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Articles
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| Gray bills eye health care, universal pre-K |
VOICE writes, "Gray bills eye health care, universal pre-K
Current Staff Report
An improved health-care climate in the District, universal access to pre-kindergarten classes, vocational education throughout the city and review of the special-education system rank highly on the legislative agenda of D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray, who spoke at a D.C. Chamber of Commerce meeting last week.
Gray said he plans to introduce legislation to create a separate Health Care Finance Department to handle residents' insurance questions. The new department would be separate from the Health Department, which largely has a preventative goal, Gray explained. "
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Gray also said the city must "craft a regional solution" to the hospitals that are in financial stress in Southeast and nearby Prince George's County. He said he has been meeting with the chair of the County Council of Prince George's County on the subject and hopes to have a solution by November.
"If Greater Southeast collapses, it will work its way west," affecting the city's other hospitals, Gray said. "Our whole health-care system will be negatively affected."
Gray said the District could use some of the money from the $200 million tobacco settlement fund to help the process.
"I ask you to be patient. It's very, very complicated ... with a tremendous ripple effect," he said.
On the education front, Gray said the council plans to study the city's $320 million special-education system. He noted that the program covers about 4,000 students and costs $320 million, $72 million of which pays for bus transportation.
As a starter, he said he would treat differently a situation in an apartment building on North Capitol Street, where 16 special-education students are bused to 16 different sites in Maryland and Northern Virginia.
Gray's solution, he said, would be to enroll the students in appropriate programs in neighborhood schools. There are three schools within walking distance of the high-rise, he said. "I'd like to see the dollars transferred to the general education program."
About vocational education, Gray said classes could appeal to both non-college-bound and college-bound students, with some using the classes to teach them simple home-repair and other similar skills.
The Chamber's president, Barbara Lang, pointed out at last week's luncheon that the District added 30,000 jobs in the past five years, but the number of working District residents had dropped by 14,000. "We don't have a jobs problem. We have a skills problem," she said.
Gray said he plans to introduce a bill in the fall that would require D.C. Public Schools to offer voluntary pre-kindergarten programs for 3- and 4-years-olds citywide. The Chamber has been receptive to this idea in the past, even hosting a luncheon last year that promoted the idea.
About school facilities, Gray said that he was happy to see that Roosevelt High School's sports fields have been fixed up. "If you want a good drop-out [prevention] program, have a good sports program," said Gray, a former Dunbar High School football player. "One should never downplay athletics in the lives of children."
In terms of procedural issues, Gray said the council plans to include in its upcoming budget a research office to serve the D.C. Council in a manner similar to the way the Congressional Research Service helps members of Congress.
In addition, new equipment will allow television coverage of all council hearings in the first-floor meeting rooms, he said.
Gray also said the council is planning to create a page program -- similar to one in Maryland -- for high school students and possibly for students at the University of the District of Columbia.
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Posted on Sep 13, 2007 06:55am.
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