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om Tannis would like to
get rid of all the legis-
lators. "Let's recall
them all," said the
Southfield resident Tuesday
night.
His sentiments were
among the many emotionally
expressed at the Jewish Com-
munity Council's delegate as-
sembly meeting titled "Crisis
in the Schools."
Michigan Board of Educa-
tion member Kathleen Straus
and Jewish News and Atlanta
Jewish Times editor Phil Ja-
cobs spoke about Gov. John
Engler's proposed education
and tax reforms and the im-
plications such changes might
have on the Jewish commu-
nity.
"We're in a real mess," Ms.
Straus said. "It's like a heart
surgeon taking out a heart
and just hoping for someone
to come along and replace it."
Ms. Straus was referring to
the $6.8 billion removed from
the budget by the repeal of
property taxes. The Engler
administration has given it-
self a Dec. 8 deadline to pro-
pose a way to make up the
difference in dollars and alter
education choices in order to
go to a Feb. 8 ballot vote to al-
ter the Michigan constitution.
Some feel the self-imposed
deadline is too short to make
informed decisions. Others

ter schools and vouchers.
Charter schools would be
funded by public dollars but
would not have to follow the
same standards as public
schools. However, the gov-
ernment could pull charters
if substandard.
The thinking among sup-
porters of charter schools is
that they would be so creative
and superior that public
schools would be forced to up
their standards. Opponents
fear separation of church and
state could be blurred.
Vouchers would allow pub-
lic dollars allotted for each

"For those of us concerned
with perpetuating Jewish
culture, but cannot afford day
schools, we could create
schools which subscribe to
our worldview — that are
Jewish centered," Mr. Good-
man said. "Federation has
put out the interest in Jew-
ish education, but there are
not enough dollars. Perhaps
charter school are the way."
Other concerns by audi-
ence members were the pos-
sible breaking up of teachers'
unions, the presence of the
religious right and funding
differences.

student to be used for any
school of their choice.
"There's been a lot of talk,
from the implementation of
core curriculums to the
lengthening of the school day
and year. Without changing
the system first, the outcomes
are questionable," Ms. Straus

The governor's plan calls
for bringing up 232 school
districts to $4,500 in aid per
student, a 2 percent increase
for Michigan schools spend-
ing between $4,500 and

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"Without changing
the system first,
the outcome is
questionable."

believe the Engler adminis-
tration is using the money is-
sue to veil proposed changes
in school choice and the sep-
aration of church and state.
Whatever the outcome,
more than 1.5 million public
school students ,end more
than 175,000 private school
pupils will be affected.
"There are a lot of very
good public schools in this
state. And yes, in Detroit too.
We need these public schools
to keep democracy working
and have an educated citi-
zenry," Ms. Straus said. "I
think this idea has fallen by
the wayside."
Among the proposals be-
fore the legislature are char-

said.
The Jewish component,
Mr. Jacobs said, consists of
concerns about using tax dol-
lars to fund schools that are
philosophically different from
Jewish beliefs, that messian-
ic .Judaism could charter
schools and call them Jewish,
the effect of vouchers on par-
ents of day school students,
and the mixing of church and
state — what might be taught
in the classroom.
David Goodman, a Royal
Oak Township resident, isn't
quite sure what to think of
the entire Engler plan. How-
ever, he believes charter
schools could act as an inter-
esting possibility.

$5,500 per student, and a 1
percent increase for those
spending $5,500 or more. The
35 districts spending more
than $6,500 per student could
ask their communities for a
one-year extra millage.
Andrew Zack, a Hunting-
ton Woods resident, is angry
at the amount spent per child
in his school district —
Berkley — as oppolbd to
spending in West Bloomfield
or Birmingham. He is close-
ly watching proposed equity
in funding.
"About $5,000 is being
spent on my kids. West
Bloomfield and Birmingham
spend almost $10,000, yet my
tax rate is much higher. Peo-
ple with the greater tax bases
aren't willing to help the
poorer school districts," Mr.
Zack said. ❑