Deputy Mayor's Budget Sliced
D.C. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray hasn't made a secret of his skepticism of the office of Deputy Mayor for Education Victor A. Reinoso. At a budget hearing a couple weeks ago, Gray repeatedly suggested that the office was redundant and perhaps unnecessary.
Today, during a Committee of the Whole budget markup for education, Gray proposed stripping $2 million from Reinoso's $6.9 million budget request and redirecting it toward one of Gray's own education initiatives--expanding pre-kindergarten opportunities.
The move could be a blow to the administration. Reinoso's office had a budget of $2.4 million this year, but was envisioning a signficant expansion. Reinoso said $2 million in his budget proposal would go toward oversight of the education system--about the same as this year--and $500,000 is devoted to a new Office of the School Ombudsman, which has four employees including ombudsman Tonya Kinlow. Another $4 million is slated to be spent on so-called "wrap-around" services in the schools--new programs aimed at delivering health care and student safety services. Among the new programs planned for next year include home visits from nurses and new training for security guards.
In an interview, Reinoso and his deputy Eric Lerum described the office's role as an "incubator" of new programs.
"Since we don't have day to day responsibility, we are in position off to the side to do research, RFPs [contracts], incubate, evaluate, and then hand [new programs] over" to other city agencies, Lerum said. "That way will do not take the agencies' focus off what they're doing now."
But Gray has been skeptical of Reinoso's performance for a while. Last year, the chairman delayed a council vote to confirm Reinoso after it came to light that the mayor's education improvement plan had been largely copied without attribution from a school district in North Carolina. At the hearing two weeks ago, Gray repeatedly asked Reinoso to defend his budget, telling him: "Obviously, one should know what one is getting for $6.9 million. I'm struggling to do that."
Gray asked why agencies such as the health department cannot simply create and operate the new programs on their own.
"I have no quarrel with the initiatives," Gray said. "But it seems to me yet another layer--the deputy mayor's office. I can't understand the significant differences of what [the agencies] would do on their own or under this model."
By David A Nakamura |
April 29, 2008; 11:38 AM ET
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David Nakamura
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Posted by: Rhode Island Ave | April 29, 2008 12:14 PM
Wow. How much does Chairman Gray want the Mayor's education plans to fail? Doesn't he realize that the voters see his political games and understand what he's doing? Can't wait to vote him out of office...
Posted by: Rhode Island Ave | April 29, 2008 12:14 PM
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Nonsense, Mr. Gray, that statement is absurd. Nobody believes that you want D.C. Public Schools to fail. You nor anyone would benefit from that. You would all be held accountable.
I appreciate your, and the Council's, doing your job of carefully vetting the Mayor's budget, one of the things you were elected to do. The math in the '09 budget doesn't make sense, it is not transparent. FTE positions have been slashed so as to pay for the exorbinant salaries of new managers. I have never known a government or company, for that matter, to need more high paid managers than front line workers to do the, well, "work". In this budget it looks like it is going to get done "somehow", perhaps by Casper the friendly ghost.
Deputy Mayor Reinoso's office does "appear" redundant. Many of his duties could and should be carried out by the Chancellor, in theory. This, even though I am not personally impressed with her ability to carry out what she already has on her plate. But personality and credentials aside, the Chancellor positions could take on more, especially in a tight budget cycle.
All of the citizens of the District do not feel that the Mayor has been assigned "Christ" status and is beyond the capacity of error.
Your job as council persons is GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT. Which, too, includes "the Budget". Nobody is asking that the council sink the Mayor's initiatives, however, we are asking that you ensure that the District has a balanced budget that is transparent and makes sense.
Posted by: Concernedaboutdc | April 30, 2008 6:03 AM
"Since we don't have day to day responsibility, we are in position off to the side to do research, RFPs [contracts], incubate, evaluate, and then hand [new programs] over" to other city agencies, Lerum said. "That way will do not take the agencies' focus off what they're doing now."
TRANSLATED:
Their role is to "think outside of the box" and come up with 6 million dollars worth of ideas that may or may not be used. To think of ways to spend other agencies limited budget dollars.
Question:
Why is the Deputy Mayor for "EDUCATION" researching initiatives to "hand over" to other District agencies, other than the D.C. Public Schools?
I agree with Gray, aren't those high paid executives in those "other" District agencies capable of working with the Chancellor and making those strategic decisions themselves? Aren't they the subject matter experts of their own agencies? Is anyone buying that these agencies heads want or need this tangent entity making plans on the budgets that they are restricted to operating within? That working directly with the Chancellor would be too much of a diversion from what they 'are doing now'? Hasn't the Mayor made public schools the priority for all government agencies? If so, could it really be called a diversion?
If anyone is playing games, it is Deputy Mayor Victor Reinoso. He is inconvincing and unable to defend his budget. Perhaps he can cut and paste the testimony of the North Carolina school lead and fix the numbers to match the District budget....
Sorry for the sacasm..I couldn't resist.
I do expect fiscal accountability from this Administration and Council.
Posted by: Anonymous | April 30, 2008 6:19 AM
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Wow. How much does Chairman Gray want the Mayor's education plans to fail? Doesn't he realize that the voters see his political games and understand what he's doing? Can't wait to vote him out of office...