School Trustee Calls Hirings 'Discrimination'

Despite the admonishment by Trustee Paul Johnson that it was "a bald-faced act of discrimination," the Ann Arbor Board of Education last night approved the hiring of nine new staff members, all of whom are black, for the 1970-71 school year. By a vote of 7-1, authorization was given to issue contracts to the nine, of which one is a counselor, one a librarian and the other seven teachers. Johnson, however, objected to the action on the grounds that it "is going too far in the other direction." While he said that he believes in equality for all, he felt that the hirings were based more on skin color than ability.