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
,