Break up the big school districts

Timothy P. Carney

December 12, 03:22 PM December 15, 02:11 PM

The public schools in Montgomery County, Maryland, on Monday opened on a two-hour delay. This was a borderline call, considering there was no snow or ice on the streets at 6 a.m., and so it’s no surprise that the largest neighboring school systems — Washington, D.C., and Fairfax County, Virginia — opened on time.

In my 12 years as a school parent in MoCo, we would have two-hour delays or total closures on days when there was no snow or ice anywhere in our ZIP code. It’s a famous fact about MoCo Public Schools: the snow days with no snow. It’s not just about overly cautious school officials; it’s also about the massive size of a school district.

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You might have no snow or totally plowed sidewalks and roads in Burtonsville or Potomac and then 3 inches of unplowed, icy snow covering the roads in Damascus.

MoCo is 500 square miles and includes urban areas, small towns, and rural parts. Also, there are 160,000 students in the MCPS system. (It was 180,000 just a few years ago, but their yearlong COVID closures, followed by a yearlong mask mandate and two-year youth crime spree, have taken a toll, along with the baby bust now being high school age.)

Because snow days are a centralized decision in this massive school district, hundreds of thousands of students’ school days are determined by weather that only affects a small slice of students many miles away.

And before you say, “Oh, come on, more snow days are good,” keep two things in mind: MCPS has “remote learning days” on snow days, meaning children are stuck on Zoom; again, it’s often not snowing, which means sledding, snowball fights, and snow football aren’t even an option.

But this isn’t really a post about snow days. The big problem is that in this massive school district, nearly every decision is centralized.

For one thing, this means there’s not really democratic accountability. Public schools in a school district of 160,000, in a population of 1 million, are not really local schools. Communities don’t have control over schools in such a setting. Often, the school district boundaries have no regard for community boundaries, which means the high schools fail to serve as community hubs the way they do in small-town schools.

When the school board kept schools closed for an entire year during COVID, the pro-closure teachers always focused their arguments on the lowest common denominator, pointing to the school in the county with the worst ventilation, the most overenrollment, and the biggest language barriers.

No, teachers told me. “There’s no equity there.”

So when you centralize decision-making in a massive bureaucracy and hold a rigid concept of “equity” as a highest principal, you get a very kludgy, unresponsive system.

Montgomery County should probably break up its school system into eight different systems of about 20,000 students each. (This would mean about three or four high schools per school district.) Give each school district autonomy, but provide centralized funding from the county taxpayers, with the money portioned out proportional to the student population with some adjustments for districts with poorer families.

Fairfax and Loudoun counties in Virginia, both schools whose boards have been taken over by ideologues, should probably do the same.

Locally controlled schools are a key institution of civil society in a world where alienation is tearing us apart.

Oh, and each of those smaller school districts should start by considering a radical proposal: When it actually is too snowy to get to school, let the children have a snow day.

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Louisiana lawmakers convene task force to help distressed municipalities

Victor Skinner | The Center Square contributor

August 31, 07:57 AM August 31, 07:57 AM

(The Center Square) — A legislative task force "to study the dissolution or absorption of fiscally distressed municipalities" set the tone in its first meeting with a vote to change its name.

It's now known as the "Solutions to Achieve Viability and Efficiency" task force.

Chairman Sen. Louie Bernard, R-Natchitoches, suggested the change following presentations from officials with the Legislative Auditor's Office, Louisiana Municipal Association, Police Jury Association, and Government Finance Officers Association on the myriad factors impacting the state's most distressed communities.

The focus, all agreed, should be on measures to proactively help municipalities maintain financial health amid declining populations, business loss, infrastructure issues, and other obstacles that have driven 21 to seek help from the state. Some have sought to dissolve their governments entirely.

Auditors find many cannot pass a budget, declining revenues, degrading water and sewer systems, and inadequate budgeting, financial management and monitoring.

All but one of the municipalities working with the state are losing population, with 21 representing 8% of municipalities with declining populations versus 2% with increasing populations. A financial risk model the LLA uses shows 83 municipalities in fiscal distress.

Since 2005, 12 entities have gone into fiscal administration, which involves the attorney general, treasurer, and LLA voting to put the local government under complete financial control of the state. That fiscal administration, officials said, costs locals roughly $150,000 a year and typically lasts two to three years, officials said.

Currently, there are 22 municipalities in Louisiana with past due annual financial reports, including four with more than three past due. In the last five years, 50 municipalities have submitted annual financial statements past the deadline, not including those with emergency exemptions, officials said.

A presentation from the Louisiana Municipal Association provided an overview of the many financial strains on local governments, highlighting over 100 unfunded mandates.

The mandates include civil service requirements, police and fire workers compensation, election expenses, coroner's fees, state agency fees, and costs complying with open meetings laws, among many others.

Failing water systems — more than 40 in Louisiana with "D" or "F" grades — is another significant challenge.

Guy Cormier, executive director of the Police Jury Association of Louisiana representing parishes, stressed repeatedly that the task force should focus on solutions to help locals avoid dissolving, while others on the task force called for clarity in that process for those that can't avoid it.

The task force was created by Senate Concurrent Resolution 43 approved in the 2023 session to study the issues facing struggling municipalities and create a process for helping municipalities fix their finances.

Members consist of lawmakers, local elected officials, designees from the attorney general, state treasurer, and commissioner of administration, as well as representatives from the Louisiana Municipal Association, Police Jury Association, Louisiana Sheriff's Association, state Chiefs of Police, AFL-CIO, and the Louisiana School Boards Association.

The task force will study a variety of solutions, such as regional service agreements and other ways municipalities can work together with parishes and others to save money, and make recommendations for action in a report to the legislature by next September.

Its next meeting is scheduled for Oct. 25 in Baton Rouge.

Greyhound bus accident leaves more than a dozen injured: Police

Meghann Dyke

August 05, 10:41 PM August 06, 09:34 AM

More than a dozen people sustained injuries in an incident involving a Greyhound bus in Georgia, which local authorities said flipped on its side when one of the vehicle's tires blew out.

The "single vehicle auto accident" was reported as taking place on GA highway 401, at mile marker 182 South along I-75, in the city of Forsyth mid-afternoon, on Saturday, according to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.

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Monroe County Emergency Services said 13 people were taken for treatment, while the other passengers were driven away in a school bus to another location.

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"The vehicle involved is a Greyhound bus which was occupied with approximately 30 passengers," Monroe police stated.

"There have been multiple injuries reported at this time but non life threatening. A preliminary investigation shows that the bus possibly had a tire blow out. Deputies are still investigating the accident at this time."

Muriel Bowser's former chief of staff engaged in sexual harassment, per internal report

Haisten Willis

June 18, 01:33 PM June 18, 01:33 PM

A former top aide to the mayor of Washington D.C. sexually harassed a female employee, according to an internal probe.

John Falcicchio, former chief of staff and deputy mayor to Muriel Bowser, allegedly engaged in unwanted sexual advances and sent explicit digital messages, according to the report.

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The complainant, who was not named, accused Falcicchio of eight separate allegations, two of which were substantiated, according to the report. Those two were physical sexual advances and inappropriate messages.

The other six, sexual or attracted-based favoritism, bullying by staff, demotion, retaliatory interactions, threatening behavior, and retaliatory treatment following the complaint, were found to be unsubstantiated.

The unwelcome sexual advances allegedly occurred while the woman was in Falcicchio's apartment, and included him exposing his sexual organs, while the inappropriate messages were sent to her cellphone via thousands of SnapChat messages, and included demands for sex and graphic videos.

"Based on the foregoing, the complainant’s substantiated allegations against the Deputy Mayor and Chief of Staff for the Mayor more likely than not constituted sexual harassment as defined and prohibited by Mayor’s Order 2017-313," the report concluded.

The other accusations included Falcicchio demoting the complainant and having staff bully her after the complaint was made, though those were not substantiated by the report.

Falcicchio, 44, had been with Bowser since 2006, according to the Washington Post, and worked with her through each of her three successful mayoral campaigns. Bowser has been mayor of the nation's capital since 2015, and her current term runs through the end of 2026.

Falcicchio resigned on March 17, a big blow to Bowser as he was widely considered her right-hand man. In a previous statement, Bowser noted that the investigation didn't involve any allegations related to business transactions and that it would not "slow down" the city's work.

Lindsey Parker has been hired as Bowser's new chief of staff, while Keith Anderson is interim deputy mayor. The District of Columbia government employs 37,000 people.

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Bowser released another statement Saturday night, saying she takes “sexual harassment allegations and findings seriously and will continue to work urgently to ensure our workplaces reflect our policies and our values.”

The Washington Examiner has reached out to Falcicchio's lawyer for comment.

Measure that would restrict local regulation of wind farms advances to Illinois House

By Greg Bishop | The Center Square

January 09, 08:39 AM January 09, 08:39 AM

(The Center Square) – Whether a county can have more control over renewable energy projects like wind farms is under consideration by Illinois lawmakers in the final hours of lame-duck session.

Late Sunday, state Sen. Bill Cunningham advanced House Bill 4412 to provide counties with what he said were “guardrails” for sighting wind farms. He said it will better align the state with its renewable energy goals.

“We have other counties who have much more restrictive rules in place and that has stymied development and that’s what we’re trying to address in this bill,” Cunningham said. “By allowing for local input, but putting guardrails on how restrictive those sighting requirements can be.”

State Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, worries about radar disruption for tracking tornadoes and concerns the turbines can kill wildlife like raptor birds.

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State Sens. Bill Cunningham, D-Chicago, and Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, debate a bill about renewable energy 

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State Sens. Bill Cunningham, D-Chicago, and Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, debate a bill about renewable energy

“Why is that important, because they're the ones who keep all the other species in check. They’re the ones that eat mice and rats that prevent vermin from spreading disease,” Rose said. “Oh, monarch butterflies, let’s screw that up too. Why is that important? Because we need to eat.”

Rose said local jurisdictions are already doing what’s best for their jurisdictions.

“We got plenty of this. And if you let it work you’ll get plenty more but it will in places where locally elected officials have said ‘yeah, that makes sense, that makes sense to put it there,’” Rose said.

The measure was approved and now can be sent to the House for consideration. The final day of lame-duck session is Tuesday.

The conservative kids are all right

Virginia Aabram

September 22, 11:00 PM September 23, 07:43 AM

Maxwell Frost, a Bernie Sanders-endorsed gun control activist and former Uber driver, is set to become the first Generation Z member of Congress after November's election at just 25 years old.

The Florida Democrat who won a primary in his state's safely blue 10th Congressional District is what many might consider an archetype of the newest generation entering public life. As a young progressive Democrat, his resume includes work with the American Civil Liberties Union and the gun reform group March for Our Lives. Frost has been arrested during a protest. Progressive leaders including Sanders (I-VT) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) have taken notice.

“Zoomers,” as they’re called colloquially, are shaping up to be one of the most progressive generations so far. Nearly 70% said they favor an “activist government” that intervenes to solve societal problems, according to Pew Research Center polling in 2020. Fifty-four percent have a negative view of capitalism.

But the highly visible, progressive activist side of Gen Z doesn’t give the whole picture, and Iowa state Rep. Joe Mitchell is on a mission to help young conservatives change the image of their generation one election at a time. His organization Run GenZ has been recruiting younger candidates to run for public office and start making a difference on the local and state levels.

“We have a massive generation of very hardcore progressive and a lot of self-identified socialists, so the only way to stop that is to get young conservatives elected to office on a platform that communicates to our generation that the policies that have destroyed millions of lives across the across the world are not the kinds of policies we want here in America,” Mitchell told the Washington Examiner.

Mitchell’s senior year of college wasn’t typical — he won his first bid for political office in an upset primary victory, then coasted through the general election in his safely Republican district, graduated from Drake University, and was sworn in as the youngest ever Iowa representative at age 21. He started getting asked to speak at various conservative conferences such as Turning Point and met other young people who wanted to do what he did but lacked the support.

“My main message to people to speak is just say, ‘I'm not an anomaly. I'm not an outlier,’” he said. “I was never a 4.0 student — I just went out there and did the hard work. Everyone else has the ability to do that.”

Now he’s helping other young conservatives get elected to statehouses, school boards, and city councils across the country through Run GenZ, which he founded to "prepare Generation Z leaders to take action, take charge, and take control of the future by supporting the vision of the founders of this country and supporting conservative political values such as limited government, free market capitalism, individual responsibility, and fiscal restraint."

It's a little loose about what constitutes Gen Z. While Pew begins the generation on Jan. 1, 1997 — making the oldest 25 in 2022 — Run GenZ works with candidates ages 18 to 30. It also has a broad base when it comes to the kind of candidates it'll back. So long as you believe in the Constitution and free markets and love America, you can apply for help with a campaign from Run GenZ.

“We always joke that if there was a Democrat who believed all those things, we’d probably admit them,” Mitchell said.

The organization advises candidates with everything from website-building to fundraising plans and pairs them with a mentor to guide them through the process. These include Caleb Hanna, a Run GenZ co-founder and the youngest black person ever elected to a state house when he joined the West Virginia House of Delegates at age 19 in 2018. State Rep. Amber Mariano is another co-founder, and she won her first election in Florida at age 21 in 2016.

There are more experienced politicians who help. The organization's advisory board includes former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, ex-Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who was energy secretary in former President Donald Trump's administration, and John Sununu, White House chief of staff for the late President George H.W. Bush and New Hampshire governor for six years before that.

There are a few sticking points when it comes to selling young candidates, some of whom might not even be legally able to buy a drink.

One might be encouraging political office too early, resulting in career politicians and swamp creatures — after all, some complain that President Joe Biden was first elected to the Senate when he was just 29 and has been in Washington ever since. But that’s precisely why Run GenZ doesn’t yet endorse candidates for anything higher than statewide offices.

School boards, county positions, and city councils often don’t pay or offer a stipend too small to make a living off of, and most state representatives need to keep a day job if they want to support a family. At the low end, New Hampshire gives its legislators $100 per year, while at the ceiling, only California and New York pay more than six figures, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Those who want to enter public service at these levels can’t be doing it for the money because there’s hardly any to be had.

Another is that the most active voting demographic is those 60 years or older, meaning Gen Z candidates have to make the pitch that candidates who came of age in nearly another world will serve the conservative interests of their older base. But that’s not as hard as one might think, Mitchell said, and his track record proves it: Run GenZ has secured 42 victories and 20 losses so far in 2022, a win rate of nearly 70%.

“The policies on a state, local, or federal level are going to affect our generation the most, and they're going to affect our children the most and our grandchildren the most,” he said. “We should have a seat at the table to make sure that this endless amount of spending that is happening right now and the policies, whether it's education or healthcare or the economy, that we have a say in them because we're the ones [who] are all going to have to live with the choices that are made today.”

This year, two Gen Z House Republican candidates, or close to it in age, have realistic shots of making it to Congress. In New Hampshire's 1st Congressional District, in the Granite State's eastern half, GOP nominee Karoline Leavitt, 25, is locked in a tight race against Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH). And in North Carolina's newly created southern Raleigh suburbs 13th Congressional District, Bo Hines, 26, is fighting for the swing seat against Democratic state Sen. Wiley Nickel.

Judge boots Cowboys for Trump founder from New Mexico county commissioner post over Jan. 6

Ryan King

September 06, 01:16 PM September 06, 01:16 PM

A judge ordered Cowboys for Trump co-founder Couy Griffin to leave his Otero County commissioner post effective immediately.

Ruling that Griffin's participation in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot was a violation of the 14th Amendment, a New Mexico judge determined on Tuesday that Griffin was disqualified from holding office, marking one of the first times such a ruling took place since 1869, according to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

COWBOYS FOR TRUMP FOUNDER SENTENCED FOR JAN. 6 TRESPASS

“This is a historic win for accountability for the January 6th insurrection and the efforts to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power in the United States. Protecting American democracy means ensuring those who violate their oaths to the Constitution are held responsible,” CREW President Noah Bookbinder said.

In May, Griffin was found guilty of illegally entering restricted Capitol grounds during the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol. This included one count of disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds and another charge of entering and remaining in a restricted building. He was later sentenced to a year of supervised release and 60 hours of community service in June.

“I wear Jan. 6 as a badge of honor," Griffin said after his trial, according to Politico reporter Kyle Cheney. He also told reporters at the time that he had no plans of resigning from his Otero County commissioner post despite the guilty verdict.

CREW partnered with several law firms to represent New Mexico residents in a lawsuit seeking to disqualify Griffin from office. District Court Judge Francis Mathew, who oversaw the case, determined Griffin is prohibited from running or holding political office because his actions on Jan. 6 breached the 14th Amendment.

Section 3 of the 14th Amendment bars people from holding public office who "engaged in insurrection or rebellion" against the United States or had "given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof." One witness claimed that Griffin "took on a leadership position within the mob" on Jan. 6, according to CREW.

“This decision makes clear that any current or former public officials who took an oath to defend the U.S. Constitution and then participated in the January 6th insurrection can and will be removed and barred from government service for their actions,” Bookbinder added.

The Washington Examiner reached out to Griffin for comment.

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Multiple lawsuits have been filed against top Republicans across the country such as Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Madison Cawthorn (R-NC), Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Arizona Secretary of State hopeful Mark Finchem, and others claiming they should be removed from the ballot due to alleged ties to the Jan. 6 riot.

The suits relied on similar arguments to the one against Griffin, claiming that they partook or aided in an insurrection in violation of the 14th Amendment. So far, none of those suits have been successful in court.

Former Idaho lawmaker sentenced to 20 years in prison on charge of raping intern

Ryan King

September 01, 12:37 PM September 01, 12:37 PM

Former Idaho state Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger was sentenced Wednesday to 20 years behind bars for raping a 19-year-old intern.

Von Ehlinger, a Republican, was convicted of a rape charge in April and will be eligible for parole after he serves eight years, according to 4th District Judge Michael Reardon, who blasted the former lawmaker for not showing remorse for his actions.

FORMER IDAHO LAWMAKER FOUND GUILTY OF RAPING 19-YEAR-OLD INTERN

“You have a pattern of explaining, excusing, deflecting, and blaming others for the circumstances you find yourself in,” Reardon scolded, the Associated Press reported.

In March of 2021, an intern came forward alleging that von Ehlinger raped her at his apartment following a dinner the pair had, which the former state lawmaker denied, saying the encounter was consensual, per the report. He previously claimed during testimony she never gave him any indications "that she was not wanting to participate."

He pleaded not guilty, but a 12-person jury found him guilty of one felony count for raping her. During the sentencing hearing, audio was reportedly played of the former intern recounting the experience and describing panic attacks from hearing his name.

“I am here now. I am here scared, I am here frightened, [and] I am so petrified, but I will not be intimidated into silence so that another rapist can slip through the cracks of this justice system,” she said, per the news outlet. “I hope he rots in pieces behind those cold metal bars.”

Last year, the Idaho House Ethics Committee unanimously recommended expelling von Ehlinger from the state House, and he subsequently stepped down.

Von Ehlinger recalled his military service in Afghanistan during sentencing and told the judge that he fought to protect women. He also explained that he embarked on a pilgrimage before his trial.

“I was ultimately baptized in the Jordan River,” von Ehlinger said, noting he was first required to confess his sins. “I confessed a lot of sins your honor — I am not a perfect man — but rape was not a sin that I could confess to. It would be [a] sin to confess to something that I did not commit," von Ehlinger explained during his sentencing.

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Slamming von Ehlinger for displaying a lack of compassion toward his former intern, Reardon declared that the former lawmaker "created your own circumstances that put you here today." The judge also required von Ehlinger to register as a sex offender via an order that will last until 2055.

The Washington Examiner reached out to a lawyer for von Ehlinger for comment.

New Jersey politician refuses to resign after alleged hit-and-run

Ryan King

August 18, 02:47 PM August 18, 02:47 PM

A Jersey City councilwoman refused to step down from office Wednesday night amid outcry over an alleged hit-and-run last month.

Nearly 100 locals showed up to a city council meeting Wednesday, imploring Amy DeGise to step down. DeGise expressed remorse but refused to capitulate, teasing that she will have more to say about the incident after legal proceedings ensue.

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"I’m not resigning," DeGise declared, Fox News reported. "For those who call for my resignation, you are heard and I understand that you have concerns and questions that I respect and would enjoy any type of dialogue or discussion with you after I go to court."

Footage showed an SUV colliding with Andrew Black, 29, at an intersection on July 19. He appeared to blow through a red light and managed to survive the incident while suffering injuries. The SUV, which was reportedly driven by DeGise, is then seen driving away from the scene.

DeGise was subsequently hit with two summons for fleeing and then failing to report the incident for about six hours, CBS News reported. During the meeting Wednesday, DeGise expressed gratitude toward the few residents in attendance who voiced support for her amid the firestorm.

“I’m appreciative of everyone who came out and had to stay tonight. I’m appreciative and so grateful for the people who have reached out to support me or just want to wait until that court process goes on to ask me any further questions [or] to pry anymore. I cannot make it through these days without you," she said, per Fox News.

Black was making deliveries for Uber Eats when he was rammed by the SUV, CBS News reported. He has reportedly been contemplating a lawsuit against DeGise.

"Like if you hit someone that speed and just drive away, it seems like that's not nice to me," Black told the news outlet.

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DeGise also noted Wednesday that she did not yet have a court date and insisted the incident has made her eager to be "a better leader."

She was previously involved in another vehicular incident. Police body camera footage from last November showed a police officer informing her that she had parked her car illegally and it had been struck by another car and would be towed away.

If she continues refusing to step down, locals could try to pursue a recall election against her, a council member told CBS2.

Mike Pence courts New Hampshire politicos as 2024 speculation brews

Ryan King

August 17, 07:55 PM August 17, 07:55 PM

BRETTON WOODS, New Hampshire — Former Vice President Mike Pence met with local New Hampshire politicians during his crisscrossing of the Granite State on Wednesday as speculations mount over his 2024 ambitions.

At his side during much of his tour Wednesday was Jeb Bradley, majority leader of the New Hampshire Senate, as the two stumped for local candidates and participated in meet-and-greets with residents. Bradley, who previously served with Pence in Congress, is one of several local heavyweights who could be a key ally in a hypothetical 2024 race.

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"[Pence is] a great friend of mine, somebody who's been through thick and thin and, you know, had a tough go in 2020," Bradley said during a stop in Bretton Woods. "He's back out doing it because he cares ... and that's the Mike Pence of integrity that I knew so many years ago. You can't find a better human being than Mike Pence."

Following remarks at a "Politics & Eggs" event, Pence traveled through mountainous New Hampshire terrain up to North Country, attending a law enforcement roundtable event with state Senate contender Tim Lang before hosting a mostly private event with locals alongside state Senate contender Carrie Gendreau. His tour ended in Bretton Woods, where he huddled with members of the Tri-County GOP in a swanky hotel overlooking cloud-covered mountains.

Notably absent from the tour was any stumping for New Hampshire Republicans in national races such as the House or Senate. Pence's backing of Lang and Gendreau in state legislative elections seemingly steers him clear of taking a stand that would be considered divisive among national Republicans while allowing him to make inroads with local power players in a key early-voting state.

Throughout his visit, Pence repeatedly defended New Hampshire's status as the first-in-the-nation presidential primary — a mantle that the Democrats are rethinking for their primary process.

"I just think tradition is important. I've never spent a lot of time in New Hampshire, but I may someday," he teased at Politics & Eggs. "And there's something about what you people do here on both sides of the aisle that I think has contributed to the quality of leadership that we've generated in this country."

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This was Pence's third major trip to New Hampshire since departing the White House, according to his security detail. He is also slated to visit Iowa later in the week but has downplayed his 2024 ambitions despite his focus on early-voting states that often attract presidential hopefuls.

"You know, all my focus right now is on making sure that we're electing men and women at every level of state government to 2020 to put our country back on a path of security and prosperity," he told reporters during the tour. "Then, after the first of the year, we'll see what we might be able to contribute in the months and years ahead."