School Board Meeting Briefs

A "We Care" program at Forsythe Junior High School- designed to produce up to 500 gift packs to be sent to soldiers in Vietnam - was approved last night by the Ann Arbor Board of Education. Chairman of the program is Forsythe student David Halman, who told the trustees the program "neither praises nor condemns" the war in Vietnam. "We're jüst trying to alleviate their (the soldiers') suffering while they're there," Halman said. A ninth-grade committee will now raise money, find sponsors, buy, package and mail the materials, hopefully in time for Christmas. The packages are expected to contain such items as meat, cheese, chewing gum, raisins, soap, foot powder, writing tablets, pens, ham, instant lemonade and other useful items. o o The sum of $2,916 was authorized to cover final costs for an administrative portable unit, to be located near the School Administrative Offices, 1220 Wells. The costs include $1,000 for an enclosure to connect the new and existing buildings; $561 for carpeting, $400 to Harper Electric for electrical work, and $955 to Hutzel Plumbing and Heating for mechanical work. The board had earlier authorized $20,947 for the portable. o o A total of $10,217.85 was authorized for expenditures for sidewalks around the new portable classrooms in the school district and for rat walls for the portables. The sidewalks will cost $2,990.10, the rat walls, $7,227.75. O O Trustee Ronald Bishop did not attend last night's six hours of briefing, regular and executive session. Trustee Paul H. Johnson walked out of the evening briefing session shortly after it began.