Portland Observer, June 23, 1962 Page 5
Prophet discusses school district agenda
(Continued fro m page I column 6)
puter skill* and understandings.
The emerging age o f technology
finds American education in a direct
co m p etitio n w ith the im proved
school* o f the w orld. There is not
question but that American students
must be better trained to meet the
diverse and grow ing edu catio n al
competition o f (1) the mathematic*
proficiency o f the Japanese; (2) the
advanced technological train in g
common in the Soviet schools, and
(3) the French schools, where com
puter hardware is being placed in ev
ery high school in the country at na
tional expense.
It is my feeling that the time ha*
come for all o f us, as supporters o f
public education, to com m it o u r
selves toward changing this mood of
growing cynicism by the public and
to reverse this defensive posture.
Public education in America today
is so diverse and complex that super
fic ia l criticism is patently u n fa ir.
For if there is one thing o f which I
am c ertain , it is that the public
schools in Portland and in America
today are mirrors o f democracy it
self.
Over the course o f the next sever
al months, I will be developing pro
grams and structures by which the
people o f this com m unity can be
come more in tim ately involved in
(he workings o f the schools. Each of
us has to be willing to contribute to
the com m unity spirit o f coopera
tion. And no community, no section
o f the city, can be left out. Public
Education cannot survive, much less
im prove, without the com mitment
to a cooperative w o rkin g spirit
among us all.
A g ain , I say, I call upon a ll o f
P ortland to unite with me and the
Board o f Education in this one pur
pose. This is our challenge. For the
survival of public education is at the
heart o f the survival o f this urban
community. When urban education
in P o rtla n d survives, and indeed
thrives, the chance for prosperity,
higher employment, better govern
m ent, good service, harm ony
among the races, and an enlightened
community thrives as well. In other
words, education is at the heart o f
the quality o f life. And, therefore,
ultimately our choice deals with the
improvement o f the quality o f the
lives o f our neighbors. I believe (his
is the right course for the '80s.
Let me focus fo r a m om ent on
(hat stake we have in the public
schools. W hat I am advocating is
this: E d u c a tio n ‘s fa u lts should be
exam ined in lig h t o f its strengths.
For regrettably, the fa d today is fo r
those strengths to be overlooked.
The U.S. system o f public educa-
iton is one o f the greatest things this
country has produced. W orking to
Resource
sem inar
scheduled here
The Black W om en’s Network an
nounced today plans for a one-day
T actical Resources Sem inar to be
held on Saturday, July 17, 1982, at
the P O IC T ra in in g C e n te r, 3329
N .E . Union Avenue.
Focusing on real life issues, the
seminar will explore alternatives and
present directions for self-improve
ment and goal achievement. W o rk
shops include: Survival o f the Black
W o m a n , Stress M anagem ent, En-
trepreneurism . T ra in in g and E m
p lo ym en t, F in an c ia l Strategies,
H e a lth O ptions and H o m e and
Street Safety.
A donation o f $5.00 (F ive D o l
lars) which includes seminar mater
ials and luncheon is requested.
Scholarships are ava ila b le by a r
rangement.
The Black W om en’s Network was
founded in 1980 to provide support
and counseling to black women in
resolving problems associated with
career development education, em
ployment, housing, legal issues, and
other needs.
For a Tactical Resources Seminar
brochure, contact seminar registrar
at 287-7976 or write Black W om en’s
F o ru m , c /o P O IC , 5329 N .E .
U n io n A venue, P o rtla n d , O R
97211.
"H * that hat teen both
udat of fifty has lived to
little purpose if he ha* not
other views than he had
when he was much younger."
William Cowper
make It better. . . and to make others
appreciate it m o r e .. .represents a
challenge to all o f us.
Let me list a few items that sup
port my contention o f the greatness
o f American education:
1. M o re than 90 per cent o f to
day's ad u lt p o p u latio n attended
public schools. W hat this means is
that U .S. world prominence in fields
such as space technology, science,
medicine, electronics, world wide
communications, and even sports, is
due in large measure to the work
and achievement* o f public school
graduates.
2. The United States produced the
firs t astronaut* to set foot on the
moon, and 23 o f the first 25 U.S. as
tronauts assigned to lunar missions
were public school graduates.
3. The U .S. public school system
i f one o f the few m ajor education
systems in the world that is attempt
ing to provide a free, universal, pub
lic education for all who want it. In
many other countries, education. . .
beyond basic required years o f
schooling.. .is available only to se
lect segments o f the school-age pop
ulation.
4. Today’s education is a good in
vestment o f our d o lla r*. F or a l
though schools o f another genera
tion taught little more than the three
R’s, schools today are asked to feed
students, check their hearing (and
vision and teeth), instruct them in
hygiene and n u tritio n , integrate
neighborhoods, provide recreation,
teach safe driving habits, and make
a convincing argument against the
abuse o f drugs. Sim ple fact: T h e
schools are asked to do all o f these
things simply because the other in
stitutions in our society have for va
rious reasons failed to.
A fin a l word about money: T o
educate a child in this country costs
an average o f $ 2 ,8 0 0 a year per
child. T o keep one prisoner in ja il
for one year costs $8,900. T o keep
one child in a detention home for
one year costs $ 12 ,00 0 . P ublic
schools, therefore, are still the best
bargain.
Portlanders deserve our thanks
for expressing their confidence in
the school system at the ballot box
on M ay 18. In responding to that
vote o f confidence we promise to
proceed with econom y, efficiency
and excellence in education.
Any help you can give us in shap
ing new directions for the Portland
Schools for the 1980s will be greatly
appreciated.
As the famous Greek ph ilo so
pher, Socrates, said more than 2,500
years ago, “ For you see, my friends,
our discussion is concerned with a
matter in which even a man o f slight
intelligence must take the profound-
est interest— namely, what course o f
Hfeisbest.”
Above all, this is the question. I f
we answer it well, if we answer it as
neighbors w orking together for a
time to one end, one common pur
pose, Portland and all its children
will be all the better for it. This is
our c h a lle n g e.. .and it will be our
legacy. And all o f this is what I see
as our stake in public education.
SUMMER FUN: Hot weather doe* not deter thia youngster who
find* hi* fun astride a giant bug.
(Photo: Richard Brown)
PEOPLE WHO DON’T ATTEND
HUS SCHOOL MAY FLUNK OUR
SEPT. 5 ENTRANCE EXAM.
Getting on the bus gets a lot easier
after September 5th.
//y o u know how its done.
The way to learn is to climb aboard
one of our Bus School buses and walk
nplt ten-minute familiariza
through a simple
tion course (See the schedule below.)
Then, when you get off this big yellow
bus, you’ll know how to get on all our
other buses.
THREE DOORS. NO WAITING.
Take our articulated buses. Please.
With a new Ten-Ride Ticket or
Monthly Bass, you’ll be able to board
these beauties through any door. (The
Ten-Ride Ticket you validate in the
machine inside each door, the Bass you do
nothing with except show it to a Fare In
spector upon request.)
In other words, only cash fares will
have to enter up front on t he “artics”.
Think how that can speed up boarding
and exiting.
*£
RE-ZONED ZONES.
One caution though: Before you
board, you need to know what zone you're
in and what zone(s) you’re heading for.
You guessed it, the zones are
changing too. So longer rides will cost
more and shorter rides will cost propor
tionately less. Seems only fair.
Anyway, before you know what kind
of ticket or pass to buy, you’ll need to
know how many zones you'll be traveling
through. Is the new zone system confus
ing? A little.
All of which
is another good reason to
attend Bus School and let us
explain things.
WHY IN THE WORLD
ARE WE DOING ALL THIS?
Fair question. And the straight an
swer is, efficiency. The many changes
coming September 5th will allow us to do
two things which usually don’t go hand-
in-hand. Improve our service and reduce
our costs.
We’ll be able to move more people
more efficiently, more conveniently. That
ATTEND THE TEN-MINUTE BUS SCH(X)L NEAREST YOU.
TUESDAY. APRIL 27 MAY 1
1 Fred Meyer
Beaverton
2. Lloyd Center
TUESDAY, MAY 4 MAY «
1. Fred Meyer Tigard
2. Jantzen Reach Mall
TUESDAY. MAY 11 MAY 15
1. Fred Meyer Grrsham
2. Clackamas Town Center
TUESDAY. MAY 1« MAY 22
1. Natl. Trans. Week Swan Inland
•2. Pioneer Square
TUESDAY. MAY 25 MAY 29
I Fred Meyer Stadium
2. Oregon City Shopping O r.
TUESDAY. JUNE I JUNE 5
1 Fred Meyer — Hollywood
2. Tanashourne Mall
TUESDAY, JUNE «-JUNK 12
1. Fred Meyer — Tlialatin
2 Rose Festival
TUESDAY, JUNE 15 JUNK 19
1 Fred Meyer Glisan
2 Washington Square
TUESDAY. JUNE 22-JUNK 2«
I Fred M eyer— Raleigh Hills
2. l.kiyd Center
TUESDAY, JUNE 29 JULY 3
I F Meyer :19th A Hawthorne
2. Clackamas Town Center
TUESDAY. JULY 6-JVLY 10
1. Fred Meyer Oak Grove
2. Jantren Beach Mall
TUESDAY, JULY 13 JULY 17
1 Fred Meyer
Interstate
2. Tanashourne Mall
TUESDAY, JULY 20 JULY 24
1 Fred M eyer— Gresham
2. Washington Square
TUESDAY JULY 27 JULY 31
1. Fred Meyer Glisan
2. Beaverton Mall
should save us some sizeable bucks. And
that, in the long run, will allow us to keep
fare increases to a minimum.
Will it all work, you ask? It has for 15
years throughout Europe. Now, thanks to
a federal grant, Portland is the first city in
America to install such a program.
As long as everyone takes a few
minutes to learn the new ropes, it can’t fail.
YOU’RE GONNA LIKE
WHAT YOU LEARN.
So come attend Bus School and get
your B.S. Degree. Not only will you learn
which doors to use, but how many zones
you travel, what tickets make the most
sense for you, how to use the Self-Service
equipment, where our new Eastside
routes are, and more. All in ten painless
minutes.
Don’t play hooky. This little course
in busology may open up a lot of doors to
you.
TRI-MET
•Pioneer Square v heduled 11 am 6 30 pm
Vue-» ‘vst All o lh rf In* at hmm 12 noon
7 .Ml pm hie* Sat
ON SEPTEMBER 5TH TRI-MET GOES A WHOLE NEW ROUTE.
SPEEDY SELF-SERVICE HANDY NEW TICKETS MORE EAIR EARES ■ DIRECT EASTSIDE ROUTES
$