rffiNIMMI ■ 1111 ■ IL_ 75¢ DETROIT THE JEWISH NEWS 30 TISHREI 5754/OCTOBER 15, 1993 Community Weighs Education Reform pestry f Love And Labor LESLEY PEARL STAFF WRITER s the state of Michigan watch- es what the legis- lature creates from Gov. John Engler's educa- tion reform pro- posals, the Jewish community ap- pears to be especially fo- cused. Issues such as vouchers and charter schools could affect future funding and tuition at day schools and challenge public school separation of church and state. But for now, everyone is waiting. At this time of year, Judith Adler and other Birmingham school board members would normally be working on preliminary budgets for next year. However, Gov. John Englet's proposed reforms, which also include at- tempts at equity in fund- ing and tax changes, have put school planning on hold. "Right now everything is uncertain. The propos- als to the legislature are divisive. In the short term, they preserve many of the inequities of funding throughout the state. The question is, will this plan survive?" Ms. Adler said. Michigan voters have watched the early closing of schools in Kalkaska where a necessary millage to keep classes going failed, inequality in spend- ing and school standards from district to district and a growing debate as to the value of a public education versus a private one. Among the terms being thrown around by the gov- ernor are charter schools and vouchers. SCHOOLS page 26 aside A Quilt Exhibit Exploring swish ots 48 aLvIrlinc Dedicated To A Child A couple watches over their son, while scientists have located the gene that causes a fatal disease that strikes mostly Jews. Good Grades Borman Hall passes the latest inspection. Page 15 Cash Poor The real estate business hits a 50-year low point. Page 34 Give Him A Zetz! The Yiddish Football League plays for the Matzah Bowl. Page 52 Contents on page 3 ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM ASSISTANT EDITOR ershey Tinman was almost as many as one in 3,000 Ashkenazi Jews (but is rel- 2 years old before his par- atively rare in the general population). There is no ents began to suspect that cure, and no one knew how to detect the affliction something was terribly in the unborn child. wrong. But now an Israeli physician working in Florida He had been a beautiful has made a dramatic discovery: He and his fellow baby, inquisitive and hap- researchers believe they have found the gene which py. He did everything nor- CANAVAN page 12 mal babies do: He smiled; he gurgled. But then his eyes began to cross slightly, and he seemed to be inordinately quiet. He had difficulty holding his head up. After scores of appointments with physi- cians, plenty of their own research and a chance connection, Michael and Chaya Leah Tinman of Southfield learned their son had Canavan disease, a fatal genetic disorder that strikes mostly Jews. First recognized some 60 years ago, Canavan is a spongy degeneration of the brain that results in loss of motor skills and, gener- ally, early death. For years, little was known about Canavan disease, which researchers believe may affect' ' Chaya Leah, and Michael Tinman: Education is key.