PHOTO BY BILL HANSEN Introducing The ALL NEW 1997 , --1,00,11 1 ASYSMIORS, by Oldsmobile. West Bloomfield school board candidates Beth Danto Borson, Robert Lieberman and Sharon Bader Lipton. Across The Board In the West Bloomfield schools race, all the candidates are Jewish. JULIE WIENER STAFF WRITER F or years, many Jews have held positions on local school boards. But in this year's election in West Bloomfield, all three school board candidates are Jewish. The candidates, including two \ 1 /-- incumbents, are competing for two slots. All three are native Detroiters. For challenger and first-time candidate Robert Lieberman, schools of choice is the central is- sue in the campaign. Under the State School Act, every Michigan school district has to decide pub- licly prior to July 1 of each year whether or not to admit students from outside the district. This winter, West Bloom- field's board voted unanimous- ly to take in 40 out-of-district students, as a pilot program for the 1997-98 school year. Ac- cording to Steve Wasko, coordi- nator of information services for West Bloomfield schools, the board specified that it would only admit students to schools /- and grades in which there is ex- tra space. No additional class- rooms will be opened, nor will additional teachers be hired. "The school board has said it will only be 40 children this year at the elementary level, but I fear it will be like a virus and ex- pand," said Mr. Lieberman. Mr. Lieberman added that schools of choice will erode local control over the schools and may depreciate property values. "Why would someone choose to live in West Bloomfield if he can live in a far less expensive area and enjoy the benefits of the West Bloomfield schools?" he said. But Sharon Bader Lipton, currently the president of West Bloomfield's school board and a candidate for re-election, favors schools of choice and says the program will increase revenue for the district. /– \-1 Ms. Lipton questioned Mr. Lieberman's assertion that school choice would reduce property val- ues. "Voters in West Bloomfield know that we provide an excel- lent education for the dollars they expend," she said. "Letting 40 people into the district is defi- nitely not going to diminish prop- erty values." In addition to opposing schools of choice, Mr. Lieberman is cam- paigning on the fact that — un- like his opponents — he is a professional working full time in the public schools. "I believe the students in the West Bloomfield district deserve a full-time edu- cator on the school board," said Mr. Lieberman, who is an ele- mentary school counselor in the Detroit Public Schools. But unlike his opponents, Mr. Lieberman has little experience in the West. Bloomfield schools and does not have children. A parent of three, Ms. Lipton began her involvement in the schools as an active PTO mem- ber, when her oldest daughter — now in college — started school. She has served on the school board for 12 years and believes the major issues her district faces are funding, pursuit of excellence in education, defending public education, and integrating com- puters and technology into the learning process. Like Ms. Lipton, West Bloom- field incumbent Beth Danto Bor- son is a mother of three and began her school board career through involvement in the PTO. 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