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Deborah Simmons

dsimmons@washingtontimes.com

Deborah Simmons was a senior correspondent who reported on City Hall and wrote about education, culture, sports and family-related topics.

Articles by Deborah Simmons

Vincent C. Gray

D.C.’s Gray defends pace of transition

Defending the pace of his efforts to staff his incoming administration, D.C. Mayor-elect Vincent C. Gray on Thursday announced a second round of appointments, but revealed no picks for key posts for city schools, the police department or other major agencies.

December 9, 2010

SIMMONS: Time to end the wars of class warfare

Class warfare. Ward Cleaver and the Beaver vs. Archie Bunker. George Jefferson vs. Fred Sanford. That about sums up the inside-the-Beltway talkathon that is putting the squeeze on America's middle class.

December 9, 2010
Vincent C. Gray

D.C. Council OKs cuts in budget, furloughs

D.C. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray put his first stamp on the District's shaky financial future by winning preliminary approval Tuesday of budget-balancing legislation that pares spending and pushes off inevitable tax increases until he becomes mayor next year.

December 7, 2010
Vincent C. Gray

Key Gray initiatives at risk as D.C. pares budget

New funding for D.C. schools could be at the center of a major new political tug of war for Mayor-elect Vincent C. Gray, who is pushing for even bigger savings as D.C. lawmakers prepare to cast their first votes Tuesday on a package of fiscal 2011 budget cuts.

December 6, 2010
Washington Teachers' Union Nathan Saunders, the new president of the Washington Teachers' Union, said Thursday that the WTU has been "treated like a red-headed stepchild."

New WTU chief: Top job ‘is to protect members’

The new president of the Washington Teachers' Union promised a "progressive" administration rather than a "reactionary" one, and said his No. 1 priority is to protect members' job security.

December 2, 2010
ASSOCIATED PRESS D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty's proposed plan to balance the budget includes $161 million in agency and program cuts.

Fenty seeks cuts in jobs, services to fix budget gap

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty has proposed his plan to right-size an unbalanced budget, which the public scrutinized Tuesday during a D.C. Council hearing at which several lawmakers and stakeholders proposed a host of new taxes and fees.

November 30, 2010
**FILE** Vincent C. Gray (Associated Press)

D.C. Council debates budget-cutting plan

Facing a tight deadline to construct and enact a balanced budget by the end of December, D.C. Council members held lame-duck Mayor Adrian M. Fenty's budget-cutting plan up for public scrutiny, and lawmakers revealed early indications about where they stand.

November 30, 2010
The exterior of Hallsville High School in Hallsville, Texas, is pictured in 2010. (AP Photo/Danny Robbins)

High-school graduation rate rises; ‘dropout factories’ fall

America's ornery dropout problem has been called an "epidemic" and a "crisis," and while an advocacy group founded by retired Gen. Colin L. Powell say they remain appropriate labels, the group will announce some good news on that front Tuesday.

November 30, 2010

Furloughs will be in D.C. plans, union says

As the Democratic chairman of the D.C. Council Finance and Revenue Committee calls for payroll cuts, a union that represents thousands of city-government workers said furloughs will be a part of the District's budget-cutting proposal.

November 23, 2010

GAO report: Where did D.C. school dollars go?

As Republicans prepare to take the leadership reins of the House, D.C. school officials on Friday welcomed recommendations in a new federal report that faults the Fenty and Rhee administrations for failing to track and monitor how federal education dollars were spent.

November 20, 2010
**FILE** D.C. Council member Marion Barry (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

D.C. public assistance bill focus of hearing

D.C. Council members Marion Barry and Yvette Alexander, whose Public Assistance Amendment Act would track the 1996 federal welfare-to-work law by limiting eligibility to 60 months, say the District's welfare program is breeding a cycle of dependency. The bill got its first hearing on Monday.

November 15, 2010