Parochiaid Row Sharply Splits State School Board

1 LANSING - The "parochiaid" issue tore apart a meeting of the state board of education Wednesday, leavmg heated emotions and two resolutions urging the legislature to consider now the "financial plight" of nonpublic schools. 'hen the furor ended, board m b e r s still had various pretations of what they finally adopted, but the 05 iments most seemed to 50 r the proponents of nonpubchool aid. 2 e issue had previously 35 e c t e d behind-the-scenes h sities of the board, but this 7? the first time that the math surfaced for direct open 3 Ie at a board meeting. . ie two opponents of the controversial resolutions - Miss Marilyn Jean Kelly of Detroit and Dr. Leroy G. Augenstein of Holt- charged their colleagues with trying to suddenly 'piggyback" on to a separate matter a major policy which hadn't been discussed before. Supporters of the resolutions, Ifaowever, said they were not Prying to insert a whole new policy. "All this does is recognize that there is a problem (for the nonpublic schools) and ask the Legislature to consider it along with the total problems in educatión," said Dr. Peter Oppewall of Grand Rapids, board president. Dr. Edwin L. Novak of Flint, a board member who has been careful not to endorse either extreme parochial aid stand, did vote for the resolutions containing the references to the "fir.ancial plight" of the private schools. "This is just my personal interpretation," Novak said, "but my feeling is that the resolutions aren't supporting one side or the other on the issue, but simply urging the Legislature to consider it as part of the whole picture." The board members voting for the resolutions were Oppewall, Novak, Michael J. Deeb of Detroit, and Thomas J. Brennan of Dearborn. The "no" votes on both statements were wcast by Miss Kelly and Augenlitein. Two members were absent, James F. O'Neil of Livonia and Dr. Charles E. Morton of Detroit. The "parochiaid" battle apparently did help to break up the board meeting early. Brennan already had said he would have to leave by early afternoon and the parochial aid issue took so long that several scheduled items were pending at that time. A quorum would still have been present, but Novak, troubled by a bad cold and perhaps all the furor, feit too ill to stay. The board then had to adjourn. Among the items left untouched were proposals to begin the first statewide "educational assessment" testing program and to endorse decentralization and community control of big school districts. The parochial aid issue started out calmly enough. The board had been expected to consider a fairly routine resolution criticizing Gov. William G. Milliken's proposal to postpone major educational financing steps until a citizens' commission could study the matter. Augenstein, the only Republi-I can scheduled to be at the meeting (the other, O'Neil was out of state) was expected to oppose that stand, but the nonpublic school issue wasn't anticipated. But then, to the horror of Augenstein and Kelly, the firsti resolution proposed by Oppewall not only criticized Milliken's proposal, but added this statement to a provisión saying there should be no delay in ïvising the school aid formula: "And, in providing sizable increases in aid to distressed districts and to the private sector of education. There is a time to study and a time to act. Surely this is the time to act." "I resent this issue beingl placed as a 'piggyback' onf iomething else," Miss Kellyi aid. "This is a major policy matter 'and we haven't even discussed it yet." But on the other side, Brennan replied: "I don't believe we can honestly ask the legislature to solve the fiscal problems in the public schools and totally] ignore the problems in the private sector, because they are inexerably tied to each other . . . It seems obvious today thatl the private sector does have problems and if some of theirl problems are not solved, it willl put greater burden on the pub-i lic schools. So I feit this was al proper time and place to take it I up." Deeb, the board secretary.l finally suggested a toned downj provisión removing the refer-l ence to "sizable increases" forj )Oth public and private schools,] md instead urging everyone nvolved to "address ourselves o the financial plight of the nonpublic schools" as well as public education. In an attempt to mollify Augenstein, most of the Democrats also were willing to adopt a separate resolution he proposed, not implying any criticism of Milliken and urging the Legislature to give "urgent attention" to adopting the general school aid appropriations while anything else is being studied. But four members succeeded in inserting an amendment in Augenstein's resolution mentioning the parochial "financial plight" and he ended up voting against his own statement. On the longer, Milliken nted resolution, ugenstein aid he voted no, "beeause this s so worded as to indícate a Drejudice on a major issue which we have not discussed." Miss Kelly added she voted no for the same reasons. As the meeting broke up, one board member said, "and they told us nothing controversial was on the agenda this afternoon!"