointed out that a corporation is not a “person” and is not entitled to inalienable rights like the right to free speech, participating in political matters, and running our government.

On Friday, January 20, the Occupy movement took to the Supreme Court as part of a nationwide plan to “Occupy the Courts”. Over 110 actions are planned in front of U.S. federal courthouses across the country to mark the second anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s infamous Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision that opened the floodgates to unlimited corporate money in elections.
The Move to Amend coalition is working to grow grassroots support for a constitutional amendment that clearly and unequivocally states that: 1) Rights recognized under the Constitution belong to human beings only, and not to artificial legal entities such as corporations or labor unions; and 2) Political campaign spending is not a form of speech protected under the First Amendment.

“Schools go green in Northern Virginia,” by Jessica Haney on January 18, 2012 in DCMoms.com

http://www.thedcmoms.com/2012/01/schools-go-green-in-northern-virginia

If you’re looking to go green in Northern Virginia schools, this is an exciting time. Last night, Arlington Public Schools held the first meeting of its new Sustainability Committee, one of the Advisory Committees that report to the Superintendent. Made up of 15 community members (13 of them with children in APS), the committee will review data at its next meeting regarding energy use, water, solid waste, products used in schools, and recycling. Once the members have a clear understanding of where things stand in schools and across the district, they will begin deciding on priorities to research and present in recommendations to the Superintendent in the fall.

With a little luck and a lot of community support, in a few months, this soggy spot will be home to the Campbell Elementary Wetlands Learning Lab
Arlington County Energy Manager Cathy Lin said there was great interest in the committee. Those selected to serve on the committee for at least one year represent schools and neighborhoods across Arlington and bring with them many years of work in environmental policy and law. The committee, which has one teacher from Washington-Lee High School, is looking for student representatives from each of the three county schools plus, the H-B Woodlawn program and the alternative programs as well. APS parent, former School Board candidate and anti-styrofoam advocate Miriam Gennari, who has been working for years toward getting APS to have an environmental coordinator or a committee like this one, emerged from the meeting very hopeful about the work that can be done by this “outstanding group of people who seem very committed and well-informed.”

One of the members of the group was Arlingtonians For a Clean Environment president Elenor Hodges, who is also working for the group NoVA Outside. On March 3, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the group will hold an expo at George Mason University to showcase programs and opportunities for outdoor education in Northern Virginia. NoVa Outside was co-founded by Elaine Tholen, who works in Fairfax County as the Environmental Education Manager, a position Arlington doesn’t have. Lin did note that Arlington Planetarium director Jonathan Harmon will be putting together an inventory of what green efforts are happening in which schools while the planetarium is undergoing construction.

Yours truly piped up about her own home-grown effort: this Saturday’s Wetlands Benefit Concert to raise money for construction of a wetlands learning lab at Campbell Elementary School. The south Arlington school sits on top of Carlin Springs, and the fact that it was paved over decades ago is doing no favors to the Chesapeake Bay or the muddy swatch of the schoolyard. The new wetlands learning lab, designed by Nancy Striniste of EarlySpace, will take care of the water problem in grand form: by creating a wildlife habitat and natural landscape that will provide learning and play opportunities.

Donations from family, alumni and the community have been pouring in, so the Campbell PTA is hopeful that it will be able to tell contractor Green Earth Landscaping the school can take the company up on its offer to do the work for a discount this winter. Saturday’s event will have plenty of items up for bid at a silent auction plus musical guests Forty Miles Home folk/roots band at 2:00, Groovy Nate at 3:15, a Music Together (TM) Sing-Along by Little Steps Music at 1:30, four Bolivian dance performances, and storytime.

Hours are 1:00-4:00 p.m., Saturday, January 21. Tickets are $10 per family. Campbell is located at 737 S. Carlin Springs Rd., Arlington, VA 22204. The event will take place in the Multipurpose Room and the gym (park in back, enter school in front).

When she’s not fundraising, Jessica Claire Haney blogs at Crunchy-Chewy Mama, writes for her Washington Times Communities column, “Ingredients for Healthy Living,” and for All Things Mothering.

Arlington Greens at their January regular meeting on January 4 at the Ballston Firehouse Station community room voted to nominate Audrey Clement as its candidate for the vacant county board position to be filled at a special election on Tuesday, March 27, 2012.

For more information on Audrey Clement’s campaign, check out her website:

http://audreyclement.org