C Of C Says Bond Stand Figures Valid

I The CHamber of Commerce ■ has responded to re cent I charges by some Board of Edu-I I catión members that it was I I "dishonest" in the use of fi'g-j I ures which accompanied thel I Chamber's opposition statement! to the Jan. 8 school bonding issue. !■ ! Noting that the sources used by the Chamber were "furnished by the State of Michigan and the School Board," the Chamber issued additional data to give "a more complete picture" of the reásons for its opposition, and to substantiate its original statement of opposition. The source for the additional information, which was released to the Chamber members Wednesday, is the Michigan Department of Education, I School Management Service. The Chamber gave these figures: [ Average junior high per pupil costs in the state during the 1965-66 school year were $1,978.10. Ann Arbor's per pupil costs were $3,124.15. Average senior high costs the same year throughout Michigan were $3,247.85. Ann Arbor's senior high costs (Huron High) totaled $7,116.13 per pupil. The C of C said the $7,116.13 figure is based on the contract cost of $8,824,000. Huron High's capacity, as shown in the state report, is 1,240 students. (The I Board of Educátion has said I 1,500 pupils is the optimum,! 1,800 the maximum.) cost of Huron High is dividedj by 1,800 pupils, the Chamberí added, the per pupil cost is $6,43S. If divided by 1,500 pupils, the cost is $7,720, it pointedl out. Knocking the projected costsl of the third senior high school, I the Chamber noted that aver-l age cost per pupil - for thej first stage, slated for comple-l ■tion in 1971 - will be $5,759.1 Remarking that the third highl school "takes one-third of thel proposed bond issue," t h el Chamber repeated its earlierl statement that ". . . the Board I of Directors agrees that future! planning for the third highl school must be undertaken ear-l ly and that sufficient monies II should be devoted to these purposes; however, the community should have the opportunity of jl evaluating the cost of the third high school in terms of per square foot cost, per pupil cost, II aesthetic characteristics andl curriculum requirements af ter I these investigations have been II made." The Chamber of Commerce, II Junior Chamber of Commerce II and the National Association for II the Advancement of Colored II People have issu'ed statements I opposing the bonding election. Going on record in favor of II the bond issue have been the II Parent-Teacher Legislative II mittee, and the Ann Arbor II High, Newport, Burns P a r k I and Pattengil Parent - Teacher! Organizations. I