6 -ll, 1989 MlCHlG CITIZEN
e 'People'
,-
DETROIT - Community e­
tivi meeting on Saturday July
2S to draft the People's Plat­
form bad particular concerns
about education.
Their main problems em­
phasized in the edu tion sec­
tion a lack of resources and
e of resources which the.
001 had. Beyond this, there
a belief that problems could
be solved by finding more crea­
tive ays of operating t e
school ystem.
Working on the original
draft of the platform was Karen
Mc Cloud, a mother of five,
hose children h d gone
through the school system and
is involved in many communi y
, ctivities as a taff member of
U -Snapback, vice president of
the C ss Corridor Neighbor­
hood Development Corpora­
tion and member of the steering
committee of Detroit Neigh­
borhood Alliance. Faciliators
.. t the meeting for revising th
education section were Pat
Doren and Frank Bugg.
The platform called for:
- The City Council to lobby
t te represent tives and the
State Department of Education
for greater share of state
revenues for education.
- the City Council to pu h
for "accountability and fiscal
r ponsibility in th chool ys­
rem" by passing ordinances,
hich create a means for
. evaluating school "Ii cal
polici s" and which "challenge
pending exce shieh are not
corrected."
- Change in the makeup of
long tanding Title I commit­
tees u ing exi ting chool com­
munity council, urging
involvement of parent and al­
lowing children themselves to
participate.
Th platform indicated that
there are way the city it elf can
provide re ource which ould
enhance "the total available
r sources for all student ."
To accomplish this, the plat­
form caned fo .
- Free bus tran portation
for all chool age children "to
provide true freedom of choice
currently not available to per-
on on limited inc me, becaus
tand on educa ion
of transportation co ts." The
p atform also noted that "far too
many tudents are harr ed
unnecessarily by city drivers
who demand full p yment if
children forget or 10 e their
cards."
- Provide health clinics at
most of the public schoo
- M ke library service
available through joint
progr established between
the libraries and school systems..
- Having recreation centers
ct as centers for enrichment
programs and intramural sports
and keeping them staffed all
year.
- Having II recreation
centers serve· as community
center
There a good deal of
concern about the high dropout
rate, poor performance nd the
belief of the citizens that hi
chools were "too large and im­
personal" and "do not offer elec­
tives kids need and want," as
well the "poor distribution of
books and supplies."
In this area, the citizens writ­
ing the platform were not only
interested in getting more .
resources, but in finding new
creative . ys to educate.
The platform called for:
. - Helping children discov r
new intere ts at (. n early age.
- Evaluating students in
gn de school ana teaching to
their intcre ts and abilitie .
- Stop tracking children
from the early grades and
predicting failure.
- E pand empowerment
concept; using parents and stu­
dent. to rai c the expectations
of the taff and dministration.
- More counseling and
tutoring support at all levels.
- Integrating chool ex­
tracurricular activities with city
funded activities at recreation
centers and libraries.
- Lengthening educational
programming. to 5 p.m.,
"reevaluating the I ngth of the
chool day with a broad
perspective of community and
family conditions and needs."
- Limit the number of stu­
dents in each high chool to no
more that 1,000 to 1,500 per
school.
.�
,
Sat.
7:30 a.m.
I
- Create "schools within
schools" in order to provide
"better utilization of physical
plants," while providing "the en­
vironment of a small school."
- Encourage hiring policies
which promote residency of
teacher in � City of Detroit.
- Dealing . h the "poor
distribution of books d sup­
plies" by "revamping existing
procurement, purchase, and
distribution 5 em by direct or­
dering from l� schools."
There w. also concern over
special problems. The pi tform
called for:
-:- Elimin ion of pressures
to wear expensive clothes
. (which many poor children can­
not afford) by encouraging
·"local school board policies for
staff and students" and en­
couraging "parents to limit per­
sonal adoroment of children."
- Deal . th the failure of
the schools to comply with state
d federal tutes regarding
those with handicaps, by man­
dating enforcement with "over­
sight . by designated
handicapper organizations .. "
The platform also expressed Th· k · died 1867. Alice Coachman set
concern about vocational IS wee In new Olympic record for the
education, which it d�bed I African high jump, 1948.' .
as, "underutilized, not respon- August 8 - rYey
sive to needs of business and in- American forms Universal Negro Im-
dustry, seperate from primary provement and Conservation
high school" and requiring "a istory: Association in 1914. M.:ltbt�
disruptive break for students to A H n a di co e f th
August6-J m Augu n • , r roe
tra I and djust." H I y was the first Black North Pole, born 1865.
The platform r ecorn- Catholic Bishop in the U.S. August 9 - By 1910 the
mended: (Named in 1875). James For- Negro. had been dis-
- Having students in voca- ten, Black abolitioni. t and enfranchised in MS, SC, LA,
tionaleducation long before the busine man, born 1766. • N , AL, VA, GA, OK� J e
10th grade. Augu t 7 _ Iph Bu che is . n Won four gold ,medals �
_ Linking tax abatements born on thi date in 1904. Ira track a�d field event , at Berhn
and special incentives to cor- Aldridge, Shakespearean actor, 01 mpics, 1936. .
poration who actively work Augu t 10 - Prin H II or-
with the chool sy tern, "idcn- ganized fir t Black masonic
Din in leads Koch lodge' 1787 J C H II
tifying future employment 1ft. • a,
needs and who as ist in future New York, N.Y. - Could the educator and author, born 1932.
next mayor of New York be a August 11 10000 Blacks
training." - ,
_ Design incentive and re- Black man? If recent public march long New York' Fifth
quirements in city contracts to opinion polls are accurate, it is Avenue to pr . e t lunchings of
require bu incsse. and lab r definitely po ible. The surveys the period in 1917. Dr.
how Black Manhattan 010 on C rtar uller
union .to open rank. to " ,
minoritie and training f r Borough Pre id nt David educator, reseracher and one of
young people. Dinkins ahead of current the first Blac psychi tri ts,
Mayor Edward Koch By 10 to born 1872.
20per centage points. August 12 - Ivi P te
Meanwhile, the usually soft-was the winningest professional
spoken Dinkins spent much of golfer on tour 1982-86. t
last week blasting Koch' Bib, leader of th Black Con-
record as mayor and pushing his sciou ness Movement in South
own anti-crime program. Africa, arrested, 1971.
Black
Kansa 9
plan
Kansas City, Mo. - Lawyer
for 10 Black students have
asked a Ceder I judge to malce
'the 51 te pay for their education
at intergrated private schools
because the Kan as City public
school desegregation plan bas
not worked. The net result of
the desegregation plan has been
to leave Kans s City public
schools 75% Blac as increas­
ing number of whites sent their
children to surburban public
schools or to privat� schools.
DID YOU OW ... that
thi eek's favorite quote
comes from motivational
speaker Le Brown: "Losers let
it happen to them but winners.
make it happen for them."
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