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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (July 9, 1981)
Portland Obaarvar July 9. 19S1 Paga 3 WE'RE HERETO HELP From the Capitol Congressman Ron Wyden Q. Defense spending is a big topic in the news these days. How do you think we should be spending our defense dollars? A. There's no debate that we need a strong defense. A nybody who reads the papers these days knows that. But we also need a cost-effective defense. And that means p utting more money into attracting and re taining high quality personnel - and less into gold-plated weaponry like School the F-18 and the M -l tank. After all, without a fighting force that is trim and properly m otivated, all the whizbang weaponry in the w orld won’ t give us the strong defense we really need. The m ilita ry ’ s biggest personnel problem right now is retaining technical specialists and ju n io r o f ficers. We spend thousands upon thousands o f dollars to recruit and train these men and women - and then because we refuse to offer them a decent living, we lose them to the private sector. In the last three months o f 1980, for example, none o f the 33 ground- based F-1 5 computer specialists who were up fo r re-enlistment chose to do so. Likew ise, in 1979, only 44 percent o f the younger officers in combat units opted to re-enlist. Congress can help reverse this dangerous trend by approving targeted pay increases and bonuses that w ill encourage critical person- nel to remain in the Armed Services. The Arm ed Services Pay A ct o f 1981, due to come before the House next week, would do just that. Just as we co u ld n ’ t solve social problems by th ro w in g money at them, we can’ t solve our national defense problem s by throw ing money at the m ilitary. It is time we began to spend our defense dollar ca refully and wisely -- and in the manner most lik e ly to provide us with the strong national defense we want and need. oard closes Adams, Jackson (Continued from Page 1 Col 6) School - outlined his group’ s proposal for combining Washing- to n /M o n ro e and Adams in the Adams building, which has not been given consideration by the board. The plan w ould provide a grade school in the area with the second highest number o f students and the best building at a cost less than other high schools. Teletha Benjam in - N E /S E Coalition - called the school closure process a ju s tific a tio n fo r closing Adams, with inform ation managed and m anipulated to fit a pre conclusion. Pointing out that A l Dobbins, in charge o f curriculum , had not seen the proposal she indicated that showed lack o f serious con sideration. “ Children and the public suffer first. Staff remains untouch ed and unaccountable - which comes first and whose needs come first? “ The public has been betrayed and the east side residents ex ploited.” Administration has grown in cost and numbers, while numbers o f children have decreased. Bob Nelson, Chairm an, N o rth east C oalition o f Neighborhoods - “ The low enrollm ent at Adams is the result o f negative messages by the d istric t and the media. You would rather see the neighborhood destroyed than admit you could be wrong about Adams.” He asked i f the statement a t trib u te d to Forrest Rieke is true: “ My mother (form er School Board member M ary Rieke) opened Adams and I’ m going to close it.” Freddye Petett, Executive Direc to r, Urban League o f P ortland - who had to demand that she be allowed to speak - “ The Urban League believes the proposed decision is an act of discrim ination...It is an assault on the community. 1 hope you under stand the im pact o f your decision...Y o u have a chance to TgnfZlExL YOU ! J IM BRITT ALAN MOLDEN WENDELL BROWN Assistant Sales Manager Sales Représentative Sales Representative Expert consultation on your transportation needs on both new and used cars. RON TONKIN CHEVROLET-HONDA CO 122 N .E. 122nd A ve. Open House please join us for an open house on thursday. july 16th 13633899 in celebration of the opening of my office for the practice of family medicine at 4536 n.e 102nd Portland 97220 H erb C a w th o rn e and C h airm a n F o rrest R ieke argue over board procedure w hile bored members B ill S c o tt, F ran k M c N a m a ra and C h a rlo tte close a widening gap. We w ill not support your return to scattering; we deplore the divisiness this decision w ill bring.” Armando LaGuardia - Chairman, M e tro p o lita n H um an Relations Commission - M H R C opposes the closure o f e th n ica lly id e n tifie d schools; there is a need to coun teract social condition s and h isto ric a l practices. The current social climate causes m inorities to feel "under seige” and to have “ a feeling o f disenfranchisement.” Sheryl M cD o w e ll, Am erican Friends Service C om m ittee Education P roject - The closures leave 692 children at W ashington/ M onroe and 54 at Adams w ith no idea where they w ill go to school; it STILL H O PEI S tu d en t« Join B lack U n ite d Front p ro te c t M arc h on duly 2nd School Board m eeting. (Photo«: Richard Brown) Beem an w a it to cast th e ir p re-d eterm in ed votes. Not shown: Steve Buel and Dean Gisvold. brings “ to their parents the know ledge that the School Board cares little about their neighborhoods.’ ’ This causes tremendous frustration and resentment that w ill create problem s in the schools to which they are transferred. David Lordes - speaking for the Jackson C om m unity said the closure o f one o f the finest academic programs and a new building in a community with growth potential is “ reckless and c a llo u s.” Jim Me- Dickson said he can’ t understand why “ p o litic a l pressure is seeking precedent over educational and emotional well being.” Amid controversy over procedure and attem pts by Rieke to lim it debate, the closure o f Adams and Jackson was accomplished w ith a series o f 5-2 votes - Cawthorne and Buel opposing the closures. Cawthorne opposed the closure o f Adams on the basis that it closes two o f the three neighborhood schools serving Blacks; that it creates an attendance area for Jef ferson w ith at least 1,000 more students to be bussed out and therefore w ill lead to the deprivation o f Jefferson to entice those trans fers; about 200 Black transfer students at Jackson w ill not have the op tio n o f re turning to neighbor hood schools. Steve Buel has opposed all closures because education issues and programs were not addressed; there has been no investigation o f im pact o f closures on neighbor hoods; there has been no in vestigation o f shared use o f building s; there has been no economic assestment. Every speaker in every public meeting opposed closure, yet the Board insists it has a mandate to close schools. The only support "comes from a media haze laid out in the community.” Calling the board action the same determ inatio n and intransigence that caused the school boycott threat, “ I truly question your sense o f looking at other people like you look at your own children. In ad d itio n to d iscrim in a tin g against Blacks, the Board action tells whites that ’ I f you get in to an integrated situation, you w ill lose.’ ” M cNam ara’s amendment, which was o ffered for adoption only if Jefferson projections went over 50 percent m in o rity , indicates « reversal to previous board policies that caused the scattering o f Black children; “ It may perm it a tem porary divergence from its desegregation and related policies in light o f the extreme importance o f adopting a district-w ide, cohesive and logical school closure plan. The Board recognizes that estimates o f projected enrollm ents resulting from the assignment boundary con figurations developed to accomo date its school closures decisions and related tra n s p o rta tio n and feeder pattern issues include a p ro je ctio n that Jefferson High School m ight have a m in o rity enrollm ent by the 1982-83 school year exceeding the 5O’/o goal described in Board policy 200.12. The Board intends to reassess the Jefferson situ a tio n a fte r actual enrollm ent figures, which are in fluenced by many factors, including administrative transfers and District magnet programs, become available and to take any a d d itio n a l ap p ropriate steps to am eliorate any resulting divergence from its previously-adopted desegregation policies at that time.” The new policy moves W ood lawn, Faubian, Vernon and the sec tion o f King that was in the Adams district to Jefferson, and Meek and Rigler to Madison. The section o f Boise that was in W a sh ington /M o nroe and E lio t are assigned to Grant. Buckman and A bernathy are assigned to Cleveland, Sunnyside and Glenco to Franklin. Sacajawea w ill be closed w ith students transferred to Scott; Foster w ill be closed with students going to Marysville or Lent. Sylvan w ill be closed in 1982 and Norman- dale at a later date. W ashington /M o nroe’ s magnet programs were dispersed: - Medical/dental to Benson -Day care discontinued -Food service to Education Ser vice Center -C om puter program (not a magnet) to Jefferson HERB IN N 3605 NE Rodney Medicinal ft Culinary herb«, home made baked good«. Aloe Vera Juice ft Jel, 1003^ Raw vegetable juice made fresh daily, carrot juice. Aak for juice combination list. Any quality needed. Freah & Driad - Herb Seeds, low cost vegatable seeds. (fe3)2B*-701S Open 9 til 9 - 7 days a week. r ree blood pressure check. •• K A K I N M. I K O I . M l) Pacific Power 257-7773 Citizen o f the Week Nehoma Gay recently received a Certificate of Ap preciation from the Masons for his work in the 21st Annual Communication. His work with the Masons also include working with youth and he is a member of the Youth Commit tee Grand Prince Mason Lodge. The Youth Com mission sponsored a 5th Grade Basketball team. The team won the City League Championship in February of this year. Nehoma is a 32° Mason and he was nominated for Master Mason of 1981. His hobbies include fishing and gardening. Nehoma is married to Bobbie Gay and they have two children Yachty and Tyra. B R O U G H TTO YOU BY Pacific Power
