Clinton II Wins On Teacher Ratio

Following a bizarre series'oi straw votes, picas by parents and threats that there won't be enough money to go around, the Board of Education last night voted to approve Clinton II as a special category school. As a special category school, Clinton II will be entitled to a pupil-teacher ratio of 24 to 1 instead of the maximum in other elementary schools of 28 to one. The board vote on the Clinton II recommendation was not scheduled for last night. After extensive discussion, the board amended its procedures and made the briefing session into a special meeting where it could vote. Originally four schools, Bach, Mack, Mitchell and Northside, vvere designated as special category schools on the basis that many of the students in the schools have special needs. The recommendation to make Clinton II a special category school was made by Principal Haywood Richardson. The other schools had been recommended by a special category schools committee. More than a dozen parents accompanied Richardson in his petition to the board. Most of the parents stuck out the meeting until 1:30 a.m., when the board decided to approve half of their request - designating Clinton II as a special category school. The other half of the issue discussed regarded replacing a teacher who has had to takéTleave -Óf absfence ""liefore the teacher left, the student-teacher ratio was 21.9 to 1. With reorganization stemming from the teacher leaving and not being replaced, Clinton II would have a 24.6 to 1 student-teacher ratio. Richardson said data he received from Advanced Planning Research Group (APGR) 10 days ago showed the consult - ing firm projected 38 new students for Clinton II during the school year. Dr. David Trost, deputy superintendent for operations, also quoting APRG, said the district expects around 20 new students during the year. Terming the Clinton II request as a "special, special category" Trost said the problem of making exceptions is the lack of funds available. He added the school board offered the teachers in the Ann Arbor Education Association (AAEA) a teaching ratio of 24 to 1 during the bargaining process for the 1971-72 and 1972-73 master agreement. Instead, he said, the teachers wanted increased salaries with increased student-teacher ratios. Larry Stewart, AAEA president, replied that the lower class ratio was part of a package that was impossible to accept. Stewart also said, when the teachers agreed to a 28 to 1 ratio as a maximum, they didn't know it would be done six weeks after school started. Supt. R. Bruce McPherson said because Michigan is a labor-influenced state, the resulting master agreement between teachers and the board takes many decisions out of the hands of the AAEA and the administration. H e said that 1972-73 budget was projected on the basis of a class ratio of 28 to 1 in the elementary schools. If that ratio is not maintained McPherson said the board pays twice in higher salaries and more teachers because of the class size. The school district could afford the resulting pupil-teacher ratios w h i c h resulted from incorrect estimates of enrollment during the 1960s, McPherson said, because the district would go to a slush íund. He cited figures from 1966-67 which showed the district with a balance of $2,768,327 at the end of the school year. During the discussion of where the money would come from to make Clinton II a special category school or reduce it's pupü teacher ratio to 21.9 to 1 McPherson said he may have to recommend one of the four other special category schools lose that status. Clinton II is not the only school which has been told it must reorganize to conform to larger student-teacher ratios. Stanley Zubel, assistant superintendent for personnel, says Eberwhite, Lakewood and Clinton I are also in the process of reorganizing because their enrollments didn't reaeh what was projected by principáis. Two schools, Abbot and Pattengill, have already reorganized. ■ Teacher assignments are based on enrollment projections by principáis. Trost says the administration waited for fourth Friday figures to determine the exact enrollments before deciding which schools had to cut their staff. For those schools which were told they must reorganize, Zubel said the plan was that one extra teacher would be unassigned and would serve as a helping teacher or substitute in that school until an opening came along in the system. He estimates there will be 10 to 12 resignations during the year. McPherson estimated four or five teachers are being directly aifected by the reorganization. He has said the administration and the board will be building in guarantees into the situation in future years so a similar problem won't arise.