Brief Items From School Board Meeting

An increase of some $96,000 I in the proposed 1969-70 Ann Arbor Public Schools' budget was announced last night to I the Ann Arbor Board of Education. The increased revenue - the result of $96,000 more in state aid than had been anticipated - brings the total proposed budget to $21,42,971. School Supt. W. Scott Westerman Jr. said $13,000 of the increase will go towards the program for mentally and physically handicapped children in Ann Arbor who attend the Rackham School on the Eastern Michigan University campus. The remaining dollars will be equally divided into the instruction and maintenance contingency funds. o o The trustees, in a rare move, overruled an administrative recommendation last night and voted 8-0 to approve funds for the transporation of physically handicapped children from Ann Arbor in a special orthopedically-equipped bus to the Rackham Summer Porgram on EMU campus. Supt. Westerman said he did not recommend the request because it might set a precedent. These children are transported on the bus during the school year. o o The summer school staff was approved by the board members o o The Ann Arbor Education Association last night reaffirmed its support of the Family Living and Sex Education programs taught in the Ann Arbor Public Schools. A resolution passed by the AAEA membership May 28 was read to the board by AAEA Executive Secretary Jim Scheu: "We support the belief that the majority of children are not receiving appropriate sex education of the school program and that the Ann Arbor Public Schools should provide a carefully prepared program taught by qualified teachers on family lite and sex tion in the elementary grades and developing through their school years," the resolution read in part. The statement added, "We also respect the right of parents to provide that education to their own children, and support the enforcement of state laws which allow parents to excuse their children from classes dealing with sex education." o o The boundaries for Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School were approved. These boundaries were detailed at last week's meeting. o o The administration was authorized to take bids on 18 new portable classroom units for use at six elementary schools and three secondary schools in the Ann Arbor School District. The units will cost about $12,000 each, for a total of about $216,000. Three of them will be used at Pioneer High, increasing the number there to 12. o o . D. Daniel Robbins was unanimously approved for appointment to fiÜ a vacancy on the Recreation Advisory Board. o o A stereo record player, two shelves for speakers and money for stereo records for use at Haisley School - valued at a total of $400 - were accepted by the board. The gift was from the Haisley School Parent - Teacher Organization. o o Permission was given to the Pioneer High School Orchestra to submit an application to perform a chamber concert for the Music Educat o r s National Conference, March 7 through 9, 1970, in Chicago. o o The tenure of the Citizens' , Advisory Committee on Safety was extended at least through the summer to allow the members to establish some "interim criteria" for using school buses to help overeóme various safety hazards on certain Ann Arbor Public School routes. The seven-man committee was appointed last November to point out areas and conditions of "unusual hazard to students moving to and from our schools and to identify ways of providingadequate protection . . . ' ! The committee's report was presented May 22. o o The board received the proposed system-wide discipline policy for the Ann Arbor School District yesterday in briefing session. The policy, which contains very few changes from present practices, will be presented to the board for adoption soon. o o A grievance hearing was held last night in executive session on charges by the Ann Arbor Education Association that the school board has not fulfilled sections of the master agreement relating to terminal leave pay- a sum of money given to teachers or t h e i r beneficiarles u p on retirement or death when the teacher has been employedl by the school system for al minimum of five consecutivel years. A decisión must bel made soon by the board on the grievance to meet contract requirements. '