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In The News…

Fixing the IRS (The Chronicle of Philanthropy) In the wake of this month’s IRS tax-exemption scandals, The Chronicle of Philanthropy is posting a series on online article discussing different aspects of the controversy. Today’s article focuses on providing more money for enforcement; Monday’s considered the rules on political intervention: “The IRS should shift from the complex, multifactor, open-ended ‘facts and circumstances’ test currently used to interpret political activity to a well-defined, objective standard. The current test is hard for the agency to apply and was highly vulnerable to challenge long before the recent debacle.”

DC To Push Free Condom Program on TV (Washington Examiner) In a new initiative to popularize the District’s free condom distribution program, the DC government has created television ads to air on channels with a younger demographic – VH1, Bravo, ESPN, and others – to appeal to and reach more viewers. While the D.C. Department of Health has been pushing this initiative on public transport and newspapers for some time, this will mark the first time television has been used as an advertising channel. Through this public health program, the District has lowered its STD infection rate drastically, including its HIV infection rate by 24%. As the popularity and awareness of the program rises, the prevalence of STDs and unwanted pregnancies should continue to fall.

7 Proposals to Overhaul DC Public Schools (Washington Post) D.C. Council member David A. Catania (I-At Large) plans to propose 7 bills on Tuesday that would completely transform the District’s public education system. These bills include new allocation of funding to principals directly to design their own budgets, a new focus on accountability for school faculty and closer review by the superintendent, as well as innovation in creating a new form of charter and magnet schools. The proposals also focus on parent support and engagement, the use of a lottery program for children to assign schools fairly, and the creation of 5-year plans from the principal of each school in an attempt to use DC space and facilities to the fullest. If they pass, these proposals could change schooling significantly for families throughout the District.

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