COMMUNITY VIEWS

Nourishing Our Cultural Roots

the fortunes of the city of Detroit dur-
he Detroit Symphony
ing the past 30 years, the chronic
Orchestra, thanks in part to
under-capitalization of our cultural
a lengthy economic expan-
institutions.
sion, is experiencing some
The fact is that these institutions
of the greatest results in its long and
are fragile. And now, after a
storied history.
lengthy struggle to get the
Neeme Jarvi and our
issue on the ballot, we have
musicians continue to deliver
a rare opportunity to
a wonderful product to the
strengthen them in prepara-
community. Subscription and
tion for tougher times
single-ticket sales are on the
ahead.
rise. Itzhak Perlman joins us
next year as our principal
The Payoff
guest conductor. Local phil-
The opportunity comes in
anthropists such as Max and
the form of Proposal A,
Marjorie Fisher, Sam and
PETER D.
which calls for a half-mill
Jean Frankel and Bernard and
increase on personal and
CUMMINGS
Marilyn Pincus have pro-
business properties in Oak-
Special
to
pelled us to new levels in our
land County and Wayne
the
Jewish
News
- capital campaign. And yet,
County.
even with such good times,
The measure would
we struggle to break even on opera-
raise $44 million annually: $29 mil-
tions.
lion for the 17 major regional insti-
At a recent meeting of the DSO
tutions, such as the DSO, the
board's education committee, the
Detroit Zoo and the Holocaust
members had to pass the hat in order
Memorial Center; and $15 million
to raise money to purchase percussion
for smaller, local programs. This $15
instruments for our youth orchestra.
million would actually be returned
How can this be? In times of pros-
to the municipality of origin, to sup-
perity, how is it that we are stretched
port causes such as art centers, com-
so thin to make ends meet? There are
munity theaters, festivals and other
many reasons: the explosion of com-
recreational activities that the
peting media during the past 10 years,
municipality chooses to fund with
the support of its residents.
What would this mean to the
Peter D. Cummings of Detroit is
individual property owner? If you
chairman of the Detroit Symphony
live in a $150,000 home, you would
Orchestra and a real estate developer
pay $37.50 a year, about 10 cents
with offices in Michigan and Florida.

T

per day. A small price, considering
the potential payoff.
What will the institutions do with
the money? In the case of the DSO,
the first thing we would do is to
expand our educational programs. We
would add 16 free educational con-
certs at Orchestra Hall to the 16 we
now offer to K-12 children in both
Oakland and Wayne counties. We
would perform two additional free
summer parks concerts — one in
Oakland and one in Wayne. We
would add three school districts to the
seven we now serve in the "In A
Chord!" program, which brings musi-
cians into classrooms. And we would
extend the interactive Internet educa-
tion program "Mozart, Math &
Music" to Oakland County.

Children To Seniors

The next thing we would do is create
programs to better serve our seniors,
such as bringing youth quartets into
senior citizens centers and nursing
homes.
What will this mean for our chil-
dren? For some, it will provide an
avenue of expression they may never
otherwise have discovered. For some,
it will provide careers.
For others —perhaps those who
visit a nursing home to play for the
seniors — it may introduce them to
the magic of community service. For
all, it will ensure that we pass on to
future generations the cultural institu-
tions that were part of our own youth

Ballot Language

Proposal A, as it appears on the
ballot:
"The Metropolitan Arts and

Culture Council will support non-
profit regional cultural institutions
andiocal arts and recreational pro-
grams within its operating area of
Oakland and Wayne Counties. As
provided for in Public Act 292 of
1989, as amended, the levy of a 0.5
mill ad valorem tax (50 cents per
thousand dollars of taxable value)
will be on the taxable real and per-
sonal property located within Oak-
land and Wayne Counties, for 10
years, 2001-2010, inclusive. If
approved and levied, this new addi-
tional millage will generate approx-
imately $44,000,000 in 2001. Shall
this proposal be adopted?"

and helped to frame the way we look
at the world.
It will not ensure, however, that
our education committee members
won't have to pass the hat again. But
that would mean we had started yet
another youth orchestra with the
broader group of children we were
reaching through the additional
funding that Proposal A would pro-
duce.
I urge you to say yes to this propos-
al when you vote Nov. 7.

LETTERS

Voucher Vote
Is Crucial

I absolutely agree with the voucher
editorial ("`No' On Vouchers," Oct.
13, page 39), especially the quote
about public schools: "They give
everyone a chance to be educated,
contribute and achieve success."
How is it possible that the pro-
voucher group can say it is putting
kids first? There are 550 school dis-
tricts in the state, and now there are
only seven of those districts that are
considered "failing." The vote on Nov.
7 is not just to help those seven dis-
tricts, but more importantly, to
change the Michigan Constitution.
If this proposal should pass,. beware
of what lies underneath. In the states
that do offer vouchers, voters and tax-

10/20
2000

44

payers will tell you that their taxes
have been raised to fund the vouchers,
and that the majority of the students
using them were already in private
schools. Giving a false promise to par-
ents that their children will automati-
cally be able to get into a private
school with a voucher is wrong.
As far as teacher testing being a rea-
son to change our state constitution
goes, there is already teacher testing in
all public schools; this is required by
the state along with mandated profes-
sional development days. There is no
need to change the constitution to
demand teacher testing.
Let us not forget that Gov. John
Engler has stated that if this proposal
is passed, there will be automatically a
$100 per-pupil deduction statewide in
foundation allowances, at the very
least.

Who will pay for this mistake? All
of us — and all the public-school chil-
dren in [our state's] 550 school dis-
tricts. Please vote wisely and support
all the children in the state. Vote "no"
on Proposal 1.

Sherrie English
Bloomfield Hills

Building Bridges
Of Harmony

While our minds and hearts were
focused on the upheaval taking place
in Israel ("The Rosh Hashanah Riots,"
Oct. 6, page 16), local Arabs,
Chaldeans and Jews managed to enjoy
one another's company on an evening
cruise on the Detroit River last week.
The American Arab and Jewish

Friends, a program of the NCCJ
(National Council of Community
and Justice), formerly known as the
Detroit Interfaith Round Table,
organized the program "Coming to
America — the Detroit Arab and
Jewish Immigrant Experience" —
aboard the Diamond Belle
[anchored on the Detroit River].
The resource speakers shared their
knowledge about those experiences,
which were, in fact, not so diverse —
merchants and their families trying to
live the American dream all while
experiencing prejudice, which often
precipitated their migration to new
neighborhoods.
Though several TV stations
attempted to elicit our reaction to the
events in the Middle East, the atten-

LETTERS on page 47

