Ch 17 Reports

It. Has come under fire lately largely from parents dissatisfied with what they feel is a breach of contract that dissatisfaction cutbacks in special educational services promised Buffalo parents as an enticement to voluntarily bus their children to the magnet schools and cutbacks have been felt at all city schools as a result of this year's tight budget. Many parents of children involved in the magnet program feel their situation is different. The magnet school program was to bring about a voluntary solution to a federal district court order. And it was hugely successful. We were able to attract

some 10000 children to various magnet schools and in a two year period we created 10 new schools in the city of Buffalo. And we did with what many people felt would be impossible and that was to attract white students and black students to work together in schools and we were successful in doing it. Let me clarify what is different. What is the difference between our magnet school neighborhood school. The difference is this program concept. Not that there's any more resources available program concept. And because of the integration efforts yes we are getting additional federal funds which allows us to enrich what we already have in place this year school budget of 115 million dollars is actually 4 million over last years but escalating cost forced many program cuts most involving specialized teachers. All of the services of the Buffalo Board of Education are connected with live bodies. So we are forced to cut into the budget we're cutting our positions and positions that

provide a service. This was the first year that we had to cut to such a large degree into the teaching ranks and when we cut 411 positions out of teaching ranks that there were some programs that went along with those teachers. For instance you will hear parents complaining very loudly about the foreign language program. We cut foreign languages out of the middle schools drop the low public school system not just in the magnet schools not just in neighborhood schools but it was a system wide cut. We increased class sizes throughout the Buffalo Public School System. What we attempted to do was to minimize the impact of those cuts on the magnet schools simply to keep in place a very successful integration program. Part of the cutbacks in fact the academic program here. Well it was the beginning of the year they devastated. I mean it's in pretty bad shape now. But as far as the extra things

that the parents were promised. A lot of that was cut. Their core academic program that the regular classroom teaches applying the only way it affected that is that they cut art music and physical education. The parents were promised that if their child was below average in reading and math. They would receive remedial help if the child was average or above they would receive enrichment. OK when the city. Did a number on the board's budget or actually the mair more because actually the Common Council restored some of the money that's one of the first times of the coming Council ever took that actually to. The. Richmond program was completely cut. We have one hundred seventy eight kids I think that were promised enrichment that are average and above average that were promised enrichment for getting nothing. We have increased our population. And through the

deficit and funding we were not able we were not given the teachers who would be able to continue the program the way it was last year. The funding had been cut as far as the only budget was concerned and we were only funded now for special teachers under Title 1 so just with this year's tight budget cuts other than teachers possibly have been more beneficial. Well first we received this question every year and 84 percent of our budget is in staff who have it the heaviest part of courses and teachers. And when you for instance First of all let's say we get cut in other areas very seriously and the heaviest apart from the course in the teaching area because that's where most of the money is. We've cut administrators we cut clerks we cut teacher age we cut 230 teacher age for instance and we cut teachers.

But you have to cut personnel in a large city school system. There just isn't that much money in other areas there's money. In supply and there's money in various other areas but when you get into cutting you have to cut where the money is and that's in personnel and the largest number of personnel in the school system of course is teachers the teachers themselves been affected as far as the ratatouille and maybe even their working upper goes. When the cuts hit morale went down. Last year. Teachers were. Teachers working during a lunch time. Teachers were in the special reading and math teacher some of them taking more children I was supposed to. Then we came back this year and found out that the whole program was a Richmond program physical education. Most of the teachers are in most of the math teachers and a lot of reading teachers were gone and we had increased our student

by two. Hundred. If you work for something and you work really hard and then the next year you know because of the budget cuts all of a sudden you know you don't have it anymore. It's a morale kick at the magnet schools remained relatively unscathed although they did suffer some cuts. Now the parents in the magnet schools just as parents anywhere in the school system were very concerned about the cuts because they saw what they felt was a reduction in the quality of education in the schools. And for this reason many of them have been very discontent. Now we see that as a good thing for the simple reason that if parents in the city of Buffalo in the face of these very serious cuts were indifferent or apathetic I think it is say something about education in the city of Buffalo. Yeah I'm very disgusted and disappointed with that. It's taken away from everything they have said the motivation kids just aren't as involved a sort of interest because of the cuts things that make kids interested in

school such as gym things that they like to do. They're cutting them out. If they haven't got the money this year. Number one. Number It sure is the teachers are going to get their raises. It's written into the contract as they look at the militia when it was written for next year. We were told many many promises when we sent our children to the magnet schools. They would receive a certain type of education because of the budget cuts. Every city school magnet included. Were drastically hurt. Me a few. He's now in the eighth grade but he was in the seventh grade and from. September until November to report her to much his marks were still there they clearly didn't know. THE MAN. Affan house. Has been social studies. I think he got a 65 in English. And. Of course I knew

where I could put him if he needed special attention and special help and of course again they recommend the academic challenge because he would get. The. Special attention. So he did say I put him in there I think really after Christmas recess. True for her it was unbelievable. He ended up with this final exam he finished up with a 95 in the man. He got something in the high 90s and now but again it was the individual attention. It was what he needed. Now we went to open house yesterday and found that you know you got 65 and 65 degrees. What. You condemn and challenge you to offer that he's not here yet. We get six hundred forty three students at the course of school last year. Every one of them was serviced outside the classroom in reading and math. We had reading lamps math labs. Each child could go and extend themselves beyond their

classroom work. That was last year. This year there is no enrichment program at all. It's 100 percent gone from the program because these were board funded teachers in reading and math and they are the ones that were cut. The Board of Education. Mr. REVILL had a survey done last spring on the quality of the education in the Buffalo Public Schools. They were very pleased with it I'm told by Mr. Radke The educational adviser to Mr. GRIFFIN. You said it was because of this special report that they made their decisions as to where they would make their budget cuts. Well I sat up when Mr. RACKLEY gave me the report. I sat up that night and I looked at it. Nowhere. In the report did they state art music or Phi ad were not necessary and one part they stated. Art instead of 30 minutes should be increased to

40 to allow the child to develop her creative talents a little bit more fully anough time was not allowed. I did not mean that they should eliminated matter should be increased. Of all the cuts I think that particular cut art music and in the primary Gray's grades one to treat those particular cuts are the most misunderstood by parents of all the cuts that we've made. What most parents are now thinking that in the first second and third grade their children are not receiving art music and desired and that is not so what we did was take away the specialist the individual teacher who would come in and provide 30 minutes of instruction per week in our music of business. The state mandates that there is one hundred twenty hours of this in either one of those three subject matters to be offered to the classroom teachers had responsible providing the other hours of instruction in art music and present all the while. Now what

we did was to take away the specialists. We didn't say that we didn't need specialist we said we could no longer for them hire art music and visitors still offered to children in grades 1 to 3 and I would hope that if nothing else I could get that across to parents that their children are in fact receiving art music and that now our teachers are the classroom teachers happy about that. No and I can understand that they are not. However in a budget crunch to the magnitude that we have now minute things that we once could afford We just no longer can they. I mean the Board of Education and the City Mayor Griffin the politicians do not feel that these subjects are that vital. How serious a thing is that for the arts to be cut back on in the school system. Well it's always serious when you have a cutback of excellent teachers and who are assisting classroom teachers. What it amounts to are music and physical education

cuts in the primary grades of the city schools meant that let's say a physical education teacher who taught a 1 30 minute period a week last year would not be the specialist teacher would not be teaching that subject in the primary grades this year. The music and physical education subjects would be carried on. In other words there's a change and it's a change in lack of quality because you don't have the specialist teachers but not as serious as many people might consider because there wasn't much service to begin with so there wasn't much service lost art. It's not merely handing out crayons and paper. As Mayor Griffin has suggested you have to know what is inside the child and to be able to bring it out. I can hand out crayons and paper at home. So can any parent but it takes a special awareness. That many years of training can only do with a teacher.

Several parents are disturbed over a statement attributed to you in which you apparently said a bunch of crayons and drawing paper was sufficient for a child's art education. Is that in fact how you feel. No I never said that. I said that for me it's a kindergarten and third going into the fourth grade. A teacher that is worth his or her song should be able to teach. We see the drawings the art and music. That. They're right now they want special teachers to teach. And that's all I said. My kids go to St. Maarten school in south Buffalo. The same teacher that teaches them reading writing and arithmetic also teaches music and art and I don't see anything wrong with that. I don't see anything any reason why. That a regular teacher who by the way they have what they call I guess elementary general elementary course and yet state teachers or any other college should be able to teach children songs my daughter in

first grade comes on every day with the new song. Paper drawings you know being in the same teachers teaching as the same girl over her spelling and her reading in the rest of these things and the same thing should hold true in our public schools. And I challenge anyone to tell many different. And I would never say the cranes and paper with that. That's a that's a childish answer. But I did say that the same teacher that teaches first or second or third grade and teaches them reading and writing should also be able to teach music in art.. Upset parents are pointing the finger of blame at a variety of persons ranging from the Board of Education to federal judge Curtin to Mayor Griffin. I see he has his priorities. This a little bit recently. I don't think he gives a damn. And women should not be here. Yeah he does and I don't think anybody understands how much he really wants it to mention.

I got a group from the honors school going yesterday afternoon. Prank youngsters. They represented every area of the city of Buffalo. And not one of them complained to me or neither did their teacher. The magnet schools one of the reasons why it's working. Is because of my efforts when I was a state senator and this is not to pat myself on the back. But we asked Joe Murray the assistant superintendent to come down to Albany and explain to the senators and he some women Buffalo's plan in comparison to the state plan that Commissioner Nyquist wanted to force on the city of Buffalo. And because of the information at the assemblywoman center to receive. We went over to Commissioner Nyquist and we sold him Buffalo's plan out of state plan would have closed schools had cafeterias and chaperones would have meant an awful lot of bussing a

lot more than we have today. And the proof is in the results that we see in Buffalo of voluntary busing plan that has worked. Who would you point a finger at. If you were asked to name the person to or a group or whatever to blame for the drop off in this year's program. Well we can start with a number of people. We can begin with our mayor who believes that the education that he received when he was a boy. Was good enough for him. That should be good enough for the children of today. I can't believe somebody with sensitivity can say something like that or feel that. We have to progress to make our children children of the future. And that's stagnant little children that we've molded. I don't want my child to have the same education as I had. I want them to grow better and be a better person. And I want the

schools to supply that. I don't think things have changed that much. I think there's more opportunities today than there were there 20 or 30 or 40 years ago. And if you just keep on saying that to find excuses why kids today can't do as well now as they did then I think you're just fooling yourself. Our city fathers placing a high enough priority on education. In the last several months certainly not us. There's no question about you know about that I don't believe Mary Griffin or his administration has put any priority whatsoever on education. We've had a problem of a decreasing priority for education over the last several years with other city fathers not as bad as we had this particular year round was the school budget kept down after it became apparent how many cutbacks would occur. That. The reason why we had to cut back that only in the school

budget which wasn't to cut back a thing. They increased their budget over 9 percent over last year. The city of Buffalo increased their budget only just a little over 1 percent over last year. And the school department like everyone else. Has to realize that we have tough times. A lot of it caused by the school department and a budget gap that they have to take losses as well as they accept gains. And we're not over the hump as yet. We just got a setback as far as and a recession funds are concerned. We've got to cut back as far seed of funds are concerned and everybody has to realize that we have to tighten our belt. The school boards when they receive the money do not have to be subjected to anyone checking on where the monies are allocated. They do not have to list. I spent this much money for for repairing of chairs

this much for books. This much for teachers. This much for AIDS. This much for special teachers. They don't have to record any of this they're not held responsible to anybody. I think people very soon forget what the Board of Education did last year of education very courageously took a stand that we were going to go eight million dollars into deficit spending to make certain that we did not strip the school department of all the good things that young girls are to have as a result of that as a result of what we did last year. We are now strapped with a five year spending plan which had to be approved by the president the Common Council the Comptroller of the city the mayor of the city and the commissioner of education the state of New York. And also along with that veto power was given to the mayor of the city over in the environment green and the Board of Education would reach with the Nevis Barkman units and that was the time that we paid for there and to do

what we felt we had to do last year. So I would only say to the parents that the Board of Education members are very much supportive of what parents are saying that they wish for their children. Really you know how this is. And they didn't come through with. Anybody else. Oh yeah judge pretty hard too. He set up the programs he wanted the integration. Yeah now when anybody confronts him he says. Testimonies he's not interfering. We've talked with several concerned parents some of whom have appeared before you in court and they're saying things like the judge has ordered school integration plans but he doesn't want to get involved in education. What is your response to claims like that. Well the response and I've said this again and again in court and also to many parents is that the court cannot get involved

directly in education. The choices for education must be the responsibility of the Board of Education and the school staff. Whether we should teach English or math. How many years of English in our math that must be left to the school department and the court does not have the experience the staff. The financial assistant or or anything else or the direction from the Supreme Court or any other court to get involved in the day in and day of business of education. Now you've explained what are not the court's responsibilities as far as education is concerned what are the court's responses whether the court's responsibilities again have been set forth by the Supreme Court and by the other power courts and as a judge it is my responsibility to be in the best way possible to try to put those into effect. That is to see to it to schools here in the city of Buffalo are run in an integrated fashion that there be no

discrimination. That is the reason the only reason for the original order and now anything that may interfere with the integration of the schools assignment of teachers. SIMON The students were favored running of schools one way or another which may fail favor one group of individuals over another. Then that may if it is a violation of the integration order may be a violation and we ought to look into it. And we do look into it just as quickly as any complaint comes to our attention. Some parents feel the solution may be to pull their children from the magnet schools while a number of people feel gray saving federal dollars should save the day. I think this 1.6 million dollars for example if that money could be given to the schools now we would have a program at least comparable. To the program that was provided last year for the merit to say that

he's not going to give this to the school system would be a disaster I think if it were enough pressure brought to bear on him that in fact he would give the 1.6 million over to to the schools. We're trying to get the figures in just what this 1.6 million dollars will mean. So but when from one sense but on the other side is getting back to any recession funds are going to take a loss in any recession fights. So this may not turn out to be one point sex might turn out to be maybe 300000 hours. Whatever it turns out to be in other words there's a good chance that all of it possibly maybe not even any of it will end up going towards the schools. Well it might be yeah yeah. Getting back to yesterday I had the white collar workers in to see me yesterday mostly female employees on the Board of Education. They are still looking for the raise that was promised them almost a year ago and they're saying well look we need money and and

I told them the same thing we were telling the general public before that when the Board of Education entered into a contract with the teachers they didn't leave any money for any of the other unions for the Board of Education. So there's where some of that money could be going to the people that really need it. The people by the way that. Have families that are on the lower end of the totem pole as far as Sherry is concerned that's where they should put some of that money. Do you think the situation would ever get to the point where you would want your children to go to another school. No I would take them out of the school because they're learning good they're learning very good here and I just go along with you know if they're cut out then if they start I will take them out. Would you draw your children. At six o'clock in the morning. Put my kids on a bus ride

and. When they don't start school and they're getting the same thing they are getting over there. What do you see as the future for the academic challenge. I hope I see a bright future. As the president of the PTC I've met with many parents. And I know they're not going to stand by and let it die. There were going to the board were going to Mr. Avila first and through the board. And hopefully we're also approaching judge curtain trying to get him to intercede on our behalf. But we're we're not going to let this program die because if we do the alternatives are terrible. You know we were told forced busing several years ago and we told them No dice we're not going to take forced bussing with nothing at the end of the ride. Now if we let this program die. Then this is what the alternative is. And I know the parents are going to fight. To get this program reinstated and

hopefully we'll be able to do it. But. I I won't stop fighting and I sincerely hope that it it won't be a long fight but I'm hoping that we can all get it back on its feet by the end of this year. Despite all the bad feelings at present and the defeatist attitude shared by many. There are those who feel the future is bright. The buffalo's magnet school program. I wouldn't expect. Any more windfalls. There would be only one for I would expect in the city of Buffalo is by getting business and industry people to come back to our city and we can broaden our tax base and we won't have to look to Washington Albany to solve our problems. We can do it here. Parents are becoming very dissatisfied. They want quality education quality education does not mean what kind of building are you sending your child into what does it look like. How many teachers do you have versus how many children you want a good class size. You want excellent teachers. You want something at the end of a

bus ride for your child. If we allow the rest of them to dictate to us what they're going to do with our child's education then we have ourselves to blame to. Television stations.