Our federal government, based in Washington, D.C., is not known for efficient management of tax dollars. But the management of the District of Columbia itself is perhaps even worse.
It has long been true that public education in Washington is some of the very worst in the nation, despite its per-pupil funding being among the highest. Those terrible academic results notwithstanding, D.C. is notoriously resistant to changes in its educational bureaucracy.
But it’s not only Washington’s schools that are badly run. It was discovered recently that scores of employees of the district have been receiving unemployment benefits for years while they simultaneously held city jobs.
The city has spent roughly $800,000 since 2009 on unemployment benefits to working city employees. Some individuals got as much as $20,000, The Washington Post reported.
Suspensions are now under way, and some workers may be fired.
It’s troubling that this sort of behavior is happening in our nation’s capital. But we can’t say that it’s terribly surprising.