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SCHOOLS page 1
academy in a log cabin in Ionia,
outside Lansing. Such a link will
provide parents with additional
teaching assistance and access to
encyclopedias and other refer-
ence materials.
David Kallman, the school's
founder and attorney, said there
are Noah Webster students
whose parents incorporate reli-
gion into lesson plans but be-
cause the academy itself is not
suggesting or taking part in reli-
gious curricula, he sees nothing
wrong with parents teaching
their own religious curriculum.
The academy said it will not pur-
chase religious courses for stu-
dents.
Mr. Kallman believes oppo-
nents of the academy see this
new way of educating children as
a threat to public education.
Rena's father, Dov Berkowitz,
and nearly 20 other Orthodox
Jews whose daughters are en-
rolled in Noah Webster, don't
agree with the controversy.
Mr. Berkowitz said his daugh-
ter's religious education is sepa-
rate from the secular studies
taught at Noah Webster.
"This is a good system for us,"
said Mr. Berkowitz, who teach-
es at the Lubavitch boy's school
in Farmington Hills.
"It allows my daughter the
chance to learn at her own pace.
I think this is a wonderful op-
portunity that should remain
available. I'm not saying close
down the public schools, but an
academy like this should be avail-
able to people who want to make
use of it."
Opponents, particularly some
members of the Jewish commu-
nity, don't see it that way.
Among the plaintiffs in the
Noah Webster case is the
Michigan Jewish Conference, an
organization that maintains a
presence in Lansing on behalf of
Jewish communities throughout
the state.
"Our concern is that Noah
Webster's proposed computer
link-up does not meet the crite-
ria of what the Legislature in-
tended when it passed the
charter school legislation," said
Cindy Hughey, the director of the
Michigan Jewish Conference.
"We believe Noah Webster is a
private school trying to seek pub-
lic funding."
John Truscott, a spokesman
for Gov. John Engler, the state's
leading charter school proponent,
said the governor continues to
support charter schools and be-
lieves Noah Webster should be
funded as long as it complies with
the law. He would not say, how-
ever, if Gov. Engler agrees with
Mr. Kallman's argument that it
is permissible for parents to teach
religion because the academy is
not advocating such teaching.
Richard Lobenthal, the direc-
tor of the Michigan regional of-
fice of the Anti-Defamation
League, looks at the issue from
two perspectives.
"From the standpoint of some
in our community, whose chil-
dren go to cheder or those who
want the state to pay for
parochial education, the
prospects of state financial as-
sistance could provide them with
monetary relief," said Mr.
Lobenthal. "On the other hand,
the charter school movement is
seen as a serious threat to pub-
lic education."
A coalition of Jewish organi-
zations formed during last year's
public school reform debate have
also taken up the Noah Webster
issue.
"Noah Webster
allows my daughter
the chance to learn
at her own pace."
— Dov Berkowitz
In the coming weeks, the coali-
tion, made up of organizations
like National Council of Jewish
Women, the Anti-Defamation
League, the Jewish Community
Council and the American
Jewish Committee, will try to
identify the issues in this case
that could be of particular con-
cern to the Jewish community.
"Traditionally, the Jewish
community is a supporter of
maintaining public schools and
concerned about the separation
of church and state," said
Kathleen Straus, vice president
of the Jewish Community
Council. "Our fear with Noah
Webster especially is that reli-
gion will be taught and support-
ed by public funds."
Mr. Berkowitz wonders why
so many people are in opposition.
"Everyone has a particular in-
doctrination or viewpoint," he
said. "If I say you should love
your neighbor, which is a reli-
gious concept, would it be chal-
lenged? All values are built on a
religious heritage." CI
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