Schools To Get $56,510 For Service Center Plan

Schools To Get $56,510 For Service Center Plan

An application for $56,510 federal funds to establish a community services center at Jones School — including a recreation program — has been approved, the Board of Education was told last night.

The funds were applied for under the “anti-poverty” title of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. The money is for the first phase of a three-phase, $131,563 compensatory education program that will be sought under the title.

Activities that will be established with the $56,510 funds at Jones include a tutorial study center, Saturday enrichment programs, a readjustment program for potential and actual school dropouts, an odd-job placement service and the recreation program.

The last two phases of the compensatory program will establish enrichment programs at Bach and Mack Schools. Applications for funds for those programs will be made soon.

Funds for the recreation portion of the program for Jones School have caused the board some concern in recent weeks. Its concern has centered primarily on the Recreation Advisory Committee's recommendation that any recreation program at Jones be supported partially on a fee basis.

Federal anti-poverty programs generally preclude the use of fees in programs financed by federal money.

The board met last night with members of the Recreation Advisory Board in its briefing session to discuss the use of fees in the program.

It was generally agreed, with-out formal action, that the Jones recreation program, as financed by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, would oper te without fees.

Any fee program that might be formulated to supplement those operated under federal funds, will be developed with cooperation between Charles Oxley, director of the Recreation Department, and David Aberdeen, school district coordinator of special projects.