UPW Urban Pro Weekly

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Stormwater fee takes a hit; supporters to push forward

URBAN PRO WEEKLY JULY 9 - 15, 2015 VOL. 4 NO. 42

Fast Forward Photo by Vincent Hobbs

the Creative Journey of Melanie Avita Rivera

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UrbanProWeekly - JULY 9 - 15, 2015

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Stormwater fee not yet ripe

by Frederick Benjamin Sr. UrbanProWeekly Political Analyst AUGUSTA I’m sure that City Administrator Janet Allen Jackson must be thinking, so this is what everyone has been warning me about politics in Augusta.

This, of course, is the bizarre turn of events surrounding the city’s efforts to bring relief to the thousands of residents who have to endure flooding on a routine basis every time it rains hard in Augusta.

On Tuesday, the city didn’t get the required six votes to move forward with the fee. (The vote was 5-3-2) The two abstentions are credited to Commissioners Wayne Guilfoyle and Marion Williams. The abstentions prevented a 5-5 tie which Mayor Hardie Davis would have broken in favor of implementing the fee.

Despite the fact that hundreds of thousands of dollars have already been spent on the commission-sanctioned effort and despite the fact that the commission voted to include the projected revenue in its current budget, only five commissioners could muster up the courage to “pull the trigger.”

Here’s what just happened. The city is faced with tens of millions of dollars of infrastructure replacement and maintenance costs in an effort to control the out-of-control flooding.

The quickest way to get that done is to create a revenue stream through the implementation of a stormwater fee at the cost $6.40 per month for the average citizen. If you are a business owner who has a building or buildings, you will have to pay more. If you are a nonprofit organization such as a church or service or cultural organization with a building, you will have to pay more.

Now, getting back to Madam Administrator. She has every right to be scratching her head. For less than the cost of a Big Mac, small Sprite, and Value Fries once a month, the city could be on its way to solving serious environmental challenges. And while it is understandable that those on fixed incomes have not met any tax or fee that they could support, there’s

A STRONG DOSE OF CITY POLITICS: City Administrator Janet Allen Jackson made a strong case for implementation of the stormwater fee which would provide funds for flood abatement in the city’s poorest neighborhoods. The implementation was foiled by political maneuvering by some commissioners. Photo by Vincent Hobbs. little else more most other folks to to oppose any type of tax or fee that’s Lockett, Dennis Williams, and Sammy complain about. not spelled SPLOST. Sias.

So, if the need exists and a funding The newest commissioner, Sean Commissioner Marion Williams did source can be created fairly quickly, Frantom, is not going to rock the not support implementation of the why so much opposition? boat and vote for an unpopular fee. stormwater fee citing fears that the Commissioner Guilfoyle has been To his credit, however, he has voted successful implementation of the fee against the stormwater fee from day for a fairly unpopular West Augusta could very well hasten the defeat of one. He argues that his largely rural housing initiative. the next SPLOST package. constituency doesn’t have the same So Guilfoyle, Davis, Smith and According to Williams, with the flooding issues as his inner-city coun- Frantom are solidly opposed to the SPLOST package being the only thing terparts. stormwater fee, but would support on the ballot in the November elecUnderstood. capital improvements to the city’s tion, it’s likely that the most motiMary Davis and Grady Smith have sagging infrastructure through the vated voters will likely be those who not been vocal opponents of the passage of the next SPLOST package. would vote “No.” stormwater fee, but their political The five commissioners who supThat view has merit, but it’s conjecinstincts are such that they must port the fee include Bill Fennoy, ture. A successful SPLOST package in blow with the prevailing wind. And, whose district is hardest hit by freContinued on next page of late, the prevailing wind has been quent flooding, Ben Hasan, Bill

UrbanProWeekly • JULY 9 - 15, 2015

THE CITY

Headed for Land Bank?

UrbanProWeekly - JULY 9 - 15, 2015

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COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS

Perhaps the most egregious example of abandoned properties faced by the city of Augusta is the acres and acres of vacant property in the middle of one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods.

The Steiner Avenue property is adjacent the historic Bethlehem Community Center.

On Tuesday, commissioners voted to see if the property can be taken over by the Augusta Land Bank Authority.

A single row of warehouse compartments is all that remains of a once thriving cotton warehouse operation.

This photo was taken in 2012.

Photo by Vincent Hobb

Stormwater fee from p. 3 November, may or may not have anything to do with what happens in July.

If Administrator Jackson hadn’t gotten the “full Monty” of Augusta politics before Tuesday, she got an eyeful.

Here’s our posture (apologies to Hardie Davis). The mayor, the city administrator, the deputy city

UPW

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Published by

Urban Pro Weekly LLC 3529 Monte Carlo Drive Augusta, GA 30906 Executive Publisher BEN HASAN 706-394-9411 bzhasan54@yahoo.com

administrator and five commissioners want to move forward with the stormwater fee ASAP. The administrator and her staff gave a very strong presentation weighted in favor of the current stormwater fee ordinance.

Aside from a few sensible questions, there was no discussion from Smith,

Executive Managing Editor FREDERICK BENJAMIN SR. 706-306-4647 editor@urbanproweekly.com Sales & Marketing 706-394-9411 Contributors VINCENT HOBBS Photography & New Media View Urbanproweekly on Facebook

Davis or Frantom arguing against the fee.

The administrator asserted frankly that not passing the ordinance implementing the fee was “not without its consequences.”

And yet — nothing happened.

Here’s a prediction.

This issue is not going away. It will likely be placed on the agenda for the very next commission meeting.

Simply put, the matter has too many allies in high places for it to go away.

If the votes had been there to kill it completely, it would have happened.

As it is, even if the fee had been voted on successfully, it would not have been implemented (revenue produced) until January 1, 2016.

Those in flood-prone neighborhoods would have to just put up with the inconvenience until that time.

If, however, the fee is abandoned and placed into the SPLOST bucket, those flooding woes could continue — indefinitely

On Sale Now

Z Z Best Tees

(706) 945-7913 zzbesttees@gmail.com

By Romell W. Cooks Special to UrbanProWeekly AUGUSTA On January 17, 2014, the City of Augusta was enrolled in the A ARP Network of Age-Friendly communities. A ARP works with local officials and partner organizations to advance efforts to help people live easily and comfortably in their communities as they age. The U.S. Census Bureau projects that by 2030, one in every five people will be 65 years and older.

Augusta’s District 5 Commissioner, William “Bill” Lockett, along with A ARP staff and volunteers, has been an active, visible and vocal supporter of Age-Friendly AugustaRichmond. Lockett and the 40 plus members of the Age-Friendly Advisory Council know that as the U.S. population ages and people stay healthy and active longer, communities must adapt.

An Age-Friendly Community is a community that targets improvements in eight livability domains that influence the health, safety and quality of life of older adults. The livability domains are: 1. Outdoor Spaces and Buildings: Availability of safe and accessible recreational facilities 2. Transportation: Safe and afford-

able modes of private and public transportation.

3. Housing: Availability of home modification programs for aging in place as well as a range of age-friendly housing options.

4. Social Participation: Access to leisure and cultural activities, including opportunities for older residents to socialize and engage with peers as well as younger people.

5. Respect and Social Inclusion: Programs that promote ethic and cultural diversity, as well as multigenerational interaction and dialogue.

6. Civic Participation and Employment: Paid work and volunteer activities for older residents and opportunities to engage in the formulation of policies relevant to their lives.

7. Communication and Information: Access to communications technology and other resources so older residents can connect with their community, friends and family.

8. Community Support and Health Services: Access to home-based care services, health clinics and programs that promote wellness and active aging.

Lockett said, “We want Augusta to be the best place to live for all ages for their entire life. And, when businesses and families are looking to relocate, the level of livability is a big consideration.” Augusta’s

current Livability Index is 51, one point above the national average score. The Livability Index is a tool developed by the A ARP Public Policy Institute to evaluate the current conditions as well as programs and policies that can enhance community livability over time.

The Council feels certain that Augusta can and will identify projects and programs to improve Augusta’s Livability Index.

The Council will conduct a Community Assessment collecting community input on the eight domains; review

assessments that have already been conducted by other agencies and organizations; and develop a Community Action Plan that will be shared with the A ARP. The next meeting of the AgeFriendly Council will be July 9, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. at the Kroc Center at 1833 Broad Street, Augusta.

For additional information on Age-Friendly, contact Serena Garcia, Communications Director, A ARP Georgia, at: sgarcia@aarp.org or A ARP.org/age-friendly.

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Floyd Mayweather Jr. has 2 weeks to launch a appeal of the WBO decision to strip the welterweight title he won from Manny Pacquiao in May. Photo by Eric Jamison/Getty Images

Floyd Mayweather Jr. stripped of title from Pacquiao fight • Mayweather won belt against Manny Pacquaio in May • Had failed to pay a $200,000 sanctioning fee or relinquish junior middleweight belts Floyd Mayweather Jr has been stripped of the welterweight world title he won in his victory over Manny Pacquiao after failing to comply with the organisation’s rules, the World Boxing Organization said this week.

Mayweather, who also holds the WBC and WBA titles, had until Friday to pay a $200,000 sanctioning fee from the 2 May fight, for which he earned more than $220 million, reported ESPN.com.

The fight generated a record payper-view revenue in the United States of $400 million.

He also has not reliquished his

junior middleweight titles – WBO rules state that a boxer can only hold belts in one weight class, they had given Mayweather time to make the decision on which weight to stick at.

“The WBO world championship committee is allowed no other alternative but to cease to recognize Mr. Floyd Mayweather Jr. as the WBO welterweight champion of the world and vacate his title for failing to comply with our WBO regulations of world championship contests,” the WBO said in a statement on Monday.

“The WBO has the utmost respect for Floyd Mayweather Jr. and all

that he has accomplished during his storied career. Mr. Mayweather has always agreed with and understood that world championships have both privileges and responsibilities and that status as WBO champion is subject to and conditioned on compliance with the WBO rules and regulations.”

Mayweather, who still holds WBC and WBA titles, had said after the Pacquiao fight that he would relinquish his belts: “Other fighters need to get a chance. I’m not greedy. I’m a world champion at two different weight classes right now … It’s time

to let other fighters fight for the belts.” However, the choice has now been taken out of his hands.

Mayweather, who finished ahead on all three scorecards of what proved to be the top-grossing prize fight of all-time, had until 4:30 p.m.

ET (2030 GMT) last Friday to advise the WBO of his position.

Mayweather, who earned over $200 million from.

Mayweather has two weeks to launch an appeal Interim WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley will step up to take the belt.

UrbanProWeekly • JULY 9 - 15, 2015

SPORTS

8 UrbanProWeekly - JULY 9 - 15, 2015

THE ARTS

Melanie Avita Rivera poses for a photo inside Sacred Heart Cultural Center, which also houses the Augusta Ballet offices. Photo by Vincent Hobbs

A conversation with Melanie Avita Rivera INTERVIEW BY VINCENT HOBBS There are some creative individuals who are so immersed in artistic expression, it becomes an absolute part of their being. These are the artists who literally dance along a myriad of artistic genres, from theater to performance to ballet to visual arts – and come full circle by directing and teaching other artists. Art is central to their lives. It is sustenance, just as important as food or water, because without art, the creative spirit dies of malnourishment.

Melanie Avita Rivera loves art. Born to Puerto Rican and Aruban parents, Rivera (who calls herself Arubarican) spent time as a child in both Puerto Rico and Canada before her parents settled in Evans, Georgia. It was here, at Evans High

School, that the spark was lit for a pursuit into artistic expression when she took theater classes and “felt the transformative power of the arts and suddenly wanted to go to college“. Theater changed her whole academic outlook. “I wanted to know more about theatre production and I knew that college could be my ticket to leaving Augusta.”

Rivera’s journey has taken her across the world – including a foray into the United Kingdom as an art student in London to acquire her Master’s in Arts Administration from Goldsmiths College, University of London - and also to the Hunan Provence of central China, as a teacher of English to young students. An international traveler who has visited 11 countries, Rivera has embraced a world culture through her artistic endeavors. She has also taught photography to students at Jessye Norman

School of the Arts, and was a top-rated box office manager at The Imperial Theater on Broad Street.

Known for her dry sense of humor, complete with one-liners (‘Last night I had a dream I was a muffler - I woke up and was exhausted!’), Rivera describes herself as mix of the TV characters Leslie Knope (Parks and Recreation) and Liz Lemon (30 Rock) together. “Leslie Knope tends to be ridiculously positive and constantly driven.

Liz Lemon is independent, a little scatter-brained and kind of a nerd. I’m the girl who saunters in the room, looking smoking hot . . . then trips on her own foot and falls on her ass and gets right back up with a grin.”

Continued on next page

Rivera from page 8

9 UrbanProWeekly • JULY 9 - 15, 2015

had to choose between performing and directing, it would be directing. Crafting You have so many varied interests a world on the stage has been the greatin art and performance, from theater est joy of my life. to photography to dance. What does When did you become interested artistic expression mean to you?

To me, artistic expression is the mate- in photography?

When I was in high school, I used rialization of the soul. As humans, when we create art, we are recreating what is Ziggy’s camera for my first photography in our hearts for others to share and class. I quickly found that I enjoyed phorecognize. While growing up, the arts tographing people. Portraiture became provided such a positive outlet and gave my passion, because I love working with me a voice that I didn’t have before. At people and capturing the beauty I see in the time, it was an indescribable feeling everyone. that I could hardly articulate. All I knew Which master photographers have was that it ignited a passion in me and I wanted to make sure that others had influenced your work the most?

I love the provocative nature of this opportunity.

Man Ray’s work and have always been When did you first realize that you enthralled with Jerry Uelsmann’s blendwanted to pursue creative and artis- ed images that he created in the darkroom before Photoshop was a thing. tic outlets to express yourself?

Very early! I’d lock myself in my room Describe a favorite personal image under that false illusion that with the door closed no one could hear me. I’d that you’ve created.

It’s hard to say, without also choossing and dance my little heart out to my audience in the mirror. When not ing a favorite model and subject. hiding in my room, I would climb onto Photographing my nieces has produced an old organ we had in the house and my favorite images to date. These tiny attempt to play it -with much frustra- humans have stolen my heart and reigtion. I kept pointing to my head and the nited my love of portraiture. organ keys saying, “I can’t get what’s in You have also been involved in the here (pointing to my head) to come out here (pointing to the keys)! After that, at business side of art performance – age eight, my parents put me into piano do you feel that it is important for artists to have a good gasp of busilessons. ness principles to avoid the “starving What influence did your parents artist” designation?

Yes! It’s absolutely vital to have busihave on your artistic choices?

My parents were very supportive ness sense if you want to make a life of my creative exploration as a child. in the arts. The skills you learn in arts However, in my mind, their culture management translate into most any (Puerto Rican and Aruban) specifically field, so it’s a smart move to be able to belonged to them. I never fully learned wear both hats. to speak Spanish or Papiamento, so I You currently work for the Augusta felt like an outsider in their culture. I collected my own cultural icons, study- Ballet as the office manager. What’s ing everything from American musical further down the line for your artistic endeavors? theatre to the music of MTV. I love working for Augusta Ballet My late uncle Ziggy is the one who made the most lasting impression on and fostering a culture of dance in the me. Before losing his battle with AIDS, CSRA. Although the organization has he was involved in theatre and photog- seen many changes over the years, I raphy, as well as visual arts. He made am proud to be part of the team that is his living from his creative endeavors. now scaling-up operations and bringing In a way, I feel as though I was meant the world of dance to Augusta for all to to continue the work he was doing by enjoy. For the future, I plan to produce and direct more rock musicals under taking up the torch. the name Ziggy Lives Productions.

Tell us about your theater studies.

What are some of your hobbies?

Are you more interested in performThese days, I enjoy playing the ukuing or directing theater – or both?

I started theatre in high school at lele. I also take yoga and ballet classes.

Evans and really enjoyed ‘being another The ballet classes are a new thing - parperson’ for a little while. After gradua- tially because I’m working at Augusta tion, I went to Kennesaw State and stud- Ballet and want to know what being in ied Theatre and Performance Studies a dancer’s shoes feels like - and partially and got my bachelor’ degree. If I because I’m trying to keep in shape.

Photography

by Melanie Avita Rivera

UrbanProWeekly - JULY 9 - 15, 2015

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Garden City Jazz House Concert: Ingrid Woode & the Woode Tribe Orchestra July 26, 7:30pm Venue: Ronald McDonald House Charities of Augusta Ingrid Woode’s original song stories and heartfelt connection to her audience is a perfect match for the space. Tickets are available.

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Ronnie Spry Roast & Toast The Augusta Mini Theatre Community Arts and Life Skills School presents its 6th Annual Sunshine’s Roast and Toast roasting Coach Ronnie Spry, Thursday, July 16, 7:00 p.m. at Tabernacle Baptist Church Family Life Center at 1230 Laney Walker Blvd, Augusta, GA To purchase tickets, table or an ad, call 706-722-0598 or visit www. augustaminitheatre. com.

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11 UrbanProWeekly • JULY 9 - 15, 2015 (Above) Cheyenne Beltran (L), 11, and Samara Eubanks (R), 9, cool off as they run through the Eighth Street fountain at Riverwalk downtown.

Photo by Vincent Hobbs

Lakisha Marc, who is a registered nurse (RN), enjoys the cool water at the Eighth Street fountain at Riverwalk downtown.

This was the first time she and her kids came to cool off at the fountain.

Photo by Vincent Hobbs

City Lens

UrbanProWeekly - JULY 9 - 15, 2015

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UPW FORUM COMMENTARY

Is the Confederate flag worth all the fuss?

by Kristie Robin Johnson Since the unthinkable and tragic mass murder of nine black parishioners at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC three weeks ago, politicians, pundits, and the public at large have become embroiled in an emotional debate about the Confederate flag. This particularly contentious dispute had been in virtual hibernation until the recent domestic terror attack brought to the surface a grim reminder of what the manifestation of homegrown hate really looks like. As the controversial symbol comes down from state monuments, is pulled from store shelves, and submits to a gradual obliteration from all public memory, supporters and opponents are drawing their lines in the sand. And while it is a noble cause, I can’t help but think that like-minded Confederate flag opponents could identify more sub-

stantive issues on which to spend their collective political capital.

Make no mistake, the Confederate flag is a problem for AfricanAmericans and our liberal allies.

Consider the swastika and what it represents to Holocaust survivors.

The Confederate flag garners the same visceral response in the hearts of the descendants of African slaves.

It represents the violent subjugation and sustained oppression that black citizens endured under slavery and Jim Crow. With all this being true, amongst our 99 problems, the flag still might be number 98. It’s incredibly important that we don’t get suckered into exerting all of our energy on a relatively insignificant battle while a colossal war remains.

It would be beyond disappointing to see the groundswell of activism gained in the Black Lives Matter movement culminate in the simple removal of a few flags from various

monuments and government buildings. Every minute of airtime devoted to the flag flap is a minute not devoted to stories like the suicide of 22 year-old former Rikers Island inmate, Kalief Browder, and how his untimely death exposes critical flaws that cripple our criminal justice system. While we get lured into arguments with Confederate sympathizers and NASCAR fans, who’s holding the Obama administration’s feet to the fire over the continually disparaging African-American unemployment numbers? As long as we send the signal that we are satisfied with the elimination of what amounts to a piece of red, white, and blue cloth, real issues like unequal sentencing laws, epidemic gun violence, and even radical ideas like reparations soon fall by the wayside. It’s a trap—a well-designed distraction intended to steer us away from genuine policy problems. The removal of the Confederate flag has

gained a great deal of support from Republicans not simply because it’s just the right thing to do; it has a lot of GOP support because it’s the easy thing to do. Lowering a flag is easy; attacking systemic poverty and institutional racism takes coalition building and tangible hard work.

In the coming days and weeks ahead, it is expected that some states will enact measures to remove the Confederate flag and related imagery from state grounds, capitols, and monuments all over the South.

Instead of cheering these actions and calling them progress, take a moment to ask yourself the following: How does the absence of this flag change my life and the lives of those around me? If you cannot find an acceptable answer, then you cannot rest.

KristieRobinJo@gmail.com; @KristieRobinJ on Twitter: http:// kristierobinspeaks.wordpress.com/

The myth of ‘charter school’ infallibility

by Paul Buchheit In early 2015 Stanford University’s updated CREDO Report concluded that “urban charter schools in the aggregate provide significantly higher levels of annual growth in both math and reading compared to their TPS peers.”

This single claim of success has a lot of people believing that charter schools really work. But there are good reasons to be skeptical. First of all, CREDO is funded and managed by reform advocates. It’s part of the Hoover Institution, a conservative and pro-business think tank funded in part by the Walton Foundation, and in partnership with Pearson, a leading developer of standardized testing materials.

CREDO director Margaret Raymond is pro-charter and a free-market advocate.

The 2015 CREDO study received much of its input, according to a Louisiana source, from the New Orleans Recovery School District and charter promoter New Schools for New Orleans, who together had “embarked on a bold, five-year journey to standardize, validate and export the New Orleans charter restart model...addressing the problem of failing schools by restarting them with schools operated by charter operators.”

Regarding national findings, a review of the CREDO study by the National Education Policy Center ques-

tioned Credo’s statistical methods: for example, the study excluded public schools that do NOT send students to charters, thus “introducing a bias against the best urban public schools.”

Charters Are Under performing The inadequacies of charter schools have been confirmed by other recent studies, one of them

by CREDO itself, which found that in comparison to traditional public schools «students in Ohio charter schools perform worse in both reading and mathematics.” Another recent CREDO study of California schools reached mixed results, with charters showing higher scores in reading but lower scores in math.

In a study of Chicago’s public schools, the University of Minnesota Law School determined that “Sadly the charter schools, which on average score lower that the Chicago public schools, have not improved the Chicago school system, but perhaps made it even weaker.”

In general, as concluded by the nonpartisan Spencer Foundation and Public Agenda, “There is very little evidence that charter and traditional public schools differ meaningfully in their average impact on students’ standardized test performance.” Another report from Data First, part of the Center for Public Education, stated that “the majority of charter schools do no better or worse than traditional public schools.”

But there’s a lot of data that leans toward “worse” rather than “better.”

A Brookings report showed underperformance in Arizona’s charter schools. An In the Public Interest group found that an analyst for the District of Columbia “could not provide a single instance in d which its strategy of transferring a low-performingu school to a charter management organization hadb resulted in academic gains for the students.” Thee Minnesota Star Tribune reported that “Students in most Minnesota charter schools are failing to hitF learning targets and are not achieving adequate aca-p demic growth.” Over 85 percent of Ohio’s charter stu-a dents were in schools graded D or F in 2012–2013. InN the much-heralded New Orleans charter experiment,c the Investigative Fund found that “eight years after“ Hurricane Katrina...seventy-nine percent of RSD char-a ters are still rated D or F by the Louisiana Departmentt o of Education.” i

c Charters Won’t Tell Us What They’re Doing Performance aside, charters have other seriousi issues. The Nation called them “stunningly opaque...o black boxes.” Indeed, the federal government has spent billions on charter development without basic forms of accountability, even for the causes and ( p Continued on next page

C

‘MAKIN’ A DIFFERENCE’ COMMENTARY

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By Ken Makin Special to UrbanProWeekly “After forty days Noah opened a window he had made in the ark and sent out a raven, and it kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth. Then he sent out a dove to see if the water had receded from the surface of the ground. But the dove could find nowhere to perch because there was water over all the surface of the earth; so it returned to Noah in the ark. He reached out his hand and took the dove and brought it back to himself in the ark.” – Gen. 8: 6-9 Nope, there wasn’t an olive branch to be found at the Augusta Commission meeting this past Tuesday.

Augusta Mayor Hardie Davis and commissioners had one job – pass the long-overdue stormwater fee to ensure that a mechanism was in place to fix infrastructure and curb flooding.

What happened instead was a political stunt which proved why city

government is the laughingstock of the state.

After commissioners’ original motion to deny the stormwater fee ended in a tie, Davis made his intentions known as he voted AGAINST that motion.

That set the stage for another tie to approve the fee, except Davis never got the chance.

Why? Because Commissioners Marion Williams and Wayne Guilfoyle abstained from the vote, which effectively killed the motion with a 5-3-2 vote.

Some people probably thought those antics were “good politics,” but Williams’ and Guilfoyle’s actions were not only cowardice, they were crippling.

For decades, Augustans have dealt with flooding. For the first time in a while, city officials did their homework and put in the legwork to come up with a reasonable solution.

Commissioners even set aside funding in the 2015 city budget in anticipation of the stormwater fee.

So what in the world happened?

It’s a bad look for Williams – a

Charter schools from page 12

details of school closings. The charter system is so unregulated that oversight often comes from whistle blowers who feel disturbed enough, and courageous enough, to report abuses.

The report Cashing in on Kids notes that the Walton Foundation, one of the biggest charter school supporters, has “supported the unregulated growth of a privatized education industry.” The Walton-funded New York Charter School Association, which takes considerable public money and advertises itself as “independently-run public schools,” refused state audits, arguing that they were run by boards outside the public domain. Charter operators want the best of both worlds. As Diane Ravitch explains, “When it is time for funds to be distributed, they want to be considered public schools. But when they are involved in litigation, charter operators insist they are private organizations.”

Many Charter Systems Are Mired in Fraud According to Integrity in Education, $100 million (ballooning in the past year to $200 million) in taxpayer money was lost, misused, or wasted in just 15 of

political veteran – to effectively vote against his constituents and colleagues. Flooding has mostly plagued Black districts in Augusta, and the other representatives from Districts 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 recognized that.

Dennis Williams, Bill Lockett, Ben Hasan, Sammie Sias and Bill Fennoy all signed off on stormwater with the understanding that the people in their districts desperately needed help.

Williams, for whatever reason, didn’t share that urgency. There are a number of rumors and reasons for why he balked regarding stormwater – most of which derive from the inability of the black majority on the Commission to work together.

At any rate, the six black commissioners look like bumbling fools compared to the “Gang of Six” from five years ago. The “Gang” was a controversial bunch, but there was no question about who ran things.

The relationship among the Commission’s racial majority is so severed, an aging politician like Grady Smith caught the ear of a few media outlets about SPLOST, and he not only solidified the remaining

the 42 states that have charter schools. The abuses are well documented. The report states: “Charter operators have used school funds illegally to buy personal luxuries for themselves, support their other businesses, and more.”

Mounds of evidence reveal the fraud in states around the country: Schoolchildren defrauded in Pennsylvania; “out-of-control” charters in Michigan and Florida; rampant misspending in Ohio; bribes and kickbacks, also in Ohio; revenues directed to a for-profit company in Buffalo, NY; subpoenas for mismanaged charters in Connecticut.

In California alone, $100 million in fraud losses are expected in 2015. The California Charter Schools Association noted in response that the “charter school sector, authorizers and legislators have come together to put into place real solutions.” The solutions were not cited.

In a Nutshell: Charter Schools Are Failing While there’s little difference in the overall performance of charter schools and public schools, charters are riddled with fraud and identified with a lack of transparency that leads to more fraud.

commissioners, he displayed more political savvy and power than SIX sitting commissioners.

The problem is, the whole lot of commissioners might end up the worst for it.

The rhetoric around the Municipal Building is that stormwater should be a part of the SPLOST package. But who says SPLOST is going to pass?

Remember, it was five white commissioners and Fennoy who forced SPLOST down people’s throats last year, and residents have not forgotten about that.

What hurts the most, though, is the city actually needs stormwater and SPLOST. Instead of explaining that to residents with honesty and transparency, our commissioners have chosen to play politics.

And in doing so, they have left the city hanging high and dry.

Ken J. Makin is the host of “Makin’ A Difference,” a radio program that airs weekdays from 1 to 3 p.m. on WKZK, 1600 AM. You can also reach Ken by email at makinadifferenceshow@gmail.com.

In a Nutshell: Public Education Is Working The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has confirmed that math and reading skills have improved for all levels of public school students since the 1970s, with the greatest gains among minority and disadvantaged students.

Other results indicate that our schools achieve even greater success when properly funded.

But the education reformers, who have a lot of money but little knowledge of the real world of education, don’t want to provide that funding. They frighten America with words from people like Rupert Murdoch: “The failure rates of our public schools represent a tragic waste of human capital that is making America less competitive.”

A better reason for fright is the rapid progress made by the charter school reformers. They want our children to be their human capital.

Paul Buchheit is a college teacher, an active member of US Uncut Chicago, founder and developer of social justice and educational websites (UsAgainstGreed. org, PayUpNow.org, RappingHistory.org), and the editor and main author of American Wars: Illusions and Realities (Clarity Press).

UrbanProWeekly • JULY 9 - 15, 2015

Stormwater decision leaves floodprone neighborhoods high and dry

UrbanProWeekly - JULY 9 - 15, 2015

14

CHURCH

WORSHIP

Restoration Church Vacation Bible School Sunday, July 22-24, 2015, 6:30 pm. Restoration invites you to its annual VBS. This year’s theme is “Conquering Life’s Challenges with God’s Power”. All ages are invited and adult life classes will be taught each night. Light refreshments will be served. For more information call 706-796-1400.

Sunday School 8:30 am Morning Worship Services: 9:45 am Evening Worship Services 6 pm (4th Sunday) Bible Study: 6pm (Mondays) Midday Bible Study: 12pm (Tuesdays) Prayer Services: 6pm (Wednesdays) Celebrate Recovery: 6pm (Fridays) and 12pm (Mondays) 2323 Barton Chapel Road • Augusta,GA 30906 706.790.8185 / 706.922.8186 (fax) Visit Us @ www.broadwaybaptistaug.org • Join us on facebook Dr. C. William Joyner, Jr. Senior Pastor

Good Shepherd Baptist Church

Rev. Clarence Moore, Pastor 1714 Olive Road / P. O. Box 141 (mailing address) Augusta, GA 30903 706/733-0341- Telephone/706/667-0205 – Fax E-mail address: admin@goodshepherdaugusta.org Web address: goodshepherdaugusta.org Rev. Clarence Moore Church Service: 7:45 & 11:00 a.m.

Church School: 9:45 a.m. / Prayer Service: 11:00 a.m. – Wednesday Bible Study: 9:00 a.m. - Saturday / 7:00 p.m. - Wednesday

Everfaithful Missionary Baptist Church

314 Sand Bar Ferry Road Augusta, Georgia 30901 (706) 722- 0553 Church School Sunday 9:25am Morning Worship Sunday 11am Evening Worship 6pm (1st & 3rd Sunday) Midday Prayer 12pm Wednesday Intercessory Prayer/Bible Study 6pm Wednesday

Bishop Rosa L. Williams, Pastor

Radio Broadcast: Sundays • WKZK 103.7 FM at 7:30 a.m.

Start your calling today! Mount Olivet Certified Academic Institution 706.793.0091 • 706.793.0335 • www.mocai-aug.org

The CSRA Clergy Board of Directors

Board of Coalition Pastors P.O. Box 16013 Augusta, GA. 30919-2013 Bishop L.A. Green, Sr., Chairman

15

Same-sex marriage ruling reveals hypocrisy of Evangelical Christians You can’t argue with success.

Therefore, congratulations to the advocates of same-sex marriage.

Victory was achieved because they had the same courage like David who defeated Goliath. Their mustard seed sized faith moved a mountain of opposition. Moreover, they persevered on the narrow

and difficult road which led to a favorable Supreme Court decision.

With unwavering resolve, samesex marriage advocates walked what evangelical Christians could only talk.

While same-sex marriage advocates kept their eyes on the prize, evangelical Christian pas-

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tors were busy preaching to the choir. Soliciting tithes and love offerings were more important than confronting fornication, adultery, and substance abuse among congregation members. It was business as usual.

Typically, evangelical Christians played the hypocrite. They say do

as I say, not as I do. Conversely, same-sex marriage advocates were realistic. They kept it real like the Isley Brother’s song. It’s your thing, do what you wanna do. I can’t tell you, who to sock it to. Obviously, the Supreme Court agrees.

— Kevin Palmer, Martinez, GA

UrbanProWeekly • JULY 9 - 15, 2015

LETTERS

UrbanProWeekly - JULY 9 - 15, 2015

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