Radical Independent Seeks School Post

Robert Hefnpr, an associate professor at the University, is the sixth person to announce his candidacy for the Ann Arbor Board of Education. Running as a candidate of the Radical Independent Party (RIP), Hefner says his candidacy will aim at presenting a consistent radical critique and an alternative to current school board' policies. In his statement he said that in the creation of a school system which can provide a framework for a meaningful and just education the following program is an essential beginning: 1) Community control of the schools. Only. general school policies should be set by the city-wide school board. Individual schools should be run by stud e n t s , teachers, parents and nonacademie staff within overall guidelines set by the city-wide board. 2) Tracking should be ended immediately. All students should be encouraged to have a general education and should not be channeled into vocational or college preparatory programs. Students should not be isolated in classrooms with only those of the same social status. Such isolation i's inevitable with a tracking system based on class-biased tests. 3) Perpetuation of traditional men's and women's roles must be ended. Rather than helping socialize women into subservient positions in society, the schools should actively work to end such discrimination. Textbooks which reinforce the idea that women are inferior must be dropped, and athletics should be open to all students, rather than being sexist spectator sports. The schools should develop an understanding and appreciation of the past and potential role of women in society through initiating women's studies courses. 4) Institutional racism in all its forms must be ended. Black teachers should be hired immediately so that the proportion of black teachers is increased. Blacks and women should be promoted into responsible administrative positions. Black studies program should be implemented on all levéis of the school system, and all textbooks rejected for use which are racist in any way. 5) The civil liberties and dignity of students must be respected; RIP endorses the Student Bill of Rights. 6) The right to strike of teachers, students and staff must be recognized. 7) RIP opposes teacher cutbacks and believes instead that more teachers should be hired, thus lowering the student-teacher ratio. "The school, as with most institutions in America, acts in the interests of the corporate elite. Schools train various classes and strata of workers; they socialize people to believe that the existing system and their present roles in it best answer their social and personal needs. As a result schools reflect the class divisions, sexism, racism and general contempt for civil liberties which are part of the American system of corporate capitalism. Schools are funded by a regressive property tax, a burden so onerous that it has triggered taxpayers revolts across the country. "The problems of the school system can only be understood and challenged within a political and social context. Schools opérate within the framework of the overall social structure, and can not be treated as an isolated phenomena. To fundamentally change the Ann Arbor schools will require changes not only of school board policy, but also state and federal government policies and the social system. To maintain a continued coherent pressure on the local district level requires an ongoing political party and for these reasons, school board elections should not be non-partisan but instead should reflect the general political divisions in America. "RIP supports the proposal for a millage increase, but only with the understanding that this is a temporary measure- that is necessary to prevent teacher cutbacks. RIP continúes to feel that the property tax is regressive and unfair and that the school board and city should agitate vigorously for the necessary constitutional changes to achieve funding through a steeply progressive income tax. Prof. Hefner lives at 1407 Morton and is the father of four children who attend Pioneer, Tappan and Burns Park Schools. He has lived all of his adult life in Ann Arbor and is associate professor of Psychology and director of the Center for Research on Conflict Resolution at the University. The deadline for candidates for the Ann Arbor of Education to file petitions for the June 1 election is 4 p.m. today.