School Board's Problems Growing Steadily

Jiignt of 11 candidates who lost their bids for Ann Arbor Board of Education seats June 8 might be thanking their lucky I stars these days. For the hurdles and troublesome problems facing the trustees and the Ann Arbor Public Schools this summer - and those to come in the fall - seem to be mounting daily. The problems include: - Overcrowded junior highs and the inability of the board at two successive meetings in July to decide on the type of junior high scheduling for the fall. That decisión will be made this week by School Supt. W. Scott Westerman Jr. and the principáis of Tappan, Scarlett, Forsythe and Slauson schools. - Lack of a 1970-71 contract with the Ann Arbor Education Association. Whether school begins at all this fall depends on a settlement with the teachers. Negotiators for both teams have been reluctant to discuss the progress of bargaining, but no settlement has yet been reached on the tough issues of salaries and fringe benefits. If the bargainers don't reach agreement soon, and if they follow the trend set two years ago when the 1968-70 contract was negotiated, a state mediator will probably be requested. Two years ago, in fact, a moderator had been requested by this date. The only figures available for publication on salaries are the first proposals by each side released two months ago. At that time, the AAEA was requésting a BA minimum of $9,600; a BA maximum of $16,320; a MA minimum of $10,464, and an MA maximum of $17,990. The school board was offering figures of $7,400, $12,200, $8,000 and $13,800, respectively. During the 1969-70 school year which ended last month, Ann Arbor teachers received a BA minimum of $7,000; BA maximum of $11,235; MA minimum of $7,630, and MA maximum of $12,600. - Cutbacks in staff and programs amounting to $1,750,000 as a result of the June 8 millage defeat. These cuts and reductions affect elementary -music, art and physical education programs, reduce the number of class periods at both the junior and senior high levéis, reduce extracurricular activities at the junior and senior highs, and reduce the mg of buildings to every other day - to name a few. Many other areas also are affected. -Last week's State Supreme Court dictum that all public schools must supply free textbooks and supplies for its students, beginning this fall. The Ann Arbor School District was also ordered to pay $140,862 in refunds, plus interest, to parents from whom general fees were collected in 1966-67 and 1967-68. Those fees have since been ruled illegal. Trustee Cecil W. Warner suggested Wednesday that perhaps not all parents eligible for refunds will request them, in an attempt to help the financialry ailing school district. But it is unlikely all parents will be so generous. There are many unanswered questicns about furnishing the textbooks and supplies, so local school officials have not yet estimated the cost to Ann Arbor. But conservative guesses run as low as $200,000 to as high as $400,000. There is a possibility the state Legislature will act later this summer to hel:) Michigan distncts pay for the textbooks and supplies, but the districts will be on their own if no such law is passed. -Discipline problems. This subject has been a familiar headache for teachers and school officials for the past several years, and it is not expected to improve with the severe overcrowding predicted for the junior highs this fall and for several years to come. - Space problems in general. The defeat of a five-part $36 million bonding issue June 8 will be feit in the school district for years to come. Supt. Westerman predicted bef ore the tion that Pioneer and Hurón High schools will probably need" split shifts by the 1973-74 school year even if Proposition III- which asked for $15,800,000 for a third high school- was approved. That proposal lost by more than 4,000 votes, meaning split shifts will probably continue for an even longer period of time. The "urgent and unavoidable" building needs of the school district, in the words of Westerman, which were obvious last month remain with the school district, and will be feit at all levéis, elementary, junior I high and secondary. - Sex education. A suit challenging the Ann Arbor School District's sex education program in the elementary grades is expected to bel decided d uring the coming I school year.