Porter threa ensto
DetIOi - John Porter, public
schools general superintendent,
- said he was prepared to give up
• position to do better things
duriDg a regular school board
meeting at Mark T ain
Elementary School Tuesday
April 10. .
'1 certainly want to be of as
. ance, Porter said. t"But I'm
prepared to step aside tonight.
I'm here because I was asked to
,. bebere.
t's not beneficial to me to sit
here and go through this," he
�ntinued. I'm only here to -
"My position is I can do muCh
better."
Commenting on his
fteDbi1itytoleaveor ay,Porter
id he wouldn't aDo himself
to cause "divisivene " among
the board and their con
stituents.
The board voted 7-4 to dopt
a residency resolution which
ted, Porter ould have the
discretion to waive residency
requirements for himself, his
deputies and 'tan totaling
22 executive positions.
Several audience members
oppo ed the vote, ying the
resolution indicated Detroit .
only p ce to work d n to
Arthur
Jeffer on
join U of
ANN ARBOR --- Arthur
Jefferson, former general
superintendent of the Detroit
public schoo will become a
part -time visiting professor in
The U niver ity of Michig n .
School of Education.
During his three-year term
on the U -M faculty, effective
Sept. 1, Jeffer on wiD te�ch
classes in the School's Program
in Educational Administration
d will assist in the recruitment
of minority students and
f culty, said Cecil Miske� dean
of the U-M School.
A graduate of Wayne State
University, Jefferson joined the
Detroit public schools in 1960
a social tudies te cher at
iller Junior High School. In
1966, he umed dministra-
. live respoasibiliti as coor ..
dinator of the school system'
tri-district integr tio project.
A general superintendent
from 1975 to 1989, Jefferson led
the Detroit district . through
implementation of its
desegregation planned
e t blisbed a number of
programs, . including
choollbusine s partnership
alternative schools, and the
expansion of vocation and
technical education.
MICHIGAN CmZEN 3
tep down
live.
But Porter, during a press
conference, said he for the
r 'dency requirements for dis
trict employees, but he cannot
give up his residency in Ypsilan
ti for a temporary job.
"(District workers) should
live in the city," Porter said. "I
have my own business opera
tion. I have made a commitment
to have a residence in Detroit.
(But,) I can't give up my ac
tivities permanently," Porter
said. "That's not my intentions.
I don't intend to be the per
manent superintendent of
Detroit."
Calling the resolution a
board's item and not something
he requested, Porter said mem
bers have to clarify the details to
his accommodation before he
will sign the extension .. cootract.
"That issue can't afford to
stand in the y (of the district's
successes to this date): Porter
said.
The contract acknowledges,
Porter has agreed to remain
with the district until June 30,
1992 as general superintendent
or any other capacity in which
he is ed to assist.
Board President Lawrence
Patrick Jr., offered Porter a
two-year contract extension,
not including a pay raise.The
board will attempt to identify
and hire a successor to Porter,
with hi assistance. Porter bas
agreed to oversee the orderly
transition from his admininstra
tion to the new administration
- which is scheduled to to
occur by July 1, 1991. if no suc
cessor is found, Porter will
remain general superintendent
through July, 1992.
Porter has agreed to ccept
the same benefits that he now
receives, refusing to accept -
or even discuss - any 'salary in
crease until the first board
evaluation which is expected to
occur no later than July 1, 1990.
Other contract highlights in
clude:
. - Waiver of Detroit
residency for general superin
tendent.
. - Authority allowing the
general superintendent to waive
residency requirements for key in legal fees for costs incurred in The area superintendents
staff: ten (10) executive posi- rkiDg 0 an arrangeme to are.
tions and elevcn (11) confiden- relieve Porter of other commit Mary Jeaamarie, interim, of
tial assistants - all for ments effective July 1, 1990 Area A, George Pierce of Are
untenured terms no longer than en the cun:ent, unamended B, Ella Randolph-Cooke of
July 1, 1992. contract' set to expire. Area C, Benjamin Bemoudy of
_ Up to $2,000 per month Porter's interim deputy. su- Area D, Eddi Green, iaterim,
for Detroit living expenses. perintendent are: Darrell of Area E and John Hauck of
_ Rep cement of 10 t pen- Bur of Pi cal Integrity, Ar- Area F.
sion benefits w.hich are thur Carter, of Community Only Porter and Carter have
suspended during his employ- Confidence, Barbara Ort .. Smith confidential . tants Virginia
ment with the Detroit Public of Management Effectiveness Sutter and Janet Crawford. Of
Schools. and Ellen Stephens of Educa- the 22 positions 13 are filled
. - Reimbursement of $3,000 tiona! Quality. I lcaWig Dine open.
Community/board· mJmbers
oppose residency a·�er
I
--
Detroit Public Sc 001 S perl te de t, Jo Porter,
talks with the medl a't�r be told B rd e be t at
be would tep dowD If i re Ide cy waiver divide
t e , (Photo by Flodea )
Continued [rom Page 1
means necessary (to prevent
that.)
When you make decision
without really talking to the
people, then you are taking into
your hands to be God," she con
tinued. ·We feel residency is a
moral issue. I'm not going to get
down on my knees 'because you
all know right from wrong."
Previously, a residency
p licy was drawn up because 0
the lack of commitment to Ut
students by teachers, M r
said
• All they wanted to do
get in here, make the money d
get the Hell out," she'd, -n.ey
were running over the children
in the parking lots."
So if Porter and his staff
don't want to reside ill Detroit
then, "They ought to go pack
their begs and leave," Moore
said.Porter's annual salary is
$109,000, but $191,000 with
fringe benefits.
. His 1989-90 salary will not be
paid by the school district, said
Lawrence Patrick Jr., board
president, dding. but after he is
evaluated his salary as of July 1,
1990 will be paid by Detroit tax
payers.
Board members Edna ell,
Gloria Cobbin, Josh Mack and
Rose Mary Osborne voted
against the residency waiver.
Osborne charged th t a
closed 3 p.m. m eting of the
committee of the whole Tues
day April 10 at the Schools
Center Building a violation
of Michigan's Open Meetings
Act.
Stability is what the district
needs, Osborne said
"The chief administrator and
. those other perIODS should be
Detroiter and should be paying
property taxes," she said
Property taxes fund the city's
public schools.
On May 15 a millage election
is scheduled to take place when
taxpa)'Cl'l will be ed to raise
their property taxes by S3.s mil
lion to deliver the system from
an anticipated deficit.
Commenting that Porter ini
tially came to the board at no
cost, Cobbin . d, he wants the
D8IDCI of people who are paying
his salary revealed.
"It' unconscienceable for
you to come to the board and
to waive this: e ex
plained, "If you can't (live in
Detroit) then you go ome-
wbae "
,
!