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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 15, 1982)
I METROPOLITAN Z~' Street X eat Do you think that students should boycott the schools on April 19th to show their support o f educational issues? H en ry B arabin, p ap er company employee— " N o . I don’t think that that’s the way to solve the problem. I think kids need as much tim e in school as they can get. W e need to lave more meetings w ith the com- nunity leaders and figure out things w ith o u t takin g the kids out o f H o ra c e Green, unem p lo yed — " Y e s , I th in k they should. Kids should have a chance to go to school in their own community instead o f being bused around. Education o f our children is o f the utmost import ance.” I school.” Or. M atthew Prophet In hie firet School Board meeting as superintendent of the Portland Public Schools, addressed the board and public. He said hie priorities for the district will Include ensuring the m anagem ent end u tilizatio n of resources School Terry Londos, community health nurse— '" ie o h , I think it could be helpful although I hate to see kids miss a day o f school. W rite letters, make phone calls.” focus on the classroom, ensuring that administra tors visit and are familiar with programs, develop ing a long-range comprehensive plan for the dis trict. and establishing a legislative agenda. {Photo: Richard Brown) oard seeks seclusion T ljc P o rtla n d School Board sought the protection o f a closed room and police guard in the face of a Black United Front protest M o n day night. Front supporters sat quietly in the Board meeting while new superin tendent M atthew Prophet gave his opening rem arks. A p proxim ately one-half hour into the meeting they stood and chanted "E lio t, E liot” in unison. Board chairman Bill Scott, using a pre-designed plan, asked for quiet, suspended the meeting, then moved the meeting to a small up stairs room. The public was left to watch the meeting on close-circuit television, which could not be heard over the chants. The stairs were roped o ff and guarded by uniform ed school police officers. Persons who wished to speak on the issues under discus sion were escorted to the upstairs room. The arrangement was criticized by Board members and the p u blic. Board member Steve Bucl, who re fused to move upstairs, watched the meeting on the television monitor. " W e arc very possibly breaking the open meeting law and I'm not going upstairs," he told the Observer. He had a prepared statement but was not allowed to speak on the issue. " , have suggested how to deal with the situation many times— we have to deal w ith it, sit down w ith Black representatives, and hold meetings and come up with a plan that is sat isfacto ry to them and that meets their needs and ours.” Watching the television, he add ed, " T h e people can ’ t hear the m eeting. You can ’ t com m ent on what you can’t hear. This certainly is not proper procedure.” Buel also objected to the fact that the decision to move was made by the chairman without a Board resolution or vote. One citizen from the Madison dis trict told the Board that security was too tig h t; she had to go through three police barriers, which would prevent some people from p artici pating. A nother said she had d iffi culty tes tify in g when she had no idea what had been said before her. Board member Joe Rieke also op posed the move, explaining that the decision had been made prior to the m eeting by the new " G a n g o f F o u r.” “ I ’m extremely uncomfort able w ith this Board meeting. An elected Board must be able to meet in a way that the public feels is open and accessible. It can’t cloister itself in a room. " I f this is not illegal, it is at least not the way to carry on business.” Board member Herb Cawthorne called the a ttem p t to conduct a meeting via closed-circuit television "G e o rg e O r w e ll’ s 1984 personi fie d ." There are three ways to han dle the demonstrations, he said: rec ognize the inequities in the middle school decision and decide to recon sider; carry the demonstrators out using brute force; continue to meet in seclusion in what is, if not a viola tion o f the letter o f the law, a viola tion o f the spirit o f the open meeting law. Cawthorne explained why he at tended the meeting. “ I am a mem ber o f the Board and as long as I am a member, even if I don’t agree, I w ill p a rtic ip a te . A t the point at which I can no longer participate, it will be my responsibility to resign.” He believes the meeting was com pletely inappropriate and that such serious questions as the recognition o f the Madison cluster should not have been decided under those con ditions. The decision to move the meeting during a demonstration was made at a Saturday budget meeting. Rieke and Bucl opposed the decision but there was no vote. Caw thorne was not at the m eeting. " I was at work Saturday. They didn’t say they were going to discuss this issue. I be lieve it was a violation o f the meet ing notice requirement.” "T h e y cannot avoid this issue,” he said. "Their big mistake is to fo cus on the Black United Front and Ron Herndon like they are the only ones who are frustrated and angry. The ministers I ’ve talked to are out raged. Black professionals are out raged. The parents and young peo ple are very upset. It is a blatant dis play o f lack o f consideration o f Black people. " In these times a little spark can lead to a forest fire in the Black com munity because o f high unem plo ym en t, the significance o f the Reagan adm inistration. I hope the board will keep in mind what is best for the city.” D r. James Fenwick, who, along with Superintendent Prophet, rec ommended the move, said he con siders the process to be legal. Refus ing to take credit fo r the idea, he called it a "group decision.” " I t is not the best arrangement; it is highly unusual,” he said. " T h e law says we must ensure public safety and we must allow for public participation.” The process failed to provide true participation but " th e law requires that we put forth a ‘good faith e ffo rt.’ ’ ’ The D istrict’s legal counsel con sidered the procedure legal, and State Attorney General Dave Frohn- meycr called in "unusual but legal.” Mrs. J .H . Girvan, retired— “ Yes, if the community thinks it is ju stifi able.” B rett T obler, d en tal stu d en t— "Yes. Anytime the public voices its opinion in a way the media will pick up on it, the m ore people are ex posed to it.” S h irley M c D o n a ld , s tu d en t— " Y e s . I th in k i t ’ s a good idea to boycott i f it is going to get us the school.” by Harris Lavon McRae and and Richard Brown YtHJR PLEASE. We want to know what you think about our proposed policy for granting billing credits to Bonneville Power Administration customers We invite you to comment orally at a public meeting or to submit written comments. Just how billing credits affect you. your region and your electric bill will depend largely on the policy under which they are granted That's why we urge you to take part in the public review and comment process. Attend one of the four public meetings listed below: These meetings have been scheduled for the express purpose of receiving public comments. Information meetings, during which we outlined our plans for billing credits and answered questions, were held earlier in various parts of the Northwest Written comments can be submitted at the meetings or sent to our Public Involvement Coordinator at the address below Written comments must be received by April 23.1982. Billing credits are payments to Bonneville customers - either electric utilities or Industries - for Independent actions that reduce Bonneville's obligation to acquire power resources. Examples of such actions Include energy conservation programs, construction of generating facilities, and adoption of retail rate structures that cause consumers to conserve or Install their own renewable resources. Billing credits are required by the Northwest Power Act, the same law that obligates Bonneville to acquire resources as necessary to meet customers needs For more information, contact: Public Involvement Coordinator BPA Post Office Box 12999 Portland. Oregon 97212 Telephone (503) 230-4261 Toll free numbers for persons outside the Portland calling area are in Oregon 1 800 452 8429 in Washington. Idaho Montana. Wyoming. California. Nevada and Utah.1 800-547 6048 Remember What you say counts. Mayor Frank ivancia visits JftS Grocary during tour of naw devalopmanta on William« Avanua. Thaaa Includa tha food markat. radavalopmant of tha Edar Block, tha Scannar nawapapar axpan- alon. and naw low-coat houalng davalopmant of tha Houalng Authority of Portland. Stava Pataraon of PDC aald tha projacta —which will bring Joba, aarvlcaa. and houalng to tha a ra a -la only |uat tha baginning of naw davalopmant In tha Innar North- aaat area. MEETING SCHEDULES All meetings begin at 7 30 p m Registration begins at 7 p m Boise - M onday, April 19 The Hall of Mirrors East Conference Room 700 W State Street Portland - Tuesday, April 20 Federal Building Room 223 1220 S W Third Avenue Madison Street (north) enhance Bonneville Seattle - Tuesday. April 20 Seattle Center Blakely Room First Avenue North and Republican Street Acuninisivaiion Missoula County Courthouse Annex Room 201 200 W Pine Street Missoula - Tuesday. April 20 1 r
