The Morning News: Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2007

IT SEEMS LIKE the man who served as former D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams' skillful city administrator is facing a situation he's having trouble managing. Just as Robert Bobb, now the newly elected Board of Education president, was at Tuesday's D.C. Council meeting presenting a reform plan that promises academic gains in 18 months as a counterstrike against Mayor Adrian Fenty's proposal to seize total control of the school system, there was a surprise — results from a damaging independent audit that shows that organizational and fiscal chaos in the D.C. schools is threatening the future health of District finances.

The Post's David Nakamura and Theola Labbe report on the specifics of the annual Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, which is presented to Congress, the mayor and members of the council. One alarm bell from the audit: Natwar Gandhi, the District's chief financial officer, tells The Post that "if the conditions cited in the report do not improve by next year, the District would be in serious jeopardy of receiving an 'unclean' audit." And that could make Wall Street frown and result in downgraded bond ratings.

So what is Bobb — or schools superintendent Clifford Janey for that matter — to do? (Janey wasn't aware of the failures cited in the audit.) D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray said of the school board chief during the council meeting:

My sense, Mr. Bobb, is I feel badly that you just arrived on the scene. But you come on the scene at a time where people have had enough that there's years of failure on part of our students.

It seems that Fenty's reform momentum is getting ready to steamroll over Bobb. But then again with the city in the hands of the ambitious Fenty, Council member Carol Schwartz said she was concerned that the fate of the schools would be turned over "to our new mayor before he can show us he can improve the broken systems currently under his jurisdiction."

The political stakes are high. Who will be the first to stumble enough to fall?

Photo of D.C. Council members Jim Graham, Marion Barry and Mary Cheh by Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post

» "Audit Finds Financial Problems" [WaPo]
» "D.C. Council Meets on School Takeover" [WaPo Video]

What else is making news on this Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2007? Let's get to it.

» TYSONS CORNER: "Lawmakers' Request on Tunnel Is Rebuffed" [WaPo]
» RICHMOND: "Charities' Public Funds Would Be Off-Limits for Illegal Immigrants" [WaPo]
» RICHMOND: "Songless for a Decade, Va. Inches Toward a New Tune" [WaPo]
» ANNAPOLIS: "Md. Pushes Expansive Medical Coverage" [WaPo]
» ANNAPOLIS "Poll: Marylanders Want a Smoking Ban" [AP via WTOP]
» CAPITOL HILL: "For GOP, Discord in Dissent on Iraq" [WaPo]
» SMITHSONIAN: "Report Scrutinizes Smithsonian Salaries" [WaPo]
» JUDICIARY SQUARE: "Prison Time Sought for Ex-Official in 'Egregious' Scam" [WT]
» COLLEGE PARK: "Robbery Nets Cash, and Pants of Victims" [WaPo]
» FARRAGUT NORTH: "Farragut North Fire Spurs Delays" [WaPo]
» FARRAGUT NORTH: "Metro Bus Catches Fire" [WTOP]
» BRADDOCK ROAD: "Suspicious Bags Cause Braddock Rd. Metro Station Closure" [WaPo]
» MONTGOMERY COUNTY: "Montgomery Forgoes Building Ban in Favor of Warning" [WaPo]
» MONTGOMERY COUNTY: "Montgomery County Police Search for Missing Girls" [WaPo]

Image of Tysons Corner's future elevated Metrorail line courtesy Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project

» MORE NEWS AND VIEWS, as always, are available at washingtonpost.com, Washington Post Radio and Slate.

COMING UP LATER TODAY on ReadExpress.com ...
» We'll check in on the George Washington University Colonials men's basketball team's promising standings.
» So the Yellow Line goes to Fort Totten now. What's there? The South Dakota Avenue corridor. We'll show you what's planned for the area.
» What do you do when you're stuck in Metrorail delays? Why get to know your neighbor, of course!
» And we'll survey this week's food and dining news.

Posted By Michael Grass at 8:58 AM on January 31, 2007 Tagged in D.C. Government , D.C. Politics , Free Ride , News , The District

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