School Program Curtailments Loom

The possibility of approving substantial program cutbacks and paring down Supt. W. Scott Westerman's millage recommendation of 7.05 milis to perhaps half that size appears real today following a pessimistic discussion last night by the Ann Arbor Board of Education. Three of the four trustees who spoke during the soulsearching budget hearing said they did not believe a 7.05mill package for school operations would be approved. Westerman tentatively recommended this amount two weeks ago. It would include a 3.37mill renewal and 3.68 additional milis. This brings the total of trustees to six who have expressed grave doubts about the millage proposal's success. They are Charles H. Good, William C. Godfrey, Paul H. Johnson, Ted Heusel, Richard M. Wood and President Joseph R. Julin. Wood said last night he sees a 7.05-mill request "destined for defeat." Julin, normally optimistic, flatly stated he has "no reason to believe" any additional millage request would pass. "Maybe even just the renewal willfail," he said. "Maybe we can't be a firstclass (school) system any more - I'm about ready to admit that," Julin said. "No one I've talked to in the past several months suggests any probability of success June 9," he added. Retiring Trustee Hazen J. Schumacher Jr., along with Wood, Heusel and Julin, spoke for 30 minutes each last night in the second hearing on the proposed 1969-70 budget of $21.2 million. The hearings will continue Saturday at a SMtíal I p.m. session. B Schumacher began the discussion, saying in his opinión the proposed $21.2 million budget was "deficiënt" in a number of areas. Not enough money was allocated, he said, to improve class sizes, to give more help to disruptive children, t o hire more helping teachers and reading consultants, and to provide more help for the perceptually handicapped children. Schumacher conceded that the taxpayers' burdens must be considered, but said the trustees' "primary constitutents" are the school children, who can't vote. (Harold Collins, president of the Ann Arbor Education Assqciation, agreed with Schumacher's assessment, saying many areas are "not adequately covered" in the proposed budget. He said the AAEA sees no way to reduce the budget considerably or to decrease the millage request). Wood sharply disagreed with Schumacher's opinions, saying the school board "continúes to emphasize the dessert over the main course." The 7.05-mill package, Wood predicted, would be defeated for a number of reasons. These include, he said, the personal income surtax; increased property valuations; growing opposition to the property taxes as a means of supporting public education; "disenchantment" of many Ann Arbor citizens with the school board's policies on gTOoming, discipline and the distribution of publications; "Extravagance" in construction of Huron High School; "dissatisfaction" of many people with the sex education pra_grms_jn the public schools; previous "substantial increases" in school budgets; inadequate I programs for non-college bound I students and inadequate 1 pensatory programs, and the 1 creasing number of persons on I fixed incomes. Wood criticized the Ann I Arbor schools for providing so I many "enriched" programs for I the successful student, without I a comparable number of grams for those with learning problems. He proposed the board set a 3.37-mill renewal, along with an additional .63 of a mili to fund only learning laboratories in all four of the junior high schools plus extensión of art, vocal music and physical education programs in elementary schools. "We must tighten our belts," Wood declared. He also recommended that the board accept a seven-point plan which might help solve some of the district's financial problems. The recommendations are: - Make cost analysis studies on the effectiveness of school operating budgets and procedures ; - Provide any additional expertise as is necessary to make these analyses; - Have the administration, AAEA and faculty begin a review of the present pupilteacher ratio to seë if they are really necessary for the "excellence we are striving for"; -Begin immediate negotiations with the University to increase the rentáis on tax-exempt University housing and request that the U-M give this increased rental money to the Ann Arbor school system; - Form a committee to consult with the state legislature and press for fiscal reform of state educational support; - Review the index system of salaries with "an eye to their abolition;" - Study the idea of setting up an educational trust fund for those who might be interested in contributing to the Ann Arbor school system. Use the funds for additional education opportunites and for "financial incentives" for faculty and administratin. Heusel recommended that the board ask only for the 3.37-mill renewal. "If we add even a little bit to the renewal, we jeopardize it," Heusel said. He suggested that to save money in the future, the school district hire less experienced teachers at lower salaries, "bargain away" less options during teacher negotiations, and perhaps reduce the tive staff. Heusel said he would not like I to see cuts in educational pro-l grams. ) Julin asked the 1 tion to make clear "what thisl system is going to look like" ifl the board sets only a 3.37-mill I renewal. Westerman has toldl the board a minimum of 5.5 milis is necessary to maintain present programs. Julin said the main question is whether to give the electorate a chance to support existing school programs, or whether to make substantial slashes instead. "Perhaps there is no sense in going through the academie exercise of having an election if everyone knows we're going to lose it," Julin declared. Last week, Godfrey suggested that the board ask only for the 3.37-mill renewal. Only Schumacher and Trustee Joseph T. A. Lee have indicated they would support the $21.2 million budget and the 7.05-mill request. Vice president Harold J. Lockett has not yet aired his views.