School Board Notes

A plea for free bussing for low-income people was made to the Ann Arbor Board of Education last night by a tfnother from the P o n t i a c "Heights housing project. "How are poor people and ADC mothers going to send their children to school when sometimes they don't even have money for food?" she asked. M a r c i a Federbush then asked from the audience if the board could accept donations from the community for a "free busing fund?" She was told that no board monies [could be used for the busing [program which is state reimmursed. o o A Northside Neighborhood Center community aide spoke to the board about the need for recreational programs at Northside since other recreai tional programs are provided at several other schools. She s a i d the programs would be under the auspices of the Recreation Department I with funding from the board. A recreational program is esv pecially needed in low income neighborhoods, she said, because families cannot afford fee programs or to provide transportation for children across town. Also addressing their comments to the need for recreattion programs at the Northf side School were City Councilmen John Kirscht and Norris I J. Thomas who feit there was I a great need to involve the I children in some beneficial I program. o o A request for a lunch schedule at least two weeks in adI vanee was made by Manfred Schmidt, who said it would help parents and students to know what foods would be served at the schools. He also invited the board to particípate in a clean-up project this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p . m . around the ScarlettMitchell school área and woods. o o The board and administraI tion was aecused of wasting ■fnoney by Ann Arbor i t i o n Association President I Anne Enderby. She said thel money was wasted for paidl "release time" for teachers I working on committees last I year. Their recommendations I have been thoroughly 1 ed for this year's planning. I "I would like to see what I decentralization really means I since most of our reports and I recommendations s e e m to I just be sitting on a shelf," she I said. She also asked the board what is currently happening with the Humaneness in Education report bëcause she' would "hate to see it go down the drain." A comparison of all programs should also be made, she said, to make sure equal opportunities are available to all schools. School Supt. R Bruce McPherson said later the AAEA president had not made an accurate statement concerning the use of last year's reports. He said all planning from last year had been taken into account for future programs. o o All physical education credit earned in junior high will be applied to high school gradaution requirements, McPherson told the board during a report on changes in senior high programs. Only one-half credit was applied in the past.