Beltway Area Indymedia

Efforts to allow for community input, by way of a referendum measure, on the mayoral takeover plan of DC Public Schools (DCPS), were met with yet another delay today. Today's hearing, on Tuesday, May 8th, was originally intended to judge whether or not the subject matter of Mary Spencer's referendum proposal was appropriate for a referendum by law. Referendum proposer Mary Spencer, a DCPS graduate, and grandmother of children in DC Public Schools, was forced to temporarily withdraw her referendum proposal, in order to make absolutely sure that it met technical requirements of a referendum proposal. Due to several challenges made by the DC Office of the Attorney General, and by Brian Flowers, the General Counsel for the DC City Council, Ms. Spencer, with the threat of any community consent process (for the legislation) being excluded altogether, will be amending her referendum proposal to include only Titles I, IX, and X of the Mayor's DC Public Education Reform Act of 2007 (despite much public oppositon, attempted injunctions, and protests, the controversial legislation was passed by the DC City Council on April 19, 2007).

(Audio: 7 min 28 seconds, including interviews with a Temple Courts resident and a Ward 4 resident)

Thousands of DC residents marched on April 16 to demand that DC residents get a vote in Congress. At this event, however,Mayor Fenty got an unpleasant suprise from residents of the besieged Temple Courts community, and from opponents of his school takeover plan.