The Michigan Daily-Saturday, August 9, 1980-Page 3

academic
aid plan
scrapped'
By ALAN FANGER remedial reading, remedial writing,
The University Athletic Department academic writing, power learning, time
has abandoned consideration of a management, and reading strategies.
proposal that would have provided Incoming freshmen players would have
"comprehensive academic support" been required to participate in the
frthe Michigan football team begin- program, while upperclassmen would
fori h 18-1cdei er have been included "on a self-referral
Officials in both the Athletic Depar- ACADEMIC ADVISOR George Hoey, ...
tment and the University's Center for who has been the Athletic Depar-
Reading and Learning Skills, under tment's representative during
whose auspices the program was to. negotiations to develop the program,
have operated, cited '"a lack of com- would not commient on the matter.
munication" as the major reason the "There is really .not much I can say
program will not be implemented this about that," said Hoey.
year. Officials added that the programn When asked if her thought the
was likely to be reconsidered in the pormcudb eosdrdi h
NOa fREAL REASONS were given near future, Hoey replied, "I'd like to
(by the Athletic Department)," said think so."
David Patten, the program's would-be ONE SOURCE close to theb
administrator sod a Skills Center coun- negotiations said the Athletic Depar-
S selor who specializes in dealing with the tment "has been too bogged down with
academic concerns of athletes. "I other things" to work out the details of
suspect that perhapa too much 'was the program. Another source also close Doily Photo I
to the discussions said, "it's kind ofa
beng canged and there was too little ytry (dwhy the program was not im- Chc e o e n c ra o
Theprgra, hic wuldhae ben Hoey said he had not spoken with Pat- Located in downtown Piockney, the "Dairy Dip Drive-In" appeal
the first of its kind in the country, con- ten in nearly a month, but he would not leftover from a time when teenagers spent balmy Saturday nights
slated of beth individualized and small- in their convertibles, sipping chocolate shskes and eating chicken d
group instruction in the areas of SeACADEMIC, Page 15
pBLASTS TISCH PLAN:
Bullard outlines tax proposal

% %

rtes
rs to be a
lounging
elight.

By JOYCE FRIEDEN
Special to The Daily
YPSILANTI - Blasting Shiawassee County Drain
Commissioner Robert Tisch's tax cut plan as a
"storybook proposal," State Reps. Perry Bullard (D-
Ann Arbor) and Roy Smith (R-Ypsilanti) yesterday
outlined the major tenets of their own tax plan.
Speaking at a press conference held at Eastern.
Michigan University, Bullard said his proposal tries
above all to insure an "equal opportunity of
education" for all Michigan residents.
THE SMITH/BULLARD proposal would equalize
the millage allotted to public education in every
school district throughout the state by raising the
bulk of the education revenue through income taxes
rather than property taxes (as the money is now
p collected).
According to Smith, at the end of the five-year
"phase-in" of the plan, school districts in Michigan
would be within seven mills of one another in the
revenue they receive.
Governor William Milliken's proposal would shift
the burden of financing education from property
taxes to sales taxes. Tisch's plan calls for a slashing
in half of property taxes, which, Bullard said, would
force the state legislature to make drastic cuts in
education and social welfare programs.
"THE TISCH proposal implies you can get
something for nothing," Bullard said. "He's offering
a huge property tax cut and then saying the state has
enough money saved up to continue doing the job ef-
fectively.

"Our plan calls for a tax shift, not a reduction,"
Smith explained. "It aims at transferring the proper-
ty tax burden for supporting schools from
homeowners and small-scale farmers, placing a tax
on commercial property, and raising income taxes to
generate the needed revenue."
"Clearly the major difference between our plan,
Tisch's, and Milliken's is the positive improvement in
the quality of education. The governor's plan doesn't
even (directly) address education."
SMITH SAID the average homeowner could expect
about a two per cent increase in his income tax. "We
are not trying to lower taxes or increase them," he
said. "Some investors will experience an increase in
taxes, and some a decrease. For instance, the
average Ann Arbor business pays 37 mills right now
in property taxes, and after our plan goes into effect,
the average will be 30.5."
Other provisions of the proposal include:
" Tax exemption for senior citizens on the first
$50,000of their income;
* Local jurisdictign over raising millage (allowing
voters to add up to ten additional mills for
education); and,
" Language preventing any school district from
getting less millage than it currently receives.
Voters will be asked to vote on the three proposals
- Smith/Bullard, Tisch, and the Milliken proposal -
in November. Bullard explained voters can vote on
more than one proposal and that more than one of the
proposals can pass. "All that's required (for a

proposal to pass) is that over 50 per cent of those
voting on that issue vote yes," he said.
IF MORE THAN one amendment passes, the one
with the, most "yes" votes would prevail, while sec-
tions of the other winning proposal(s)~that did not
conflict with the overall winner would also be enac-
ted.
"Income tax more accurately reflects what people
can pay," Bullard said. "If a man is out of a job, he
won't have to worry about paying income tax since he
has no income."
Although proponents of the Smith/Bullard plan
have collected the number of petition signatures
required to guarantee it a place on the ballot, one
election official was reported to have said there were
questions about the legitimacy of the signatures. The
Board of State Canvassers will meet next week to
rule on the matter.
"All our petitions are 'pre-certified,' " Smith said
when questioned about the signatures. "We've had
people going over every single name on the list . .. I
don't expect any to be crossed out."
The Smith/Bullard proposal has received support
from many organizations, including the Michigan
Education Association, the Public Interest Research
Group in Michigan, and the League of Women Voters.
"We feel it's a fair plan," League of Women Voters
national board member Helen West said at the press
conference. "Counties and townships won't lose
revenues, and we like the emphasis on equality of
education."