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New President Of School Board Sees Division Among Trustees

New President Of School Board Sees Division Among Trustees image
Parent Issue
Day
7
Month
July
Year
1968
Copyright
Copyright Protected
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Donated by the Ann Arbor News. © The Ann Arbor News.
OCR Text

"División within the ranks of the Arm Arbor Board of Education will probably be the rule this year, not the exception." Joseph R. Julin, the newlyelected president of the school' board, was speaking from experience. The 42-year-old associate dean of the University's Law School was elected for a one-year term Wednesday evening by a 5-3 vote on the third secret ballot. The ■ ous two ballots ended in 4-4 ties. In past years, the schoolj board president has nearly al-( ways been elected unanimously. Wednesday's occurrence t h u s swiftly emphasized what the June elections indicated: The new Board of Education will be split between the liberal and conservative camps. Trustees William C. Godfrey (whom Julin defeated for the presidency) and Paul H. Johnson, along with newly-elected Trustee Theodore Heusel, lean toward the conservative side on most issues. Former president Hazen J. Schumacher Jr. and Trustees Harold J. Lockett, Charles H. Good, Joseph T. A. Lee and Julin are classified as liberáis. An "unknown quantity" to either camp át the present time is Richard M. Wood, elected to his first term last month. Julin considers the different composition of the present school board an "opportunity for all views of the community to be accurately represented." "There has never been a time when the board's membership has more accurately reflected the community," he says. The new president classifies two problems facing the Board of Education during the coming year as "immediate" - the settlement of salary disputes with the teachers and other school bargaining units, and the development of a uniform discipline policy for the secondary schools of the district. A settlement with the A n n Arbor Education Association, he feels, is vital to the school sys- tem. While intermittent talks continue between the teachers and the board's representativesl there is no immedjate prospect] of reaching an agreement. "I have continually been op-J timistic about the ability of bothl sides to meet on a commonl ground," J u 1 i n commentedj "but it is obvious that eachl week which passes without al settlement dims that optim-l ism." I Julin suggests that a "more effective way must be found to reach an equitable salary structure vvith the teachers thai the present means" of collec tive bargaining which the lavi demands. An "impartial nom inee," he suggests, coiild b called in for fact-finding anc perhaps to give an affirmativi recommendation for settlemen' to both sides. This step is called mediation, and would not be binding. Julin was chief negotiator for the Board of Education during talks with the teachers until last May when the trustees were replaced by school administrative personnel. Julin's second important concern- developing a system-wide discipline policy for the secondary schools - was heightened by the racial disorders at Ann Arbor High School in May and early June. There has never before been such a uniform policy. Instead, each schnoi-'dëveloped its own rules and regulations, based on general guidelines. An initial draft of a uniform policy is presently being developed by Supt. W. Scott Westerman Jr. and his staff for possible implementation in the fall. "I think all would agree that no educational system can tolérate physical violence or accommodate - even in the name of education - disruption," Julin declared. "As a board, we should never act out of fear of what might happen, nor should we ever be afraid to act. At the same time, we should always be willing to consider questioning an existing policy on its merits." "The Board of Education must assure every parent an student that the school environment will be conducive to learning," Julin said. Four other important issues hich will face the Ann Arbor chool board during the coming ear were detailed by Julin. nese include "space problems" - i.e. overcrowding in the chools, racial imbalance, the ecessity of finding new methds of financing education, and ie implementation of a doublé hift in the Pioneer High School milding. Concerning the "space probem," Julin commented that ven though the $15.5 million londing issi for school con-l ;ruction was resoundingly de-j 'eated last January, "the needl or additional space for the 1 reasing student population hasl ot disappeared." "Crowded conditions inevita-l bly have a negative impact on discipline in the schools," Julin remarked, and "the school] board should address itself to this auestion at a very early date." He added that the pres-l ent school board is "the bene-1 iciary or the victim of the ac-il tion or inaction of the boards of five or 10 years ago. If we.; eave our building questions un'! resolved now, we will have to assume the blame five years from now for crowding at the two high schools and four junior highs." A three-part bonding proposal for school construction will; probably face Ann Arbor School District voters this fall or winter. On the question of racial imbalance, J u 1 i n acknowledged there are a number of "significant y et unresolved" questions at a number of elementary schools which wül probably face the board this year. The new president firmly believes the school board must act in "hot pursuit" toward finding new methods to fund educational programs at the local level. "Each election brings us closer to a prohibitive level of .taxation," Julin says. "We must find new sources of revenue for our schools." The impending doublé sluit in the Pioneer High building this f all, Julin says, will be an "mconvenience. The supenntenent is well aware of the inconveniences which will face both parents and students. It is an understatement to say we will need the cooperation of all to make the split shift work." The new president says he will address himself to two mary tasks during his tenure this year: maintaining the fidence of the people in t h e Board of Kducation as denced by the successful age election June 10, and inating" any residues of a "credibility gap", which has í existed between the electorate I and the trustees. Julin intends to accomplish ; these tasks by keeping the 1 ple accurately info'rmed on the ; board's decisions - and on the i background to these decisions. "It is not our job to teil the electorate how to vote," he says "but it is our job to give them jan accurate picture of what can Ibe done in education today." I Another means of eliminating the "credibility gap", according jto Julin, is keeping in constant [contact with community organi(zations which have expressed [concerns over past actions of the board. "The board' must be E concerned with the views of the (total community, especially if these views at times differ f rom the board's," Julin believes. I The new president al sol pledges to fulfill his office asj a "servant of the Board of Ed-I ucation whose principal task isj to implement the procedures adopted by the board and within that framework to insure each trustee of an opportunity to have his views heard and carefully weighed." Julin acknowledges there are many unknowns before him as he begins his presidency. But he adds, "one thing is clear. We have one of the most capable superintendent of schools, j (W. Scott Westerman Jr.) ini Michigan and the entire country. I sincerely hope we will continue to maintain an educational environment equal lo his