I'd Like a Crack at That $300 Million

The city should invest in a free wireless Internet system for downtown. It would make living and working in D.C. easier and, from an economic development point of view, attract creative, tech-savvy people and businesses.

ED LAZERE

Executive director, D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute:

D.C.'s economy is strong, but not everyone is benefiting. Unemployment is on the rise and the already-wide gap between rich and poor residents appears to be growing even wider. D.C.'s surplus should be devoted to this problem, through two broad strategies:

Funds should help lower-income families in revitalizing neighborhoods keep or find affordable housing where they are. This preserves neighborhood character, promotes family and community stability, and means that existing residents actually can enjoy the positive changes revitalization brings. If residents are simply displaced as rents rise, they will be pushed into homelessness or a cluster of extremely poor neighborhoods, where the chance to succeed is low.

Many D.C. public schools are in awful physical shape, and funding cuts have led to layoffs of music, art and foreign language teachers and school librarians. School athletic programs are a disgrace, too. D.C. also needs a system of educational offerings to give job skills to older youth and adults, the purpose that community colleges serve so well elsewhere.

Educational improvements should be coupled with services that strengthen neighborhoods and families. Substance abuse treatment, parent support services, and programs for youth are a few that come to mind.

DEBRA LEE

President and CEO, Black Entertainment Television

(BET):

First in line for the city's surplus should be teachers and their fundamental needs for classroom tools. In business, we never take on challenges without the proper equipment. Why should teachers have to function any differently?

TERRY LYNCH