of
DBTROrr - Interim Superin
tendent John Porter announced
at the Nov. 14 Board meeting
that a report detailing the
deliberations of the committee
formed to study WDTR, the
. board' educational broadcast
ing network, will be available in
the board secretary's office.
The report was not made
available by "Michigan Citizen"
presstime.
However, through a
Freedom of Information (FOI)
Act request, the "Michigan
Citizen," was able to obtain
these facts: •
An eight-member panel in
cluding Verna Green ofWJLB;
Caryn Mathes of WDET;
•
I I
Agnes Scott of wrvs Channel
56; Marie Farrell-Donaldson,
former city general auditor;
Rod Zimmerman of WWJ and
WJOI; Jim Glass of WXYT;
Bill Johnson of the "Detroit .
News" and Paul Hubbard of
New Detroit will review and
make recommendations to the
general superintendent regard
ing the future of the station ..
The "Michigan Citizen"
reporter has been barred from
two meetings of the committee.
The meetings are closed be
cause the panel has no legal
obligation to hold open meet
_ings, Porter said in his wri ten
response to the FOI request.
Citizen panels are not included
under the Michigan Open
Meetings Act.
Porter said members of the
panel are not privy to informa
tion regarding the committee's
actions that other media are
barred from knowing.
"The members of this P el
are highly ethical individuals
who will not divulge informa
tion to their own stations or
newspapers prior to a general
public announcement by the In
terim General Superintende t
which will include all press rep
resentatives," Porter said.
Despite published rumors
alleging Eastern Michigan
Parents· address board about ·Iack of books,
chool radio station still shrouded 'Iin secrecy'
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By �ODEAN s. RIGGS
St ffReponer
DETRorr - A parent asked
members of the Detroit Public
Schools board Nov. 14 exactly
where th money alloca ed for
student books was going?
Parents p y an annual $10
fee for tudent text boo , but
the bulk of Detroit school
children often come home with
no book and no homework, she
aid. "
"I've een my on with two
books in two .year� ," he aid,
contrasting the number of
boo s he carried home when
she w a student. •
. "When I was a tudent I came
h me with eight books a day."
Another mother told the
board that her daughter wasn't
assigned a locker at the begin
ning of the school year. �
As a result of not having a
secure place to put her coat the
daughter's coat was stolen, the
mother said, adding that she
was very upset by the incident.
One more parent stood up
and told the board about a
recent encounter with a
guidance counselor. He said he
felt the counselor mistreated
him parent.
His son had gotten in some
trouble at school and he too a
I day off from wor to talk with
the counselor, he said. When he
and . son arrived at the school
the counselor told him that she
had meetings and he had to re
schedul . So he took another
day off of work to talk to the
coun lor.
Again he was kept waiting
and wasn't able to ee the coun
selor, because after her meet
ings she went home, leaving him
there to wait, he said.
Then a former student ap
proached the board testifying
how students ar treated worse
than parents.
His account detailed how his
counselor told him that he was '
mere credits from graduation
during an visit to plan" for com
mencement early in the school
year.
But when graduation time
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was near, the counselor in
formed him that he was short in
graduation requirements. The
student did not graduate on
time because of his counselor's
neglience, he said.
Board president Lawrence
Patrick Jr. told those who ad
dressed the board that most of
their problems could be hand
led right on the school level. He
also said he would direct them
r.
to the appropriate people.
Interim General Superin en
dent John Porter asked the
board to support the Unive sity
Cultural Center .Association's
upcoming activities. Porter aid
no financial committment 0 her
than what is already in place is
necessary from the board.
The board agreed to support
th association's "1989 Master
Pian," with member Rose Mary
University is interested in .
taking over the station, no one
from the University serves as a
committee member, Porter
said.
In response to the question
whether Eastern would be . 1-
lowed a controlling intere t in
the station's operation, Porter
said, "The Pan I is fre to con
sider all options available . , .
regarding the future of th sta-
tion." •
Mary Wilks, current ex cu
tive director of WDTR, is not a
committee member.
Wil does not serv on the
committee because it is an ex
ternal entity, said Arthur
Carter, a deputy superinte - .
dent and committee organizer.
However Wilks has been invited
to at least two meetings, he aid.
ude staff
Osborne saying, "Once this
program is confirmed, that is
going to make the cultural cen
tcr one of thc mo t outstanding
in the United State ."
Porter also a ked board
member to consider taking ac
tion on accepting $21,791 in
private contributions for mu 1-
cal in trument and $375,796.13
for boys and girls sports equip
ment.
Engineer
requests
waiver of
Board's
residency
requirements
DETROIT - Board members
have the final vote on whether
Gilbert Rowe will be required
to. move to Detroit to comply
with board residency require
ments.
Acco ding to Philip Schloop,
the Int "rnational Union of
Operating Engineer business
manage. Rowe, a Royal Oak
resident, has fulfilled all re
quirements except for District
�ngineer residency require
ments, a recently announced
position and a promotion for
Rowe. Rowe h been a board
employee for 43 year .
Previously, promotions
me nt compliance with residen
'cy requirem as provided in
the agreement between the
board and the union.
Rowe, currently a a A '
Residency Requirements - Article II
Effecli� Feb. 10, 1981, all members new to the unit shall
establish and maintain residency within the limits of the City
of Detroit. Upon promotion into or entry ill to another bargain
illg unit, all members shall be govemed by the Agreement of
the applicable bargaining unit. The board reserves the right to
waive this provision.
An employee who enters the bargaining unit after tit i/cc
live date of this provision may petition the Board for excep
tion in the area of maintenance of residenc upon
presentation of evidence showing good and reasonable caus �
for the proposed waiver.
engineer, is the fir t employee
to req uest a waiver by an
employee wi hing to enter the
Non-Instructional upervisory
Personnel bargaining unit.
- Upon recommendation the
board win examine the language
in the requirements which indi
cates that the employee is to
present evidence showing good
and reasonable cause for the
proposed waiver.
In written reque t, Rowe
said that hi change in salary or
promotion from a Class A en
gineer to District Engineer
"would not support a change in
residency,
Sub crlbe to th Ichlgan Citizen
Call· (313) 869-0033 todayl
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