Metro

ON THE COVER

The 3 Rs from page A17

Reynolds rattles off the names of
friends like the late Oak Park mayors
David Shepherd and Charlotte Rothstein,
the late city councilman Art Froelich, and
his old classmates, Southfield attorney
Jeffrey Feiger and Dr. Harry Herkowitz.
Of the school board, Reynolds says,
"They need that old experience from
the '70s to get this thing straight. They
are just out there like boats without
paddles:"
Reynolds and his wife got
more involved in 2007 after he
was flipping TV channels one
night and caught the school
board meeting live on the
public-access cable channel.
"There were things that were
going on that made me get
up right then and go to that
meeting;' he said.
The Reynolds have two
grandchildren at OPHS: one
just graduated and the other
will be a senior in the fall.
Gutfreund has seven
grandchildren, but only her
daughter's three children
roll `'nt
are in the Detroit area and
Oak Park Schools had 3,700 students
they attend the Frankel
enrolled during the 2008-09 school year.
Jewish Academy, Yeshivat
District Superintendent Dr. Sandra Harris
Akiva and Hillel Day School.
said there were 1,353 "schools of choice"
Despite the day-school con-
students coming into the district from
nection with her grandchildren,
outside the area this year. Recent newspa-
Gutfreund remains disgruntled
per reports said Oak Park High School had
about the time she was approached
'11616.00 of these students out of an enroll-
in 1985 by people representing the day-
ment of 1,400 in 10th-12th grade.
school Jewish community. She was prom-
ised 1,000 votes, she said, if she voted
to have the school district bus Oak Park
Jewish children to day schools outside the
district boundaries.
Gutfreund refused, but the policy was
"I had the two of them meet and sit
down and talk," Reynolds said. "They were implemented in recent years, reportedly in
exchange for the day-school community's
both on the same page. They both believe
support during a millage election.
the focus of the district has to be on the
Gutfreund has always stayed connected
kids." Patterson would allow schools of
choice to continue, but only at the elemen- with Oak Park Schools. She continued to
attend school board meetings as an inter-
tary and middle school levels.
ested citizen and maintains friendships in
And Reynolds knew from his wife's
Oak Park and Royal Oak Township with
experience that it would be cheaper and
people she met through PTA decades ago.
easier to combine the Gutfreund and
Some of those friends from the town-
Patterson election efforts.
ship marched into the schools in the 1970s
The keys, he said, in their "Vote For 2"
to put a halt to student unrest.
campaign were the absentee voters, lawn
Gerald Naftaly, a 1970 OPHS graduate
signs to build name recognition, flyers that
and
mayor of Oak Park for the last 18
explained their campaign positions and
years,
is hopeful that the situation in the
going door-to-door to meet the voters.
schools will get back "to at least close to
Reynolds also drew on his own expe-
what they once were' But continued bick-
riences in the 1960s as one of the first
ering leaves him dismayed.
black students from Royal Oak Township
Amid political squabbling, the trustees
to attend Oak Park Schools. "There are
last week missed a 30-day deadline to fill
enough people in Oak Park who know me
and know my family to counter false state- a board vacancy and now the Oakland
Intermediate School District will make the
ments that were being made" during his
appointment.
wife's campaign last year.

Ming. There is friendship among those
being hired.
"What we have to do is educate our chil-
dren with action. I don't care about color
or background. Children can learn. But we
have to have zero tolerance" for low expec-
tations and disruptions in school.
She believes the schools of choice pro-
gram "is the worst thing in the world. It
brings in [state] money, but takes away
education from the kids who are the chil-
dren of our [school district] taxpayers."
She also criticizes the school adminis-
tration: "We have more high-paid admin-
istrators now than we had when Oak Park
Schools were in their heyday"
Reynolds knew what Gutfreund stood
for after 40 years of friendship and
attending school board meetings togeth-
er. Both Gutfreund and Patterson asked
for his campaign help after they filed as
candidates.

A18

June 18 • 2009

AN

1 Oak Park High School
(10-12th grades)
2 Oak Park Academy
(8-9th grades)
3 Roosevelt Middle School
(6-7th grades)
4 Pepper Elementary
5 Key Elementary
6 Lessenger Elementary
7 Einstein Elementary

"There have been too many controver-
sies over the last couple of years:' Naftaly
said. "I even offered to help them do some
fundraising and I also offered to do some
mentoring, but nobody took me up on
anything."
Naftaly said the relationship between
the schools and the city hasn't been great.
He added that the school board "has to be
held accountable and everybody has to
pitch in."
Gutfreund, the Reynolds and Patterson,
among others, are determined to turn
things around. "I don't want this to sound
derogatory or mean:' Gutfreund said, "but
we have to fix this, and we will." II

