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Catalogue Blog

In The News …

Welcome to Wednesday, Greater Washington! The Blue & Orange lines are up and running again and we’re back to doing mid-week news & notes in the middle of the week. Let’s focus on two major items today:

First, Catalogue charity Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW) recently completed an in-depth cost of living analysis for the Greater Washington area, calculating how much income was necessary for an area resident to feel “financially safe.” The report’s tables break down necessary expenses and income based on family size and home area and account for everything from child care costs to “rainy day funds.” The findings were featured in Monday’s Washington Post — which points out that, while the DC metro area is the most affluent region of the county, “it is also among the costliest.” So according to WOW Executive Director Joan Kuriansky, “even the highest estimates of how much a family needs to earn are conservative.” Here’s my question: are there specific expense categories on which local governments and non-profits should focus? Could defraying one particular cost make the difference? Or should we focus on the larger issue? Namely, that the cost of living is high — and the cost of living securely is both high and often unconsidered.

Also, as you likely heard last night, Michelle Rhee will resign as DC schools chancellor. Says the Post, Chancellor Rhee “survived three contentious years that made her a superstar of the education reform movement … but Rhee will leave with considerable unfinished business in her quest.” TBD.com, which tracked the probability of her resignation in mid-September, quotes several DC councilmembers who expressed both profound disappointment in her decision and faith in her interim replacement, deputy chancellor Kaya Henderson. I’m clearly writing this before Wednesday’s 10:30 AM press conference, but long after Mayor Fenty’s defeat in the mayoral primary. So it’s fair to say that this outcome is not surprising, yet it still feels incomplete. Or uncertain. What do you think? What comes next? Moreover, who is your pick for the next chancellor and why?

(Speaking of education reform: we posted this link several weeks back and countless opinions are appearing daily about the documentary Waiting for Superman and how we can answer its call. Check out “Tapping our Collective Superhero” over at Deep Social Impact and a post from this evening at Business Insider.)

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