Surd n on he future
Prl on
due tlon
r tor d aft r
III g lIy cut
LANSING - Inmate of tbe
tate prison system can count
on education again thanks to
the Corrections Budget Sub
committee cbaired by Rep.
Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatric .
The .commi nee held a public
beanng recently on prisoner
academiC/vocational and po t
secondary education programs
whicb bad been cut by Correc
tio officials itbout autbority
to do o.
FoUo ing the bearing; the
House Appropriations Subcom
mittee wbicb oversees tbe
operating budget for tbe
Michigan Department of Cor
rections, un nimously agreed
to re tore state monies for
prisoner education programs to
the current 1990 levels. .
A Department of Correc
tion enior staff person tes
ti fied th t notices ere mailed
to vario post- eeo ry in
stitution (Community Col
lege /Universitie ) in rcb
terminating the contrac.
The corrections po per-
on tined that cu were due
to b d et constrainst and
tb t needed to be
for other b dget
sborta in the departmen '
Kilpatric , toget r itb
Rep nlative Mickey Knipt
(M kegon) questioned tbe
authority of the department in
not imp ementin eduCation
program authorized by la .
and funded. '
The Department of Correc
�ons so Ie tiCied, ben ques
tioned, tbat the decision to
tenni e t pro
m de i tbout ny prior con-
ultation or notificatio to
legislative budget committees
hicb i a violation of the I .
Rep. Kilpatnc in tructed
the de ramen and the legi I
ti�e taff to immediately
I remst ie the education
programs. Further ction taken
by tbe ubcommutee restores
s te funding for continuation
of tbe programs for the fiscal
year beginnin October 1,
1990.
·Prisoner education affor
ingle most Significant OJ)
rtunity for offenders 0 ac
qwre kills that can de ermine
their success or f 'lure. Otber
, s ill development program
itmn prisons; and fOlio -up
communi ty b ed prop
pon release, can make tbe dif-
ference in i ti t in-
dividuals to become
rapo blc citizeDs: '
.... :DIaw· � Kil trick.
tq iDCrease I pad e I
biaber payiDa job.
Just over 20 years � 76.1
perceDt of collClc reyeD
came flo the tate IDd 21.5
peJ'CCDt came from t tui
tioD IDd fea, . I Pta·
Co 'repOrt.
ID 1988-1989, reVCD
from tuition IDd fees provided
public universities ilb 34.3
percent of their operati
bud • State ropriati
acco for 58 percent, said
the 1989 PresideD CouDCiI
report.
While the sllte supports
bigber education by allocatiD
up to 60 percent of the col
leges and universiti ' geaeral
funds, Montgomery sli,
f�deral support b not Ia-
creased over the t 10
ultimately deere in, tbe
Imount of federal fuDels to
schoo •
. -It is tbe feetera) JOvem
men tbat i lax in i respGDIC
to the need of stude t the
SIaIC, - Mo "tgornery said. .1be
Slate government Ii least
kept up ith the rate of inDa
tion.
THE STATE HAS put
more money into financial aid
I �r�nlage i� �
they have in general fund .
But Montlomcl} thinks
more can be done.
·Public policy maker'
decision hould allo any
qualified tudent to have ac
cess to public higher educa
tion,· Montlomery lid. A
coalition bet eea vemmen
bigher education leaders Ind
bus' leaders' required 10
keep tbe co t of universities
from increasing too f t, be'
'd.
It' somethi the univer-
sities can do aloDe. H ever,
e believe government and
cducation are tarti to ork
to ether.
While there mly be
progre ,Strand said govern
ment can and hould do more.
He said Michigan bas fallcn
bebind in education funding.
He 'd t in - state tuition
is m cb bilher in Michigan
tban it is in other state .
"It may ca the best and
tbe brigh t kid to go else-
bere," Strand said. He id
because tbe state such high
.colle cost, tudents may go
out of sla or go to a privale
i titution.
STRAND SAID BE would
like to sec a scholarship set up
from a �rtion of abe money
the state gives to universi ties
for high school studen who '
ex�J in school.
·'t would live those stu
. den inc:eDtive to slay in slate
IDCIlo to scbool,· Strand said.
Strand said although be
tho pt tuition ould nevcr
decrease, t ere should be I
Iy to ·deaeIIc abe ra of iD-
aaIC of 'Uoo.-
Scarlett aid he doe n' t
think government i doi any
thing.
"There not mucb
evideoce of vemment, busi
ne S and education comin
together et," Scarlett Slid.
"1bere is • lot of about it,
but ben it comes right down
to it, even tho &b abe state
been very gcDCro with its
funding of p lie univcrsi Ii ,
there is not eno gb mo y to
meet all of the cost the school
have to pay."
As are, ult, Scarlett aid
school h vc to rai e their tui
tion. He' id he doesn t see
tbi changing dramatically in
the future.
Strand aid the sta is pret
ty lucky to keep thinp at a
statu quo level. He said it
would be difficult to start any
new programs, or even in
ere e funding from existing
ones becau e other areas in
government. such a correc
tions, mental healtb and
Medicaid. arc underfunded.
He id b i ne should get in
volved ith the educational
process, so busine can help
where government can't. .
MO TGOMERY AID
Michigan' economy i in a
transi lion from manufacturing,
dominated by tbe auto in
dustry, to service , information
and high tcchnology. To
progre ,Montgomery id,
citizens have to be better edu
cated. At least t 0 years of
higher education ill be ex
pected of orkers in tbe fu
ture, he predicted .
·Unle s there Ire oppor
tunities for higher education,
e're DOt ,IOinl to ve the
work force, and itbout the
o ,force 're DOt JOin to
be Ible 0 advance I Ie, •
t ry 'd. .
ent mee
public
Pre
B c
W ASHINGTO • D,C. -- T D
African American RepubJi
elected officials met with Pr
dent George B recently to
discu efforts to attr ct m e
African Americans to t e
Republican Party.
The Pre ident thank
mbers of the deleptioD
their efforts on behalf of
Rep Party d told
e committed to see'
more Blick Republica I
elected.
. The meeting arranged
by the Republican National
Committee to give local blaCk
Republican office holder an
opportunity' to meet . th the
PresideDt.
The delegatio also received
political briefi from White
House om' iDcludiag James
R. Wray, director of political af
fairs, and William Canary, spe
cial assistant to the president
for intergovernmental affairs.
The meeting the fll t in
erie that the President will
hold 'th Black Repub . can of
, flee 0 den.
A1T CTI G A CAN
Al'U!duCAN to the
Republican Rarth i a top
priority of President Bu h,
R C Chairman � A ter
d local Republi' leaders
act the country.
'1f our efforts to broaden the
Republicaa Party are go'
rk we m' D only
black Republi
ful cam . pport them
ODCe they are' office:
• _ ..... .uUMIU.·1L C _ic' aaI
CBlGAN CJ11ZEN r,e 11
ith
directo of political outreach.
After meeting with the
delegation of black
Republican , the Pre ident
poke at a dinner celebratina
the 20th anniversary of the Joint
Center for Political and
Economic Studies. The
Washingto -based Joint Center
is the nation' preeminent
bipartisan bl ck political think
tank.
Eddie Williams, president of
the Joint Center, wrote in the
. November/December i ue of
the Joint Center's gazine,
Pocus, that ·it· increuiagly
clear. t e Blac political in
fluence nationwide might be
ignificaatly enhanced in the
years to come if b vo CIS
uld ch.ieve a more balaDccd
partisan alignment.·
The elected offici
met with PresideDt B
Stephen C. B on, M' uri'
St te ReprcscntatM; Joanne
Co� Gty Council Member,
Kana City, Missouri; BiD
Cleveland, City Council Mem
ber, Alexandria, Virginia; AI
tyson K. Duncan, Judge, North
C rolina Court of Appe Is;
Jame ' G rner, Mayor,
Hempstead, Ne Y Or ; Guy. L.
'Reece II, Judge, Franklin'
County Municipal Court; James
Smith. City Council Member,
Ro well, Geor ia; FraDk
rrumer, City CoUDCil MezDbel
R' orth Caro' •
BobW ·
1M; De.I ... ft
,