r
Pag« «
Portland/Obaerver
Thursday. J u l)^ 9 M 9 7 3
Portland Public Schools
and minority employment
by Gladys McCoy
in the state, it has not al­ Policy No. 5001 refers to
ways followed s plan of Af­ certificated employees and
firmative Action. However, No. 5501 refers to classified
employees. Policy No. 5503 1
to date, the expression "Af
firipstive Action” is newer b and Article 19 of the
thin the actual practice in Professional Agreement be­
tween the Portland Associa­
the district.
Frior to 1948. the state of tion of Teachers and the
Board of Directors indicates
Oregon permitted segregated
schools and discrimination in ' . . . in periods of staff re­
employment It was in 1946 duction minority employees
that a principal at Holladay shall receive special con­
School agreed to take two sideration for continuing em
ployment.' Article 7 of the
Black teachers, but no more.
It was only with the Vanport agreement between PAT and
flood of 1948 that several the Board is a new article
other Blacks were hired in this year which specifically
the district to accomodate forbids discrimination prac­
the influx of students from tices by the district and by
the association. The article
that devastated city. They
were permitted to teach only goes on to state that 'It is
the intention of the parties
at th e elem entary level.
Then, in 1949, another brave that the interpretation of the
provisions of the Oregon Fair
principal at the high school
Employment Practices Law.’
level (Roosevelt) asked for
Finally, our recruiting plans
and was given the first Black
for minority personnel have
male teacher.
While some
positive steps were being centered around two specific
activities.
One is that of
taken at the professional
M ODfFN
recruiting at colleges that
level, non-professional Blacks
give some assurance of being
and other minorities did not
and continue not to fare so able to interview both mi­
nority and white applicants.
well, even though Oregon
Our efforts to recruit at
has had one of the strongest
predominately Black colleges
civil rights laws in the coun
in the South and East have
try since 1949. This is an
not been successful, often
area that concerns both the
due to the great distances
Board and the Administra
one must move and also the
tion.
The issue is being
many offers applicants re­
addressed in a very positive
fashion by the personnel de­ ceive closer to home and to
more familiar locations. How­
partment through a planned
ever. we must constantly
Affirmative Action program.
evaluate our procedures to
We often find it painful to
look back at our past per­ determine for sure why we
r i a »•> »wear»ea
are not successful.
The
formance, especially when we
>aHMdie«»lT *f*»r tM«k
second effort has been in the
know it reveals a less than
•r»» itro ct»4
Portland Urban Teacher Edu­
desirable posture. However,
• Partial Plates
cation Program. This pro­
it will not be productive to
gram had its difficulties, but
dwell on the past when we
DeataL Plates
an upgraded screening pro­
know how and are willing to
cedure should result in a
move forward toward a more
higher completion rate, thus
positive stance. I'm simply
a higher employment rate.
saying that most of us pre­
(HIRING
One of the factors often
sently involved in the ad­
EXTRACTIONS
overlooked in questioning hir­
ministration of, and policy
OOWM RINTOTNAl W V H RT
ing is that of supply and
making for, schools today
R K K TIR fO A M STIK TB T
demand.
At the present
were
not
involved
in
our
past
R A M R M I- U n RAM*N
time, for example, we have a
history and would like to go
SMORIOT
surplus of 31 primary grade
on record based on today's
NOVRSi
W iih d a y i» J » »•
teachers, which makes it
attitude and practices. Our
la W r d a y l t M W l M
u sele ss to hire m inority
position is reflected in School
teachers prepared for that
District policy No. 5001 and
level. Further, our projected
No. 5501 -
needs in some subject areas
"School district policy No.
have not been accurate, thus
5001 and No. 5501 specifi
people have been trained, to
cally indicate that the dis­
find no job opening upon the
trict may not discriminate ‘in
completion of training. We
the recruitment and selection
SEMIER BUILDING
do have Black teachers now
of personnel. . . on the basis
S A 3rd A Morrt$on
employed for every high
of sex, age, race, religion,
Portland Oregon
school in the distret, and the
national origin, citizenship or
Phone:
number of Blacks serving in
against
the
handicapped
.
.
228 7545
administrative positions has
increased.
While there may be ques
tions raised about the sta­
bility of some of the positions
held by Blacks in the district
today, the statements below
do reflect some progress.
We have come a ways, but
we still have a ways to go,
especially at the classified
level.
In 1945, there were no
Blacks in secreUrial/clerical
positions. Today, there are
forty. Perhaps the greatest
gains have been made in the
professional ranks. In 1946,
the T strict employed only
two Black teachers, while
today that number stands at
more than 130 out of a teach­
ing staff of 3400. The largest
increase has come in the last
four years.
Blacks in ad­
ministrative positions have
grown from zero in 1945 to
26 in 1973.
I welcome your comments
and questions about thia or
S ) P acific N o rth w e s t Bell
any other subjects affecting
our Public Schools.
School District #1 is one of
the largest businesses in the
state. But like many other
DENTAL
PLATES
PARTIAL PLATES
AND EXTRACTIONS
Immediate
Restorations
SLEEP
DR JEFFREY
BRADY
DENTIST
Call On Us
because
Long D istance
is the next
best thing to
being there.
(
Portland Watergate?
Rita Moran, Field Secre
tary for the Socialist Workers
Party of Oregon, questioned
possible links between the
Watergate Conspiracy and
extra legal activitiea in Port­
land.
A New York Daily News
dispatch on May 29 reads,
“Despite President Nixon's
insistence that a 1970 plan
for widespread domestic spy­
ing never went into effect,
elements of the program -
dubbed by sources as 'a blue
print for a police state' -
actually were implemented
over the objections of the
late FBI director J. Edgar
Hoover." Part of the plan
included 1) a broad mandate
to apy on virtually ail left-
wing groups in the U.S. 2)
Internal R evenue Service
audita both to harass and spy
on disidenta, and 3) illegal
break-ins and buggings of
radical groups, including but
not limited to Black national­
ists and communists.
The June 11 Newsweek
quotes “high administration
officials" as admitting that
"burglaries were committed
in connection with the Seattle
S even . Chicago W eather-
people. Detroit Thirteen and
Berrigan cases."
Even more directly. John
W. Dean Ill's papers in­
cluded documents dated Aug­
ust 7, 1970 describing radical
organizations in Portland.
All this raises some very
seriou s q u e s tio n s about
events in Portland in the
past several years.
Ms. Moran questioned "Did
the FBI or IRS have any­
thing to do with the Georgia
Pacific suit against George
Kontainis and Susan Welsh,
active leaders of the May
1972 anti-war upsurge, as
well as against other anti­
war activists, for the par­
ticipation in a demonstration
May 11, 1972. Interestingly,
Kontanis and Welsh are also
members of the Socialist
Workers Party.
In the
spring of 1973, Ken Eardley
was approached in Eugene,
Oregon by the FBI while he
was on the Young Socialist
Alliance regional team. The
FBI tried to convince him to
d iv u lg e inform ation about
other radicals. I ask, does
the FBI or IRS have any
thing to do with the exis­
tence of local police files on
radical activists, kept up to
date by the regular atten
dance with camera equip
ment of local police at all
local demonstrations."
She challenged the Port
land city council to look into
the questions she raised and
to inform Portland of the
truth about the role of gov
ernment agencies and secret
police.
Rehab complaint
Racism
For the benefit of in­
terested persons, "Parents
Concerned About Racism In
Schools" can be reached by
calling 288 0168, or by stop
ping by the offices of the
American Friends serv ice
Committee Community Ad
vocate at 106 N.K. Morris.
Incorporates included Eula
Johnson, Lilas Horsley, Eula
Green, Mearlene Hankins and
CW . Brad well.
(Continued from pg. 1, col. 9)
com m unities w here Black
students are bused.
There are not just isolated
and occasional incidents of
racism which immure young
people from the Black com
munity, but there seems to
be frequent and serious inei
dents.
Injury may be ac
tually physical and almost
inevitably will be the emo­
tional growth of the young
person involved.
Racism
such as this or in any other
fashion will continue to exist
as long as it is allowed to do
so."
msv^YCLERY
mm« * un
Housing
(Continued from pg. 1, col. 6)
with no idea of the problems
and responsibilities involved.
Many of those persons would
have made different deci
sions if proper information
was available to them. Such
things as minor but costly
repairs are not always con
sidered when a family is
about to buy a home.
The counseling program
will be carried out in the
City of Portland by the Port
land Metropolitan Steering
Committee. PMSC will re­
ceive no funds for the pro­
gram, but their contract with
HUD ce rtifie s them for
Counseling for Homeowner
ship for Low and Moderate
Income Families, and will
enable them to apply for
research grants if funds be
come available.
Persons who apply for
loans under the state pro-
(Continued from pg. 1, col. 91
Mr. Silvey wrote to M«r
rison Construction Company
requesting that some iin
provements he made.
Mr.
Silvey told the Observer that
PDC has not received a cer
tificate of completion and
therefore is not ready to pay
the contractor.
Andrew Kaubeson, acting
director of the Model Cities
Agency, visited the Whitlow
home.
Although the re
Ficii-i#- m u vu y
gram will be referred to
PMSC for counseling and will
be certified as eligible when
the counseling period is com
pleted. Counseling will in
elude the areas of: financing
and elib ility , insurance,
taxes, maintenance, legal as
pects. debt management, and
local resources.
Families
who do obtain loans will be
followed to see if the ar
rangements are satisfactory.
Cleveland Gilcrease, Exe
cutive Director of PMSC,
pointed out that PMSC has
had classes in home main
tenance for several years, so
has been involved in this
field. He is glad to see this
counseling program initiated
to assist families in making
housing decisions.
He also
related it to PMSC’s credit
union program for low income
persons, which includes finan
cial counseling.
habilitation ia not a Model
Cities project, he feels that
as director of the program he
should be available to resi­
dents who are having prob
le ins.
Kaubeson told the
Observer that hr feels Mrs.
W hitlow's com plaints are
justified.
“If it were my
house I would be upset too",
he said. Mr. Kaubeson re­
ported the matter to Com
'iiisaioner Schwab's office.
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PLUS
(Continued from pg. 1, col. 9)
munity Center. Her ultimate
goal ia being a teacher of
retarded children.
Gloria Pate ia from a small
mill town in South Carolina.
She had never even con­
sidered the idea of going to
college as none of the young
people in her town do. She
hoped that by hard work and
with good luck she might
make it from the mill to the
office.
She w as not in ­
terested in office work, but
felt it was the best she could
do. After having quit school
before graduating, she even­
tually joined the job corps.
At Tongue Point, Gloria
enrolled in clinical training.
She, too, was recruited by
v isito rs from O p e r a tio n
PLUS. She had completed
her GED in the Job Corps,
so was eligible for college
enrollment. She is majoring
in Psychology and counseling
and wants to work with
teenagers. __ _
Gloria still considers PLUS
a “wild dream". She is par­
ticularly appreciative of the
PLUS staff, which is always
available for cou- seling and
help with problem«. PLUS
provides the e/tr a assistance
that students who are not
familiar with college ways
need -
help in learning
procedures, as well as aca­
demic and personal «ounsel-
ing and tutoring.
Gloria's work study place­
m ent is with Operation
PLUS. She helps new stu­
dents prepare their applica­
tions and supporting mater
iala.
Both students want to
emphasize the fact that Oper
ation PLUS is a program to
assist those young people
who would not otherwise be
able to attend college. They
are certain that there are
many young people in the
Portland ares who, like them,
have never thought about
going to college because they
think it is only for rich
people, or for whites, or for
those with excellent aca
dem ic records.
Through
Operation PLUS college can
be within the re?«h of any
one. PLUS has openings for
100 r.ew students thia year
and can be contacted at
229 4010.
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