o rd 'privatization' 'cpponent demand
DBTIlOO' - Privatization, a
deadly d to UDion cars but a
CODCCpt proposed by the S1 mil­
• study commis-
ioned by Detroit Public
Schools Board Dii&bt be easiDg
throuP the d doors.
Boardmember Gloria Cob-
biD staunchly opposed
. contracting
out of services DOW performed
by board employees - ,
demanded the Oct. 10 board
IDOctlDa: aD in ion into
the of -unauthorized-
ken the Scbool Center
Buikti ..
Cobbin aid t workers
ere performing custodial
k ually done by Local34S
members.
An investigation of the
charge prepared bj Interim
. FISCal Integrity Deputy Super-.
intendeDt, Darrell Burks and
has been completed.
According to the Burk's
report, at a July 5 Board meet­
ing m mbers approved a
523,000 contract with Sharan
Corporation. . Shar n
employees are to rk casuAl
laborers &om July 6, 1989 to
Hou ng
'commltt e
�� .. � guld
for clo lng'
. chool
By rton s. RIGGS
StII/[ Repotter
DETRorr - A ne policy for
cIosin& co lidating or reor­
ganizing schoo was approved
by the Detroit Public Schools
Board dwing an Oct. 12 Hous­
ing Committee mectjog_
The criteri w s recom­
mended by Facility Utilization
Policy committee.
The tandards are simple,
schools will be determined as
either -excellent- or "effective,"
The policy states, "If a school
can not demoDStr te within a
period of time that it can be­
come effective, the school
ould be considered for pe­
. attentio including the pos­
sibility of being closed.
The policy fo determining
. schoo ould be con-"
idered for po ible closing,
CODSOlidation or reorganization
. are foU ;
- Schoo with 1 than 50
percent of students
demon trating acceptable
chievement levels established
by the district ..
- Schoo with a utilization
of than 75 percent.
-Schoo co idered effec­
me with a utilization of less than
SO percent,
- Elementary chools with
udent enrollment less than
400. .
- Middle schoo with stu-
dent enrollment than 600.
- Schools more than 50
year old and require major
renovati (e.g. boiler replace­
me or conversion, window re­
p cement, roof repl cement)
·thin the next lO years.
Other committee recom­
ode the fo
- ne board's selling of
�UI· .... SC:hOOI, form��:
zo Bates Academy to the city or
Detroit for S1 and all other
costs, the city has committed to
demolishing the buildiaa-
- Purchasing Rosa Park
Middle School, The board had
leased the property until
August 30, 1989 at which time it
became full owner. The board
began leasiDg the property in
1979 when more pace was
needed for school buildings.
Rosa Parks Middle School is
the former St. Davitt High
School. •
- Adjustments in contracts
of various schools asbestos
professional consulting er-
vices. .
- Selecting proposed bid
for Osborn High School's boiler
replacement and the School
Center Building window re­
placement.
- Expanding the site desig­
nation of Rosa Parks Middle
School.
. - Renewing leases for the
Children's Museum Annex for
SSOO per month for 26 months,
Chapter I Non-Public Program
at Eastside Vicariate for S1200
per month for 24 months and
Chapter I Non-Public Program
at 6 vario sites for S1 for 36
months.
- Opening a new lease for
Chapter I Non-Public Progr�
at St. Mary's of Redford for
SSOO per month for 12 months.
June 30, 1990.
The Burb report states the
Equipment Departmyt UICS
casual labor &om Sharan Tem­
porary, not custodial. .
Cobb in believed that
Sharan's cmplpyees re taking
odial jobs away &om cmt-:
iDg ken in the Buildings. In
return, these worker ere
beiDg laid off, e said.
investigatio.n
Cobbin said she is still iaves-
. tipting herself. •
The report further stated
that the casual labor provided
by Sharan employees is used
primarily to perform functions
in connection with the closing of
'school sites such as moving,
storage and cartage.
On Sept 11, 1989 Union rep­
. reseatatives Nathaniel Smith,
Ford Deal.er begs Board
. .
to ea e EEO. guidelines
price, because of the board's ex­
cellent pay record, to assure the
contract, but has always been
denied by the board.
Failing to come under com­
pliance was determined when
Jorgensen lacked ODe minority
supervisor, three minority sales
people and one minority cleri­
cal person, he said.
-I have tried to hire
minorities," he said. -I try to hire
every person who is qualified
whatever race they are.
"You rule me out because I
don't quite meet the standards
and I have a hard time under­
standing that."
Edna aeu, committee chair,
said that school board staff
would look into Jorgensen's
Mary Ann Reece, Kathleen
Gray and Arcielcan Peete met
. with school board staft chargmg
that the Sharan Corporation
was custodial sub-contractor,
performing work at the
Management Academy,
Central Distribution Center
and other locations.
As a remedy of this
grievance, the Union asked that
Local 345 members effected be
compensated in pay and
benefits.
These claims were dis­
counted following the investiga­
tion and the Union's grievance
was denied.
DBTROrr - Jerry Jorgensen
owner of Bielfield Pord, 8333
Michipn A\'eIluc, came to the
Detroi School Board's Equal
Employment Opportunity
Procurement and Purchasing
committee meeting Oct. 16 not
to seD cars but to ask why his
company has repeatedly been
declined contracts,
Jorgensen said his dealer-
hip was found in non-com­
pliance with boar standards in
1986 and applying as automo­
tive mechanical contractor has
been impossible ever since.
The board concluded that
Beilfield Ford lacked enough
minorities in its employment to
meet its equal eq> oyment op­
portunity guidelines.
However, Jorgensen admits
that his company has till served
as sub-contractor without the
knowledge of the board. He
would not disclose any com­
panynames ..
Because the school board's
work is such a heavy duty work
10 d some of the present con­
tractors do not have the quality
workers or service as Bielfield
Ford, Jorgensen said, so his
de lership is paid ,to do the
wor
This way the board ends up
paying the contractor a higher
price which could be lowered if
Bielfield Ford was the primary
contractor.
Jorgensen said his dealer­
ship has co . ently bid a lower
. I
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case.
Our staff will will work with
you to help you come into com­
pliance," she said.
Other commitee. action in­
cludes support of the following:
- A recommended SS6,OOO
purchase oT furniture from
Childcraft Education Corp.
- A data processing services '
contracts for $60,0000 to Sym­
Con and S12O,000 to Charles S.
Davis & Associates.
- Proposed contract for
security department uniforms
to Enterprise Uniform Co. for
, s100,OOO and for equipment
rental (bi-le's) from Power Lift
Sales d Service.for SSO,OOO.
•
School-based
- 'management
Idea advance
DETRorr - A $44,000 pilot­
staff-development program .
on it's way for Public Schools.
During an Oct. IS personnell
committee boardmembers
recommended that a staff
development and training col-
laborative decision-making
model begin.
Boardmembers hope this
idea of school- based manage­
ment will resh pe teacher ' at­
titudes and maximize students'
classroom learning.
The program's ideology is a
response to Interim General
Superintendent John Porter's,
call for a research-based staff
development design addressing
-A Vision of School Success and
Student Achievement Within
the Detroit Public Schools."
The Division of Manage­
ment Effectiveness has drafted
a three-part asses ment and
training model for collaborative
decison-making which has been
summarized in a report
presented to the personnell
committee.
Presenter Kay Lovelace
from the Management
Academy said this type of
program is necessary to prepare
the system for empowerment
and school-base management,
other proposed re-organization
programs.
But, because of the system'
multiplicity of problems the
program will work in ix-month
interval at several different
consecutive sites.
Sharon Johnson-Lewis, also
- a program presenter, said staff
development . s expected to
work slowly but surely.
"We don't expect to see a
tremendous change because
remember we are tallking about
six months," Johnson-Lewi
aid.
Starting the gradual proce ,
program organizers have
scheduled a calendar starting
ov. 1 with a general orienta­
tion for eligible chools and
program task force member .