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Braxton
Page 6
Special
Careers
Supplement
Section II
LU
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Lebanon:
A Jewish viewpoint
Page 3
PORTLAND OBSERVER
August 11, 1982
Volume XII, Number 44
250 Per Copy
Two Sections
S | S 9 ^ 9 S K I l-S "
In Lebanon:
Jackson fight till on
bv Herb Cawthorne
School Board Member
M r. C hairm an and members o f
the Board:
I commend Chairman McNamara
fo r having the courage and the v i
sion to allow the 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. 1 have felt fo r some time that,
as representatives o f the entire com
m u n ity , there is no way we can ig
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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 o f 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 ,
th re a ts, and, even, violence. O b
viously, the first kind o f confronta
HERB CAWTHORNE
tion is best. I hope, in the establish
ment o f this item on the agenda,
o f frustration and disappointment.
that the Board o f Education is say
But they won. The Board did not
ing to the Jackson community, “ We
choose to close their school. Then,
want to engage in extensive dialogue
before the ink could dry on the reso
and discussions w ith you, and we
lu tio n , new Board members, who
w ant to do so w ith the sincerest
had not even taken o ffic e , jo in e d
com m itm ent to appreciatin g your
w ith o ther s ittin g members in a
concerns.” This kind o f confronta
closed process which led to the clo
tio n is p o sitiv e and good fo r our
sure o f both Adam s H igh School
community.
and Jackson.
As you know , I was opposed to
A t least, the Adams com m unity
the closure o f Jackson High School,
had a m onth’s warning o f the recon
in the summer months, without even
structed B o a rd ’ s in te n tio n s . A t
a courteous notice o f the possibility
least, the Adams com m unity had a
that a decision would be made, and
chance to fig h t. A t least, the mem
w ithout adequate time given to that
bers o f the Board com m unicated
com m unity fo r its defense. W hile 1 th e ir intent to the Adams com m u
do believe that Jackson could have
n ity in a manner which gave them
been successfully closed in M ay,
tim e , a lth o u g h c e rta in ly not
1981, at the conclusion o f an exten
enough, to mobilize support to keep
sive process o f study and hearings,
the school open. But the Jackson
the Board o f E ducation made the
com m unity was caught completely
decision to keep Jackson operating
by surprise. In fa c t, some Board
as a high school. The Jackson com
m em bers, such as m yself, were
m u n ity w orked hard fo r th a t v ic
caught completely by surprise. Jack-
to ry . They gave th e ir best shot in
son was given less than 12 hours no
support o f their program. Had they
tice, and less than one-half hour for
lo s t, I believe acceptance w o u ld
its representatives to speak. The
have com e— after a natural period
process w ith Adams was bad. The
Civilian casualty estimates high
process w ith Jackson was even
worse. A nd, in my o p in io n , this is
the root o f the d iffic u 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 und its e lf at loggerheads w ith a
disaffected com m unity. We could
not solve 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 help. Now we are at
loggerheads w ith the Jackson com
m unity, and now, as well, we need
help. T h e re fo re , 1 am not d isa p
po in te d that the P o rtla n d C ity
Council has taken an interest in this
subject. Schools are an integral part
o f the entire 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 own
sense o f leadership.
O ur sense o f leadership must in
clude a re c o g n itio n o f the facts
The Jackson Coalition has mounted
an impressive campaign. The issue is
due to go before the Education Ser
vice District 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
munity. 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 rity , 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 with 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 o ur 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 to page 2 column 3)
O xfam A m e ric a ’ s Special P ro
jects O ffic r in Lebanon estimated
last W ednesday that the ration o f ci
vilian to m ilita ry 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
o f 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
fro m West B eirut. It was the firs t
time he has been able to make tele
phone co ntact w ith the agency in
many days.
“ The situation in Lebanon is very
desperate,” C on n e ll to ld O xfam
A m erica’ s Executive D ire cto r Jo
seph S hort. ‘ ‘ N ot o n ly are th o u
sands injured and homeless but we
are very concerned w ith the possi
b ility of epidem ics am ong the
quarter m illion or so displaced Leb
anese and P a lestinian c iv ilia n s
crowded into abandoned buildings
and open air parks.”
Said 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 o n n e ll said th a t hundreds o f
young children are su ffering from
severe diarrhea and m a ln u tritio n ,
w hich could 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 bombard
ment damage to the pipes. There are
thousands o f rats ru n n in g every
where, and we’ 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 e rica appeared to be the
only Am erican agency w orking in
dependently at the time o f his trip .
He spoke w ith m any d o 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
into Lebanon has gone for 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 neces
sary medicines like copper sulfate to
treat them .”
O xfa m A m erica has w orked in
cooperation with the British Oxfam,
one o f six autonomous O xfam o r
ganizations that often work together
on overseas development and relief
projects. The British Oxfam has had
a fie ld s ta ff in the area since the
1950s.
Oxfam America, based in Boston,
is a n o n -p ro fit, non-governm ental
relief and development agency that
supports self-help projects in poor
countries in Asia, A frica and Latin
America and sometimes gives relief
aid in emergencies.
The 17th Annual Miss Tan Portland Scholarship Pageant, spon
sored by the Jimmy Bang-Bang Walker Group, was held Sunday Au
gust 8th at the Portland Art Museum. Miss Thea Warren. 19. walked
aw ay w ith the title of Miss Tan Portland 1982 Read about the
pageant in Kathryn Hall Bogle's column, page 8.
(Photo courtesy of The 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 the 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 with 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 he o rg a n iz a tio n w ill be ad
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 the organizational realign
ment for long-range operations.
Second tier priorities
A lso targeted fo r later addressal
are a second tier o f 51 assorted p ri
orities which represent some o f the
m ajor elements to be dealt with and
incorporated in an educational mas
ter plan for the Portland schools for
the 1980s. This “ shopping 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 tr ic 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 action and
equal o p p o rtu n ity goal responses,
im pact o f Southeast Asian student
in flu x on in d iv id u a l schools, and
im provem ent o f student achieve
ment.
More priorities
Long-range fiscal plannin 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 definition o f basic skills and
com petency goals, m iddle school
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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 , c o n
sistent D is tric tw id e student disci
pline, food services cost, com pre
hensive desegregation plan, im ple
ment appropriate components o f ef
fective schools concept, student
transportation costs, employee mor
ale, E a rly C h ild h o o d E ducation
Centers, 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 of teach
ers, c ity /s c h o o l 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
problem s, im p ro ve d leadership
training, s ta ff development, public
relations, 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 gifted programs and services.
* »
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"i . •
List not all-inclusive
This is not an all-inclusive listing
but it forms the foundation fo r 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 o w a rd this
end I realigned and reorganized
some key adm inistrative functions
as follows:
1. Designated D r. 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 educatio nal
planning.
3. Named C lint Thomas as Depu
ty S uperintendent fo r school sup
port services.
4. Assigned W illia m G erald as
(Please turn to page 2 column I)
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