March 31,1983 • »•
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Volume 18 Number 80 TwentyVive cents ' f53! Sot>oib>o<oram-jewiiio3Cofpor«iK>o All Rigid ktur\e4 Board closes 3 schools, calls for new study ^ By Sandra Armbr utter which woiild report to the board on a regu editor lar basis. He urged board involvement in the study to draw up a plan through 1990 Board members have agreed to close and assess the cost effectiveness of all three elementary schools In the Wayne- buildings "In the district. Westtand district at the end of this school year. The three scheduled for closing are LEDUC AGREED that the committee McKee, Washington and Tinkham elemen should be reactivated, but added that it tary schools. would be "irresponsible and detrimental to The decision to close the schools came the welfare of all the children in the dis Tuesday in a split vote that ended nearly" trict" to keep the three schools open. 4V4 hours of public discussion during the fi "For the public record, I resent the politi nal hearing on the issue. cal posturing for those who would be candi Voting in favor of all three closings were date^ for the board of education," he said. board President James LeDuc, and trustees The last board member to comment on Kathleeh Chorbagian, Mat McCusker and the closings, LeDuc made a reference to the Sharon Scott. Joining them in voting to board split, which had become obvious, by close McKee was trustee Dewey Combs. then. Opposing the closings, butcalting for a "No one wants to wield the club Of power study of declining enrollment, were board politics. It saddens and grieves me to no end members Fred Warmbier and Dave Moran- to have to," he said. ty- Chorbagian. said she was concerned about In a direct reference to those who op quality education and promised she would posed the. closings, McCusker sajd, "The "get alignments from top to bottom. Every hottest places in hell are reserved for those one's going to share in this." who do nothing." Excerpts from her report to the board Superintendent Timothy Dyer tells showing birth rates for the area were made SENSING OPPOSITION to the closings, the board that McKee, Washington available to the audience. Superintendent Timothy Dyer implored and Tinkham schools must be Combs said he was disappointed no study board members to approve the administra closed or programs will have to be session was held by the.board to discuss" tion's recommendation. cut to balance the budget. Chorbagian's report. He could support clos "li schools aren't closed, programs will ing only McKee. have to be reduced," said Dyer, noting the ing a portion of schools and putting "as Combs agreed with Dyer, who earlier bad district must operate with a balanced budg many schools as possible on the market." said "The only thing that would be different et. "You could fire me and every other ad- "We may have to revise some of our if we chose other schools for closing would "ministrator and still not have f 1 million. thinking," he added. "I realize this is costly, be another audience. We'd still be yelled at, "I'm telling you, this isn't child's play. but we have to buy additional time." screamed at and booed." This is no business for fiscally Irresponsible Agreeing with Warmbier that school clos- CONCERNS EXPRESSED by district people." ings will-be necessary, Moranty called for_ ~—S^ftlter-*-t wc-year- -stwdyfHhe 'district's -residents lne4ir§eTtranspbiiatlon and safety closing four or five schools in September of students, accuracy of the district's fig building utilization committee recommend 1984. ed the closing of Washington and'Tinkham ures and'whether the northern end of the "We cannot address "closings and consoli district was being unfairly singled out. due to declining enrollment. Administrators dations in the same manner we have," recommended also closing McKee because Moranty said. "The only thing ahead of education Is of low enrollment and the poor economy. safety," Tinkham parent Joe Williamson A Junior high school may have to be told the board. Subsequently, .three public hearings — closed in 1985-86^nd a.hjgh school in 1988- one at each school to be closed — were held. 89, according to Moranty*s study of declin "If ever the health and safety of students ing enrollment. is.in Jeopardy, you call me," responded LeDuc, adding that he would act as an advo URGING THAT SCHOOL cfoslngs be de Moranty and Warmbier, said they were layed, Warmbier and Moranty called for a cate to resolve those questions." concerned that closing McKee would leave Sue West explained the feeling expressed study that would review the neighborhood no schools In the northern part of the school concept and the district's adminis by many parents at the meeting. BILL 8RESLER/stalf photograph* Wayne-Westland district. • "Most feel that you (the board) already trative organization. Moranty called for immediate reactiva Michael Milter (front), who was the co-chairman of the building utilization committee, In the interim, Warmbier suggested clos- tion of the building utilization committee, Please turn to Page 2 listens to comments during the final public hearing on closing three elementary schools. Church Hard times draw many trees to area church services By Mary Klemlc • down and people can't do things for of the Nazarene, estimated a 10 per become staff writer themselves^ there's, nowhere to go but cent increase in attendance there this up. year. Spitza said his congregation has The effects of the current nationwide ' "I went through it during the Depres recorded 115 "first-time visitors" in the recession' may leave more people sion. I know what that did to many psy first three months of the year. thinking about God than „the Easter chologically," "We have a good number of people artwork Bunny when one of religion's major "People have found they need some watking in," he said. holy days occurs on Sunday. thing besides themselves," said Pastor Frustration and discouragement - By Mary Klemlc- ~ Local church officials, noting a re Jack Spitza of New Hope Baptist about Employment and the.economy staff writer _^ cent Increase In attendance, report that Church. "We went through an affluent have drawn many people closer to re today's hard economic times are ap time there, like In the 1960s, when peo ligion, church representatives say. When Neil McNeill was a small boy parently fuming more people toward ple didn't need God too much. Things "There's a need to pray," said Rev. in Liverpool, England, he liked to whit religion; were booming, people were making Andrew Nieckarz, pastor of Sts. Simon tle tiny pieces of woodi "I think (hard times) very definitely money. " ""—• and Jude • Catholic '- Church. "When What was, at first, just something to has an effect (on religion)," said H.A. "Now they're finding they don't have there's a dire need, you go to the Lord. pass the. time has developed into a se Wlngar, pastor of *Warrenwoods it." •••'.' rious hobby that is with him today in Wesleyari Church. "When the chips are -FREDBATES, pastor of the Church Please turn to Page 2 Westland, but on a larger scale. Three years ago, McNeill, now 38, . carved tree trunks, felled by a storm at Westland's Kirk of Our Savior United what's inside Presbyterian Church, into faces of the ment "" Three Wise Men. And now he is plan-- Calendar .. 4A » nlng on sculpting other art works out o( Classified . Sections C,D —dead trees arthe"site"fcren5ahce a pro-, Editorials 12A posed park there. lowers revenue Entertainment ... 5-8B It's somehow fitting to have such Letters* , . .12A "natural" works of art near a church, Religion. 8.9A McNeil) said. By Teri Banes The assessed value of the district in Sports .:..: 1C staff writer 1983 is projected at $1.63 billion, as Suburban life . .-. 1B "IT'S A PART of nature. The trees compared to $1.68 billion in 1982. Actu- Travel ........ .10A were nature, and It's nice to leave a Livonia Public Schools Is faced with .al ftgures^jgjll not be confirmed until part of Jt here," he said. "Most people raising its mlllage' rate or cutting its later, he" said, but based on these pro Police 722-9600 would cut the wood up and burn-it.! budget — two options that have em: jections it _ appears the assessments erged a* the district presents an ex Fire, rescue. 721-2000 haje to burn it." have dropped by 2-5 percent. City Hall ..... 721-6000 The work at Kirk of Our jSavior will pense budget before the Wayne County "The critical part is what's happen: start In April and will be done without Tax Allocation Board. Circulation .... 591-0600 ing with the base (assessed property Want ads. .... 591-0900- charge to the church, McNeill said. The preliminary 1983-84 budget of value)," he said. "If the base goes down "I like working," he said. "It's good to $62.26 million is $111,373 less than by 5 percent than the rate will have to Editorial dept.. 591-2300 get. out and get some fresh air. The what the district is projecting to spend go up by 5 percent to generate the wife Is at work, and the-kids are in On operations and programs this year, .; : ^v^^V-'A^t'tMANU^L^taffptiotooraptw same dollars." "WONDEfcFULr school, Itan just come down and chisel said James Carll.'the district's superin Conversely, Carll said, school prop away.".v Nell McNeill carved heads of the.Thre^WffieMen from tree trunks tendent of business.