D r. Robert W . Blanchard
Superintendent
Portland Public School D istrict 1J
63 S NJC. Clackamas
Portland, Oregon 97808
Govwoar’s pian Misses the point
Governor Bob Straub has asked that the Economic
Development Administration waive the requirement
that each grant awarded in Oregon contain at least
ten percent set-aside for minorities.
The motive of the Governor - we ore sure - is a
sincere desire to insure that minorities get their ten
percent.
The Governor would allow political
jurisdictions that apply for the grants to designate
certain projects or portions of projects for minority
business and excuse the prime contractors in other
projects from including minorities.
For example, a county building ten bridges could
set aside one bridge for minorities and the prime
contractors in the other nine bridges would not have
to include minority sub-contractors.
Not only does that smack of segregation, but it
leaves the minority company in a position to be cut
off by financial institutions or supplies so the job
can't be completed satisfactorily. Then we hear the
old, "W e told you so.'
One of the important by-products of the EDA plan
to include minorities in every project is that it will
help bring minority construction firms into the
mainstream of the industry. The Governor's plan
negates that potential.
On this basis, we must assume that the EDA
Regional Office will deny the Governor's request.
Those who wish to do something to assist
minorities - like the Governor and the School District
- would do well to consult those minority people
before they develop their plans.
Parents oppose plan
Community Developm ent, explained that
one of the purposes of federal funding for
desegregation is to involve parents and
citizens but the school district has not
met this objective. The Educational pro
cess and outcome of desegregation are
(Continued from P .l Col.6)
at Jefferson.
4.) T h e recrutm ent of students for
magent programs at Jefferson be sup
ported and pursued aggressively by
school adm inistrative personnel.
"The ‘process' of integration must
in v o lv e th e e n tir e a d m in is tr a tiv e /
academ ic/pa'-m t/student community in
order to lx tru ly representative. Thus,
we of tbe Jefferson community, non
w hite and w hite alike, urge rejection of
the current proposal on integration. In
its stead, we suggest, urge, that a
task-force be selected which would in
clude concerned members of tbe Jeffer
son community, to plan a comprehensive
integration program that w ill involve and
be acceptable to federal, state, district,
and community representatives.
w hat is im portant and they are being
questioned. Fuller added. The Black
community has not been involved and no
documentation of educatioanal results
from the existing desegregation program
has been offered w ith the plan.
The eighth graders coming out of the
Jefferson feeder schools are 75 per cent
white, yet the school population is only 47
per cent white, indicating that many
white students are going to Benson,
Monroe and other m ajority w hite high
schools. Jefferson school personnel m y
that if students living in the area w ere
obligated to attend Jefferson, and if those
accepted by Benson and Monroe reflected
the same percentages accepted from
other high schools, the enrollment
problem at Jefferson would not exist.
Sarah Cogan, speaking for "Schools far
the C ity", expressed concern about the
impact of the plan on the Boise and King
neighborhoods and urged a delay until
representative groups from teh Black
community have the opportunity to study
the plan and give th eir opinions. Mrs.
Cogan also angrily advised the board that
she was distressed th at this important
issue was placed last on the agenda so it
would be discussed at midnight and
without proper media coverage.
Don Fuller, representing the Portland
Chapter of the National Association for
Blacks organize
(Continued from P .l Col.6)
Lee Moore, Employment Committee
Chairperson, Portland; Razz McClay,
Housing Committee Chairperson. E u
gene; and H erbert Golliday, Political
Action Committee Chairperson, Salem.
O A F B A is a statewide, non-profit
organization. Any person who is in
accordance with the principles and poli
cies of the Assembly may become a
member of the corporation with the
consent of the Board of Directors. Mem
bership dues are $12.
The annual meeting will be held in
December for the election of permanent
Vesia Loving, parent form the Boise
area, said tbe district has played around
with desegregation for tw elve year? and
has been using minorities to achieve th eir
goals. " It is tim e to look up and recognize
that we are fed up. W e arast have a tru ly
integrated system and th at means cross
busing, not a one-way system.”
She
pointed out th at when the upper grades
are removed from schools, busing is no
longer voluntary. Stating that the Black
community was not informed about the
proposed change, she said, "W e are tired
of being the last to know what is
happening to us."
M ickey H arris, a Jefferson parent, — ¡4
that Black children sent in small numbers
to white schools are “racially isolated".
Costella McCullough, w ith children and
grand children in King, told the board
that in effect they are finally ordering
Black students good programs and Jef
ferson and then taking them away.
Jefferson has been involved in a "T u rn
about Program " designed to offer better
educational programs as well as to build
school pride. “I would like to see you pick
it apart and come up w ith something the
community w ill accept."
Bob W rite , speaking for the Committee
for Equal Education for A ll Children,
asked that no changes be made until the
entire community has been involved in
planning a comprehensive integration
program that is acceptable to the com
munity and that the School Board meet
with the committee and other interested
officers and chairpersons and m em ber
ship meetings w ill be held quarterly.
O A F B A plans to host a Biack political
convention in A p ril of 1978 and w ill work
with other Black organizations to finalize
plans. The convention w ill discuss ¡sues
and develop a platform as well as endorse
candidates running for offices throughout
the state.
"A b etter Oregon for the Black com
m unity can only be built if there is better
communications, coordination and coop
eration among Blacks,” H enry said.
"Public officials, w hite and Black, must
become more accountable, responsive
and productive to the Black community."
community groups to develop a Com
m unity Involvem ent Program to involve
the community in the planning process.
Reverend John P arke r stated th at the
Albina M inisterial Alliance has endorsed
the Committee's proposal for a planning
Claudia Fisher, a K ing parent,
w hy the district is now using the 18 par
cent m inority average to deny Black
students admission to some schools. She
sees concern for numbers w ithout real
regard for w hat it is like for a Black child
in a school where he is not wanted.
Stating that she would not send her white
child to a school w here there w ere only
tw o or throe w hites in a e la n , she feels
that stipulating th at Blacks be in small
numbers is unfair and th at it isolates
Newm an replied th a t Wilson and Lin
coln w ere selected for K in g and Boise
students because integration has the
greatest success where “you connect
between low-income and middle-upper
Gladys McCoy, the only School Board
m ember other than Newm an who was
allowed to comment, stated that she
appreciated the people staying through
the long meeting to be heard. “A t this
point, I tend to support the proponed plan
because it is educationally sound and
legally defensible," she said. Stating that
she has always opposed one-way busing,
she said she believes it is the best option
for the present tim e.
“You have to
consider the options."
W arn ing th at delaying the decision
could remove federal funds from the
district, she said th at the district needs to
deal w ith the bad things that are happen
ing to Black students who are transferred
- these are “crucial issues th at I would
expect we would deal w ith at a later
date.”
T he School Board w ill again address
the issue and make its decision on July
25th a t 7:80 p.m. a t tbe administration
building, 7th and Clackamas.
Receives letters
I ’m w ritin g this in regards to an article
printed 6-23-77, for myself, L uth er Guss,
an Ohio inmate.
Thank you very much for helping me
while try in g to help myself. L etters have
already started to pour in.
I decided to show my appreciation and
thanks by w ritin g you a le tte r of thanks-
for showing your concern.
Yours truly,
L u th e r Guss #145-538
Is ti
»mnauiiity Service
O N P A 1973
Published every Thursday by Exie Publishing Company, 2201
North Killingsworth, Portland. Oregon 97217. Mailing address:
P .0. Box 3137. Portland. Oregon 97208. Telephone 283-2486.
1st Pince
Beat A d Results
O N P A 1973
Subscriptions: $7.50 per year in the Tri-County area, $8.00 per
year outside Portland.
5th Place
Boot Editorial
N N P A 1973
S scead Claas Postage Paid at Portland, Oregon
The Portland Observer’s official position is expressed only in
its Publisher's column (We See The World Through Black Eyes).
Any other material throughout the paper is the opinion of the
individual writer or submitter and does not necessarily reflect
the opinion of the Portland Observer.
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MEMBER
1
iff
W e have received your school diatrict's
application for assistance under the
Emergency School A id A ct (E S A A ) and
have review ed th e diatrict's compliance
w ith the eligib ility requirements con
tained in the statute and the implement
ing regulations.
I.
On the basis of this review , we have
determined that your district does not
meet the requirem ents for eligibility for
the reasons described below.
45 C F R 186.43(d) of the E S A A regula
tions provides in pertinent part:
N o educational agency shall be
eligible for assistance under the A ct
if. a fte r June 28. 1972, it has had or
maintained in effect any practice,
policy, or procedure which results or
has resulted in discrimination against
children on the basis of race, color, or
national origin, including but not
lim ited to:
(4) Imposing explusion, suspension,
or corporal or other punishment, in a
manner which discriminates against
m inority group children on the basis
of race, color, or national origin.
The Seattle Regional Office of the
Office far Civil Rights (OCR) conducted
an on-site review of your district on A p ril
12-15,1977. A fte r analyzing the inform a
tion received during th at review w e have
determined th at your diatrict's applica
tion of suspension procedures discrim in
ates against m inority group children in
the following manner.
OCR Seattle Regional Office staff w ere
advised th at the p rim ary purpose of most
suspensions was to effect a conference
with the parents of students whose
conduct w arranted the suspension. The
purpose of the conference is to involve
the school, the student, and the student's
parents in determ ining ways to correct
problems which might prevent the
student's success in school year reinstate
I t fu rth er appears th at, although con
ferences are supposed to be held w ithin
five days of the suspension and normally
lead to reinstatem ent of the student, if
the student's parents or guardian does
not appear for a conference the student is
often not reinstated for a substantial
period o f tim e. Some suspensions have in
fact lasted longer than the ordinarily
more severe penalty of expulsion which is
lim ited in length to the rem ainder of the
semester in which the expulsion took
place.
Those suspensions which last substan
tially longer than five days as a result of
th e student’s parent or guardian not
appearing for a conference (hereinafter
long te rm suspensions) apparently occur
more frequently both proportionally and
absolutely to m inority children. Because
of this and because the practice of long
term suspensions appears to serve no
valid educational purpose and, indeed
appears contrary to your district's own
policy and intent, it is our conclusion th a t
thia practice is probhibited discrimination
w ithin the meaning of 46 C F R 186.48
(d)(4).
T he request must be received (not
m erely sent) w ithin 14 days of the date of
this letter.
In order to allow sufficient tim e lo r
review of applications for waivers p rior
to the tim ely comm itm ent of cu rren tly
available funds, such an application
should be submitted as prom ptly as its
full and complete preparation perm its.
W e urge that your district file any
application for a w aiver, or inform M r.
T atel of your intention to do so, w ithin 21
days of the date of this totter.
n.
Your district may request an opportun
ity to show cause w hy the detorm ina ion
of ineligibility should be revoked and its
application considered for funding. Such
a request should he directed to:
D r. Herm an R. Goldberg
Associate Commissioner
Equal Educational O pportunity
Program s
Room 2001, Federal Office Bldg. #6
400 M aryland Avenue. S.W .
IV
I t should be emphasised th at this totter
relates soley to your district's eligibility
for E S A A assistance. The establishment
of eligib ility does not, by itself, ensure
than an application to funded. Funding
decisions, of course, are made on the
basis of the quality of applications sub
m itted by eligible applicants.
Sincerely,
Herm an R. Goldberg
Associate Commissioner
Equal Education Opportunity Programs
I f your district requests the opportun
ity described above, an informal confer
ence w ith representatives of the district
w ill be held w ithin 7 days of the receipt of
the request. Please understand th at the
purpose of such a conference to to provide
your district w ith an opportunity to
dem onstrate why it should not have been
found ineligible; if your district wishes to
take corrective action, see P art I I I below
concerning an application for a w aiver of
ineligibility.
IH .
Your district may establish its eligibil
ity for assistance by applying to the
Secretary of H ealth. Education, and
W elfare fa r a w aive r of ineligibility
pursuant to section 706(d) of the E S A A
(20 U .S .C . 1606(d) and section 186.44 of
the program regulations (46 186.44). An
application for w aiver must include infor
motion and aaaurances which show th at
any activity resulting in ineligibility has
eaaaed to exist and w ill not reoccur afte r
the submission of th e w aiver application.
(80 U .8 .C . 1606(d)(1); 46 C F R 186.44(b).
Specifically, an application for a w aiver of
ineligibility based on the findings set out
in P a rt I above must contain the m ater
iato required by 45 C F R 186.44(f), which
provides as follows:
A n application for w aiver shall
contain evidence th a t this practice,
policy, or procedure prohibited by
186.48(4) has ceased to exist or occur
and th a t the effect of such practice,
policy, or procedure has been rem
edied or elim inated.
An application for a w aiver of ineligihil
ity should be directed to:
D evid S. T atel. D ire cto r
Office for Civil Rights
Office of the Secretary
Departm ent of H ealth. Education and
W elfare
880 Independence Avenue. S.W .
Room 5614
Washington. D .C . 20201
(le tte r dated June 28, 1977)
T h e reply of the
Assoc/shoo - Foundod
fM t
H errick Editorial Award
N N A 1973
D ear M r. Tatel:
Thia to w ritte n in response to the totter
dated June 28. 1977 in which it to stated
th a t the Portland school district does not
meet the eligibility requirem ents for
E S A A assistance because our “applica
tion of suspension procedures discrimin
ates against m inority group children."
W hile we hsve not received from your
office specific information regarding the
17 schools at which questionable prac
tices may have taken place or the specific
instances we should ourselves follow up
on. we have prepared a plan for communi
cating to all of our schools our expecta
tions regarding the implementation of
D istrict policies related to suspensions.
W e are confident th a t th e D istrict regula
tions themselves (copy enclosed) are not
discrim inatory. Problems identified by
Office for Civil Rights officials, therefore,
must be associated w ith practices in a
lim ited number o f our schools.
j
The m aterial contained in thia
is
intended to assure you th at our suspen
(Please tu rn to page 4 col. 8)
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M r. D avid St. T atel, D irecto r
Office for Civil Rights
Office of the Secretary
Dept. of H ealth, Education & W elfare
880 Independence Avenue, S .W . Room
6614
Washington, D .C . 20201
B
A second discrim inatory practice can
also be traced to the existence of long
term suspensions as p a rt of your dis
trict's disciplinary practices. As a result
of your otherwise commendable intent to
voluntarily reduce racial isolation in your
schools through a system of voluntary
transfers, a situation has arisen where
the vast m ajority of transfer students are
m inority students. Accordingly, a dispro
portionate number of parents of m inority
students are confronted w ith the problem
of tra v e lin r above average distances in
order to attend a suspension conference.
A second impact of the problems of
increased distance to school created for
the largely m inority population of trans
fe r students under the voluntary transfer
plan is the frequent, albeit nonuniform,
practice of imposing suspensions based
on an accumulation of a fixed number of
incidents of being late to school. On some
occasions it appears th at one such
instance of tardiness may result in
suspension should the individual school
principal believe such policy to be ap p ro
priate.
I t appears th a t in applying such an
ittendance rule, based on a set number of
incidents of tardiness, no consideration of
the increased problems of transfer
students in getting to school on tim e is
taken into consideration. Failure to take
into account the problems of transfer
students in this regard is a practice which
falls disproportionately on m inority
children in th at most transfer students
D istrict
July 6, 1977
To The Editor:
Portland O b serv er
ALFRED L. HENDERSON
Editor/Publisber
D ear D r. bianchard:
Washington. D .C 20202
__ m inority students.
W hile your
district is. of course, not barred from
discouraging tardiness on the part of
students through the use of disciplinary
, subjecting transfer students to
the w e standards as students who live
in the im m ediate neighborhood of the
school when transfer students are dispro
portionately m inority student* to prohib
ited discrimination under 45 C F R 186.43
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