Holt Outlines Priorities

A reworkinjf of school l budgetary priorities and an upgrading of "jobs and roles of all minorities throughout the system" are among steps advocated by Board of Education candidate Curtís L. Holt. Holt, backed by the Human Rights Party, also said in a candidacy statement that a "budget format that can be understood by everyone" is necessary. His statement follows : "I am Curtis L. Holt and I reside in an apartment complex, in Pittsfield Township, with my wife and two-year-old son. I hold a MS degree in school administration and have worked as a teacher, administrator, accountant, researcher and community organizer and held several related part-time positions. "I became interested in becoming a candidate for the school board while serving as a special assistartt to the former deputy and the present superintendent of schools. My formal and informal exposure to the administration of the Ann Arbor Public Schools revealed a maglignancy that was destined to destroy quality education in the district. Such destruction being a function of the pride, confidence and mutual respect that all elements of the educational community have for each er. Pri-de, confidence and mutual respect are essential if the board, administration, community, teachers and students are to bargain in good faith. It becomes even more essential if taxpayers are to continue to support the increasing cost of education. And it becomes most essential to humane coexistence. "I am a trained school administrator who has made a lifetime cömmitment to improving the. educational processes whilé advancing educational opportunity for all. My recent assignment as an administrative intern in the Ann Arbor Schools has given me considerable insight into areas of critical needs and concerns at all levéis of the school system's operations. "The incumbents all have asked that the people give tliem an opportunity to continue the things that they have started. A quick look would reveal that under their leadership the mor-ale in the district is at a all-time low, the credibilitygaps have widened, the financial resources have been. ill-applied, the number of administrators and their salaries have soared, real involvement of the community has been lacking, discrimination against women, blacks, students and working class whites has gone unchecked, _and the generaHhrust of education in Ann Arbor has been regressive. The challenge facing the voter in the Ann Arbor School District is how to discontinue the trends started under the leadership of the present board. "If elected I will direct my energies immediately toward: budgetary procedures t h a t would insure a more equitable distribution of financial resources, giving the public library budgetary p r i o r i t y equal to that of instructional salaries, the development of a more comprehensive and adequately funded senior citizens program, a budget format that can be understood by everyone, utilizing the Office of Research and Evaluation to provide managerial research, that would facilitate mutual respect and involvement of all in the decisión making process, upgrade the jobs and roles of all minorities throughout the system and seek alternative methods of financing education (the lottery provides the most immediate possibility of providing property tax relief). I would also require that all administrative vacancies be filled from within the systc-m unless a qualified person can not be found, re-evaluata all administrative salaries and responsibilities and seek criminal charges against the principal and all conspirators in the Bautista fraud. I would also seek full restitution of all excessive salaries paid the former board secretary. "I would hope that tne voiers do not let this election become a one issue (Clinton School) election. There are many issues in which many of the candidates have never addressed themselves. Candidates W i 1 s o n , Yaco and myself have continually dealt with the range of issues and have succeeded in getting the other candidates to reluctantly respond to these important issues. This is indicative of the effects that we could have as members of the board. "I challenge the voters to reject the strangling conservativeness of the Wickliffs, Warners, Dukes and Martins. I challenge the voters to reject the lackluster of the Bisho p s , Brussulos and the responsibility-burdened Johnsons. My challenge to the voters in the district is to elect Curtís L. Holt a person who has had training in all áreas of school administration to stimulate the board into scrutinizing and continually evaluating its administrative and policy decisión, while being absolutely accountable to Ithe public that selected him at a democratically run open meeting." __-