Working together,
school districts provide
learning opportunities
for students with
special needs.
Jerry Gutman lends Instruction to students.
A Course In
Collaboration
JILL DAVIDSON SKLAR STAFF WRITER
illtbile "charter schools"
and "schools of choice"
have entered the vo-
cabulary of public edu-
cation reform seekers, two local
public educators, both Jewish, are
offering cost-saving alternatives.
The pair is leading the way in
what promises to be the future in
public education, namely shar-
ing resources through collabora-
tion.
Through the consolidation of
several school districts' funding
and talent, the two programs —
one in Oak Park and the other in
Wyandotte — provide educa-
tional and training opportunities
to students on either end of the
bell curve that single districts oth-
erwise could not afford.
Maxine Berman, a state rep-
resentative from Southfield and
chairperson of the state budget
committee for kindergarten
through 12th grade education,
feels collaborative efforts are the
wave of the future.
"School districts will either col-
laborate or be forced out of busi-
ness," she said.
Oak Park's Center for Ad-
vanced Studies and the Arts
(CASA) is a model of collaborat-
ing resources. Toured by educa-
tors from districts statewide, the
program teams up Berkley, Oak
Park, Madison, Ferndale and
Clawson school districts' stu-
dents, teachers and money.
Run by West Bloomfield resi-
dent Jerry Gutman, the program
attracts 280 students who take
advanced placement courses in
history and physics, language
classes in Japanese and Russian,
and accelerated art courses in
dance and sculpture.
CASA began 12 years ago
when both Berkley and Oak Park
educators could not fill advanced
classes due to declining enroll-
ment. Instead of dropping the
courses, the districts combined
their resources Mike Ward, a junior at Ferndale High charged. The
and held the School, touches up a sculpture at CASA. districts can pay
classes with stu-
the amount
dents from both districts.
through in-kind services such as
"Suddenly, the districts could providing teachers. Districts are
offer things to students that they responsible for the balance in
could not otherwise do on their cash.
own as a district," Mr. Gutman
Teachers are recruited to some
said. "When you couldn't have a degree, but most apply. Students
dance class before because of are referred by counselors or are
costs or low enrollment, now you allowed to attend because of their
could have one, and an art pro- grade-point average. "The teach-
gram and Japanese."
ers want to be there to teach the
The program also inadver- students, the students want to be
tently helped retain students in there to learn, the parents want
the districts since it was able to to support," Mr. Gutman said. "It
offer the courses that only makes for a learning-conducive
wealthier districts could provide. environment."
"What it really says is, 'You
Melissa Loeb is one of the stu-
residents who live in this com- dents in the afternoon program.
munity should stay because we The Berkley High School senior
are offering what you would get hops on a bus from her school to
in a private school or a wealthier take classes in American history
district," Mr. Gutman said.
and comparative religions at
Funding for CASA is provided CASA, located in the Clinton
by all of the districts on a student Center near Nine Mile and
hour basis. For each hour a stu- Coolidge.
dent uses, the home district is
Prior to entering CASA, Melis-