Running Unopposed
Berkley's Jewish school board candidates
share a commitment to public education.
JULIE WIENER STAFF WRITER
The biggest issues Ms. Berg-
er White sees on the Berkley
schools horizon are budgeting
and schools of choice. Like oth-
er districts throughout the state,
Berkley schools face the chal-
lenge of generating more rev-
enue despite limitations imposed
by the Proposal A referendum.
B
erkley voters are either ap-
athetic about their school
board or simply content.
As in many districts in
Oakland County, Berkley's June
9 school board race is uncontest-
ed. Two first-time candidates —
both Jewish — are running for
two open seats.
Although this is her first elec-
tion, Barbara Berger White of
Huntington Woods has served on
the Berkley school board since
July, when she was appointed to
replace Howard Wittenberg, who
resigned.
Having served as school board
observer for her local PTA and co-
chair for the 1995 Berkley district
bond campaign, Ms. Berger
White found the adjustment to
board member easy. A social
worker by profession, she has social groups, including a crisis
been involved with the Berkley intervention center.
"The school board came at a
schools since her oldest child —
great time in my life," she said.
now 13 — started school.
Ms. Berger White says she has "My kids were getting older and
been volunteering most of her I was looking for alternatives in
adult life in different nonprofit work."
Like Ms. Berger White,
Catherine Fridson is from Hunt-
ington Woods and became in-
volved in local education issues
when her children started school.
With three children enrolled in
Berkley schools, Ms. Fridson has
volunteered as a tutor, served as
president and treasurer for her
PTA and was voted "Par-
e n t of the Year" by the
Burton Elementary
School PTA.
"I really believe in
- public schools as a foun-
dation of a free society,"
ViteleitA
said Ms. Fridson, herself a prod-
uct of the Detroit Public Schools.
With a volunteer background in
education and a professional
background in business, Ms.
Fridson is confident that she is
up to the task of serving on the
school board. "I'm not unfamil-
iar with financial issues of large
organizations," she said. Like
Ms. Berger White, she sees fi-
nancial management as the cen-
tral issue facing Berkley's
schools.
Neither candidate feels there
are any issues of specific Jewish
interest facing the schools, but
Ms. Fridson said that while "this
▪ district is fairly well-attuned to
▪ Jewish issues," it is important
to maintain a Jewish presence
0 on the board. Other current
members of the board who are
Jewish include Bruce Klein, who
is retiring, Marc Katz and Bar-
ry Blauer.
Ms. Fridson is a member of
Beth Shalom, and Ms. Berger
White is a member of Temple
Emanu-El.
Et School board elections will
t,ake place throughout Oakland
County on Monday, June 9. For
information about the candi-
dates in your district, call the
League of Women Voters at
(248) 647-1350.
In addition, the Above: Barbara
Berger White
district must de-
cide whether or
not to open its Right: Catherine
Fridson
doors to stu-
dents from oth-
er districts.
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