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Special
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Careers
Supplement
S ection II
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3
Lebanon:
A Jewish viewpoint
Page 3
PORTLAND OBSERNER
l SI S959 SSI)-Xss
Jackson fight still on
by Herb Cawtborne
School Board Member
M r. C hairm an and members o f
I he Board:
I commend Chairman McNamara
fo r having the courage and Ihc v i
sion Io allow Ihe Board the o p p o r
tunity to listen to the feelings, facts,
and findings o f the Jackson C o a li
tion. I have felt fo r some time that,
as representatives o f the entire com
m u n ity, (here is no way we can ig
nore the sentiments in the Jackson
com m unity. Therefore, there is no
way to avoid some kind o f confron
tation. C onfrontation can be in the
fo rm of the clash o f ideas as ex
changed by well-meaning people in
the course o f a heated debate. On
the other hand, c o n fro n ta tio n can
be staged through aggressive public
e x p re s s io n s , d e m o n s tr a tio n s ,
threats, and. even, violence. O b
viously, the first kind o f confronta
tion is best. I hope, in the establish
ment o f this item on the agenda,
that the Board o f Education is say
ing to the Jackson com m unity, "W e
want to engage in extensive dialogue
and discussions w ith you, and we
want to do so w ith the sincerest
com m itm ent to appreciatin g your
concerns.” This kind o f confronta
tio n is p o s itiv e and good fo r our
community.
As you know , I was opposed to
the closure ot Jackson High School,
in the summer months, without even
a courteous notice o f the possibility
that a decision would be made, and
w ithout adequate time given to that
com m unity fo r its defense. W hile I
do believe that Jackson could have
been successfully closed in M ay,
1981, at the conclusion o f an exten
sive process o f study and hearings,
the Board o f E ducation made the
decision to keep Jackson operating
as a high school. The Jackson com
m u n ity w orked hard fo r th a t v ic
to ry . They gave th e ir best shot in
support o f their program. Had they
lo s t, I believe acceptance w o u ld
have com e—a fte r a natural period
HERB CAWTHORNE
o f frustration and disappointment.
But they w on. The Board did not
choose to close their school. Then,
before the ink could dry on the reso
lu tio n , new Board members, who
had not even taken o ffic e , joined
w ith o th e r s ittin g m embers in a
closed process which led to the clo
sure o f b o th Adam s H ig h School
and Jackson.
A t least, the Adams com m unity
had a m onth's warning o f the recon
structed B o a rd ’ s in te n tio n s . A t
least, the Adams com m unity had a
chance to fig h t. A t least, the mem
bers o f the Board com m unicated
their intent to the Adam s com m u
n ity in a manner w hich gave them
tim e , a lth o u g h c e rta in ly not
enough, to mobilize support to keep
the school open. But the Jackson
com m unity was caught completely
by surprise. In fa c t, some Board
m em bers, such as m yse lf, were
caught completely by surprise. Jack-
son was given less than 12 hours no
tice, and less than one-half hour for
its representatives to speak. The
process w ith Adams was bad. The
process w ith Jackson was even
worse. A n d , in my o p in io n , this is
the root o f the d ifficu lty in which we
find ourselves today.
In another recent matter, regard
ing the T ubm an M id d le School
placement, the Board o f Education
fo u n d its e lf at loggerheads w ith a
disal cted com m unity. We could
not
ve the problem by ourselves.
We needed an aggressive and sensi
tive Superintendent and the help o f
federal mediators. I am pleased that
the Board had the wisdom to know
it needed such
Ip. Now we arc at
loggerheads w ith the Jackson com
m unity, and now , as well, we need
help. T h e re fo re , I am not d is a p
p o in te d th a t the P o rtla n d C ity
Council has taken an interest in this
subject. Schools arc an integral part
o f the e n tire co m m u n ity, and our
decisions cannot be implemented in
a vacuum. We should welcome the
help o f the C ity C o u n c il. But we
should not fa il to exert o u r ow n
sense o f leadership.
O ur sense o f leadership m ust in
clude a re c o g n itio n o f the facts.
The Jackson C oalition has mounted
an impressive campaign. The issue is
due to go before the Education Ser
vice D istrict in a few days. The ESD
must decide on whether the decision
regarding secession deserves a vote
o f the people in the Jackson com
m unity. There is good reason to be
lieve that, sim ply based on our be
lie f in d e m o cra tic p rin c ip le s , the
ESD w ill allow such a vote. I f the
vote is taken and secession fails to
gain a m a jo r ity , we w ill not have
won. There w ill be, as a result, b it
terness and division in that commu
nity fo r years. I f the vote fo r seces
sion endorses the idea, we w ill be
faced w ith a crisis o f responsibility.
We w ill, then, be required to seri
ously negotiate, fo r it would be, in
deed, irresponsible to allow any part
o f our d is tric t to be broken away.
None o f the possible outcomes, i f
this m atter proceeds to its logical
conclusion, is in the best interest o f
(Please turn io page 2 column J)
A ugust 11, 1962
Volum e XII, N u m t'er44
s*« 's v p v
Two Sections
In Lebanon:
Civilian casualty estimates high
O xfam A m e ric a ’ s Special P ro
jects O ffic r in Lebanon estim ated
last Wednesday that the ration o f ci
v ilia n to m ilita r y casualties there
may be as high as nine to one, and
said there is a serious threat o f an
epidemic outbreak o f typhoid and
cholera, and even some p o ssibility
of plague.
Dan C onnell, one o f only a few
Americans representing relief agen
cies in Beirut, telephoned the Oxfam
A m erica o ffic e in Boston today
from West B eirut. It was the firs t
time he has been able to make tele
phone co ntact w ith the agency in
nany days.
“ The situation in Lebanon is very
desperate,” C on n e ll to ld O xfam
A m erica’ s Executive D ire c to r Jo
seph S hort. “ N ot o n ly are th o u
sands injured and homeless but we
arc very concerned w ith the possi
b ility o f epidem ics am ong the
quarter m illion or so displaced Leb
anese and P alestinian c iv ilia n s
crowded in to abandoned buildings
and open air parks.”
* a id D r. S h o rt: “ We feel that
every day the war continues the hu
man costs w ill escalate w ild ly . As
one medical w orker in Beirut told
us, ‘ The only preventive medicine
that w ill help now is peace.”
C on n e ll said that hundreds o f
young children are suffering from
severe diarrhea and m a ln u tritio n ,
w hich ould lead to m ore serious
life -th re a te n in g diseases. “ T h o u
sands need fo o d ," he said. “ A few
cases o f typhoid have already been
reported, and it could spread rapid
ly due to unhygienic conditions and
polluted water caused by bom bard
ment damage to the pipes. There are
thousands o f rats ru n n in g every
where, and w e’ re w o rrie d about
plague and cholera to o .”
C onnell said he had spent many
days visiting hospitals in Beirut and
in the south o f Lebanon, where Ox
fam A m erica appeared to be the
only American agency w orking in
dependently at the time o f his trip .
He spoke w ith many do cto rs and
other health w orkers. “ Lebanese,
P alestinians, Jews, M oslem s and
C hristians are all d y in g ,” he said.
“ Alm ost all the money we have put
in to Lebanon has gone fo r medical
supplies, fo o d and blankets, and
‘ fam ily k its ’ consisting o f kerosene
stoves, mattresses, cooking pots,
washing bowls and jerry cans.”
“ The s itu a tio n is a liv in g hell.
The continuin g lack o f fo o d , fuel,
electricity, medicines and fresh wa
ter is especially hard on young ch il
dren, and now many hospitals may
have to close because o f the short
ages. The phosphate burns are the
worst. They continue to burn for up
to 24 hours, and they lack the acces
sary medicines like Ciipjier sulfate to
treat them.”
O xfam A m erica has w orked in
cooperation with the B riti.h Oxfam,
one o f six autonom ou s O xfam o r
ganizations that o f tea work together
on overseas devek-pment s.nd relief
projects. The Briti: h O>;fam h is had
a fie ld s ta ff in the area since the
1950s.
Oxfam America based ,,1 Boston,
is a n o n -p ro fit, nor governm ental
relief and development acency that
supports self-help ; toje s in poor
countries in Asia, A I'rita old Latin
America and sometimes vzy . relief
aid in emergencies.
The 17th Annual Miss Tan Portland Scholarship Pagennr. spon
sorad by tha Jimmy Bang-Bang Walkar Group, was bald Sunday Au
gust 8th at tha Portland Art Musaum. Miss Thaa Warren. 19. walked
aw ay w ith tha titla of Miss Tan Portland 1982. Rend about tha
pageant in Kathryn Hall Bogla’s column, page 8.
(Photo courtesy of Tha Oregonian)
Superintendent Prophet on School District Reorganization
by M atthew W Prophet
Superintendent, Portland Public
Schools
Last week the Board o f Education
approved my recommendations for
temporary adm inistrative reorgani
zation o f central o ffic e services to
better facilitate the delivery o f edu
cational services to kids in the class
room.
The action by the School Board
marks the first time in 12 years that
the central organizational pattern o f
the D is tric t has been readjusted .
W hile the changes, and Ihc re p o rt
ing responsibilities and task assign
ments fo r some in d iv id u a ls have
been m o d ifie d or adjusted , as re
flected in a new D is tric t organiza
tional chart, they are just the “ first
step” in an e v o lu tio n a ry process
and deal only w ith area and central
administrative functions and role re
lationships which most directly im
pact the effectiveness o f b u ild in g
principals. In due course, all facets
o f the o rg a n iz a tio n w ill be a d
dressed. The firs t p rio rity in these
readjustm ents is to c la rify and es
tablish a clear understanding o f who
does what. It w ill take more time to
complete Ihe organizational realign
ment for long range operations.
Second tier priorities
Also targeted fo r later addressal
arc a second tier o f 5 1 assorted p ri
orities which represent some o f Ihc
m ajor elements to be dealt with and
incorporated in an educational mas
ter plan for the Portland schools for
the 1980s. This "sh o p p in g lis t" o f
D istrict priorities includes a look at
feeder school patterns, boundary
analyses, desegregation program as
sessment, application o f high tech
nology in the classroom , D is tric t
wide specialized vocational and aca
demic centers, increased citizen in
volvement, development o f a busi-
ness/industry partnership w ith the
schools, strengthening linkages o f
high schools to higher education,
im p ro ve d a ffirm a tiv e a ctio n and
equal o p p o rtu n ity goal responses,
impact o f Southeast Asian student
in flu x on in d iv id u a l schools, and
im p ro ve m e n t o f student achieve
ment.
Mora priorities
Long-range fiscal p la n n in g , the
problems o f diminished federal sup
p o rt, closures and consolidations,
equitable resources to all buildings
and schools, renovation o f schools,
clearer d e fin itio n o f basic skills and
com petency goals, m id d le school
standardization, special problems o f
small schools, future o f specialized
high schools, the changing role o f
special education, impact o f collect
ive bargaining agreements, planning
and im plem entation o f Tubman at
E lio t, vocational and career educa
tio n . a lte rn a tiv e ed u ca tio n , co n
sistent D is tric tw id e student d isci
pline, food services cost, com pre
hensive desegregation plan, im ple
ment appropriate components o f ef
fective schools concept, student
transportation costs, employee m or
ale, I a rly C h ild h o o d E ducation
C enters, magnet school develop
ment, barrier free access for b u ild
ings, return teachers on special as
signment back to the classroom to
positions in direct support o f teach
ers, city school relations, E liot at
Boise, H u m b o ld t o ve rcro w d in g ,
state and federal legislation, manag
ing an aging school plant, more pre
scriptive education planning for all
students, a p p lica tio n o f new tech
nology to m anagem ent, dropouts
and non attendance, mainstreaming
p ro b le m s, im p ro ve d leadership
training, s ta ll development, public
re la tio n s, fu tu re o f C o lu m b ia /
W h itta k e r, m axim ize support to
teachers and principals, and talent
ed and gilted programs and services
List not all-inclusive
This is not an all-inclusive listing
but it forms the foundation for Dis
trictw id e comprehensive planning
that portends continuing changes to
stream line the o rg a n iz a tio n and
manage changes in my efforts to im
prove the schools.
To focus clearly the organization
in attacking these and other p rio ri
ties for the 1980s and beyond, I have
made a num ber o f org a n iza tio n a l
changes intended to strengthen the
a b ility o f the o rg a n iz a tio n to re
spond to the needs o f the schools
and the co m m u n ity . T ow ard this
end I realigned and reorganized
some key adm inistrative functions
as follows:
1. Designated Dr. Donald M cE l
roy as Deputy Executive Superinten
dent to coordinate day-to-day man
agement o f the schools.
2. Assigned Dr. James Fenwick as
D eputy S uperintendent fo r p la n
n ing, in s tru c tio n a l im provem ent
and evaluation to coordinate short
term and long range edu ca tio n a l
planning.
.1. Named C lint Thomas as Depu
ty Superintendent fo r school sup
port services.
4 Assigned W illia m G erald as
(Please turn to page 2 column /)