EDITORIALS & COMMENTS
We Need Teacher Incentives
“If you have teachers with
limited ability and low morale,
you’re not going to have a good
school system. There is nothing
that can be a higher priority.”
With these thought provoking
words School Superintendent
Jay Robinson stated the central
issue underlying the choice be
tween a possible relatively weak
and relatively strong public
school system by the year 2000.
With a deep sense of under
standing of Dr. Robinson’s
words, the Charlotte-Mecklen
burg School Board this week
authorized its administrators to
proceed to produce a plan for
implementing a comprehensive
new program to attract, train
and promote highly motivated
teachers who will be paid compe
titive salaries on a par with
people in private industry.
In essence, the school board.
while not fully endorsing the
recommendations of the ll
member study committee of
teachers, administrators and
community residents, did ap
prove a year-long study of the
teacher incentive plan.
Studies nationwide and locally
show that the best college stu
dents are not choosing teaching
as a profession and many of the -
better teachers are leaving the
profession because of compara
tively low pay, a feeling of low
respect by the community-at
large and consequently low
morale.
While we have some concerns
too about recommendations ini
tially made to the school board,
we endorse their action to spend
the next year exploring the issue
of developing better teachers as
a primary move toward develop
ing better educated students.
Reagan’s Ultimate Insult
In a speech before the National
Black Republican Council, ob
' viously prompted by a Washing
ton Post-ABC News poll showing
95 percent of blacks think Rea
gan should not seek a second
term, the President offered the
ultimate insult. He said the
economic health of the 1960s was
destroyed by the Great Society
programs inaugurated by Presi
dent Lyndon Johnson.
Reagan has apparently for
gotten, if he ever really knew,
that Head Start is one of the
so-called “safety net” programs
of his administration and that
some Republicans are strong
supporters of Job Corps.
More significantly, Mr. Rea
gan has insulted blacks by as
suming that they don’t under
stand nor remember the benefits
that they and other poor and
minority people received from
the Great Society programs. For
example, Census Bureau data
show that in 1959 the ratio of
citizens under the poverty line
was 22 percent. By 1969, five
years after the beginning of
many Great Society programs,
the poverty ratio had declined to
12 percent. For blacks in parti
cular, 55 percent were in poverty
in 1959, but by the early 1970s,
that is, after the implementation
of many Great Society pro
grams, black poverty was re
duced to 24 percent. Now, with
Reagan’s social program cuts
'black poverty is up to 34 percent.
Repeatedly Mr. Reagan has
used the “I didn’t create this
mess” slogan to discredit the
Great Society programs when
even the Nixon-Ford administra
tions saw the wisdom and merit
in its programs. Ironically, a
part of Mr. Reagan’s strategy
now calls for telling blacks and
other minority groups that to
day’s economic hard times are
all the fault of Mr. Lyndon
Johnson’s Great Society pro
grams.
In effect, in the words of
columnist Colman McCarthy,
Reagan is offering a “distortion
of the positive role that go
vernment intervention played in
the 1960s.” In the address to the
Black Republican Council the
President insulted the audience
by assuming people could not see
through this distortion, that they
had no knowledge of the history
of the 1960s and that their com
mitments to Republican Party
principles were so strong that
their minds would be clouded to
the point of being unable to
separate fact from fiction.
President Reagan and the ra
dical conservative part of the
Republican Party - Jesse Helms,
John East - and some equally
conservative Democrats are
seeking to abolish every social
program the nation has even to
the point of abandoning the so
called “safety net” programs.
The Head Start and food stamp
programs and Legal Services
have been vital to the survival
needs of blacks and other minor
ities not because such people are
lazy, uneducated, con-artists or
anti-work ethic. The basic pro
blem is that the nature of the real
world workings of the free
enterprise market system, with
its cycles of prosperity, reces
sion and depression, plus a touch
of racism and sexism relegates
many people to low places on the
economic opportunity ladder.
Since the society and the eco
nomic system, which is beyond
the control and power of indivi
duals, causes many people to be
locked into a condition of poverty
and limited opportunity govern
ment must come to their aid.
The hard fact is welfare capi
talism in many forms is used to
protect the interests of the cor
porate community which in turn
protect jobs and profits.
THE CHARLOTTE POST
Second Class Postage No. 965500
“THE PEOPLE’S NEWSPAPER’’
Established 1918
Published Every Thursday
by The Charlotte Post Publishing Co., Inc.
, Subscription Rate $15.60 Per Year
Send All 3579’s To:
1524 West Blvd., Charlotte, N.C. 28208
Telephone 704-376-0496
Circulation 10,433
104 Years of Continuous Service
Bill Johnson
Bernard Reeves
Fran Farrer
Dannette Gaither
Editor, Publisher
General Manager
Advertising Director
Office Manager
Second Class Postage No. 965500 Paid At
Charlotte, North Carolina
Under the Act of March 3,1878
Member, National Newspaper
Publishers’ Association
North Carolina Black Publishers Association
Deadline for all news copy and photos is
5 p.m. Monday. All photos and copy
submitted become the property of The Post
and will not lie returned
National Advertising
Representative
Amalgamated Publishers, Inc.
2400 S. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, III. SOtilR
Column 5-0200
45 W. 46th St., Suite 1493
New York. New York 10036
212-469-1220
We Shall Overcome?
‘£etten& *7o
*76e SdSax:
I
A Commendable Effort
Dear Sir:
The Black Reading
Month Committee should
be commended for its ef
forts to promote the read
ing of newspapers, books,
journals and magazines
written, published and dis
tributed by Black people,
and more important, the
promotion in general of
reading by members of the
Black community.
We of the Black media, of
course, have a selfish in
terest in any effort to en
courage members of our
community or any other
community to read the pro
ducts of our efforts be
cause we truly believe we
have something to say.
More significant, how
ever, is the importance of
reading to our constituen
cy. As many forces gather
for an all-out war on illi
teracy, the^encouraging of
Blacksto read is vital. Not
only should we have a right
to know, but we must moti
vate our children to have
the desire to know.
The Black Reading
Month Committee has dis
played a degree of wisdom
in selecting some of our
most competent young
journalists to assist them in
their effort. Charlotte
should be proud of the
unusual number of excep
tional young minds that
have turned to the field of
journalism as their life
work and are making sub
stantial contributions
through their excellent
writings.
In addition to several
prize-winning writers like
Teresa Simmons, Mac
Thrower, Loretta Manago,
and Karen Parker, who, at
this time, are a major force
on The Charlotte Post staff,
I would like to cite The Post
for its excellent present
ations.
We appreciate the spot
light that is being placed
upon us and pledge to
continue to seek to present
the best available material
and to continue to be a
media through which out
standing Black writers can
present their views without
fear of censorship or undue
influence.
To quote the BRMC it
self, the need for such a
movement is as pressing as
ever. “As writer Haki Mad
hubuti so clearly states,
‘We are at war for the
minds of our people.’ It has
been waged for generations
and will be waged for gen
erations to come. Our ef
forts to reshape our values
are as significant a part of
our struggle as our efforts
to attain politifal empower
ment and to make econo
mic changes. Black litera
ture provides a record
which links the past to the
present and allows for con
tinuity and evaluation of
our thoughts and actions.”
We find The Post weekly
a necessity in our house
hold. Keep up the good
work.
Mrs.^elma Smith
We Can Not Be Docile Peoole
Dear Bill:
I recently had the oppor
tunity to attend the Con
gressional Black Caucus
Legislative Weekend, on
September 17 through Id in
our nation’s capitol. The
theme of this year’s confer
ence was “A Salute to
Black Business.”
We had an opportunity to
attend several workshops
that ranged from “Aging to
Youth” and other subjects
that included Criminal Jus
tice, Education, Free En
terprise Zoning, Housing,
Minority Business and Po
litical Empowerment.
Speakers were individu
als who represented the
highest lev$l of achieve
ment in their chosen field. I
found the session both in
formative, and enlighten
ing.
Another major topic that
was discussed throughout
the entire week-end was
“THE BLACK LEADER
SHIP FAMILY PLAN,” for
the unity, survival and pro
gress of black people. In
reading the plan I found it
extremely interesting and I
hope that you will print the
rules of the plan in its
entirety for the benefit of
your readership in our
great city. For as Con
gressman Ronald V. Del
lums of California said,
"We can not be docile
people as we move toward
the 1980’s.”
Thank you,
Samuel Young Jr
6124 Wheeler Drive
Charlotte, NC 28211
WALK "
YOUR
... TALK
>*, M • ■ J
Rev. Perkins
Improved Education Needed
I believe our children are a gift that we
cannot take for granted. We must take
responsibility for providing the education
and training that black young people need in
order to become the leaders of tomorrow.
Our young people deserve individualized
attention to help develop their abilities.
The church must take more leadership in
the development of our children. Our
churches have the human and physiq*l
resources to make a positive impact upon
young lives within the community. Organiz
ing a tutoring program is one example of
what churches can do. We have done that in
our community. This program helps sup
plement the school and home by providing a
person who will take a special interest in the
child and give assistance with school work.
It is also an opportunity to share biblical
truth and help young Christians develop
their spiritual life.
Our local churches are going to have to
hire full-time Christian education workers
who would develop a curriculum for the
church Sunday school that would motivate
the children and make learning enjoyable.
Christian education workers would main
tain contact with the local schools and be
available to provide personal assistance to
the young people.
We must look for ways of improving the
quality of education within our black
community. I believe we ought to support
the local public schools, but at the same
time I feel we must establish local schools
within our Christian community.
I am not against the public schools, but*?
am concerned for our children. When I see
the educational needs in the black commun
ity and see our black teachers losing jobs, I
believe it is time to think about how we can
establish Christian schools that would
educate our kids in the community.
In Fresno, California, I saw an exam
ple of what can be done. What I saw there
was one of the most creative educational
programs that I have ever seen any place. It
is a small black Christian school. Each
student gets individual attention. They
learn individually and also collectively. In a
large room with 18 kids each child had a
desk separated by about six feet. When I'
spoke to the class, the questions the child
ren asked showed a very high level of
understanding and creativity.
I asked one of the founders why they
started the school. She told me they had
become very concerned about the quality of
education in the black community and the
lack of leadership in the junior high and
high school level within their churches. So
they began to send their kids to a private
Christian school. She began to go over to the
school and became involved as a volunteer.
She saw the quality of education and tha
improvements that her child was making, t
This woman who was one of the founders
said she, and others who joined with her,
decided to make the same kind of education
available to a broader group of people
within her own community. People from her
church and community came together to
start the school. They were able to rent a
building that had formerly been used for a
Head Start program. So in that commun
ity they are developing a unique school for
black kids.
from Capitol Hill
Reagan Block Grants’ Programs Have Negative Effect
Alfreds L. Madison
Special To The Post
Studies by the Council of
the Great City Schools and
the Equality Center reveal
startling facts about the
negative effect of Block
Grant legislation on school
desegregation.
The Reagan Administra
tion and Congress added to
the Omnibus Budget Re
conciliation Act passage of
the Education Consolida
tion Improvement Act
(ECIA). Included in ECIA
were consolidation of thirty
different programs and the
federal Emergency School
Aid Act (ESAA)
ESAA was enacted in 1972
as a financial mechanism
for spurring local school
integration. Purpose of the
Act was: (1) to meet
special needs incident to
elimination of minority se
gregation and discrimina
tion among students and
faculty in elementary and
secondary schools; (2) en
courage voluntary elimin
ation, reduction to preven
tion of minority group iso
lation in schools with sub
stantial proportions of min
ority students; (3) to aid
children in overcoming the
educational disadvantages
of minority group isolation.
*>
Alfreds L. Madison
Appropriation for the
ESAA programs began
with $228 million in 1973
and it peaked to $300 mill
ion in 1978 and 1979. In I960
the appropriation de
creased to $250 million in
1982 Prior to passage of
the ECIA, local school eval
uation, which operated
under the old ESAA pro
gram, showed increased
academic achievement and
altitudinal racial behavior
improvement.
Under ESAA rules there
was assurance that funds
would only be spent in
districts that showed sub
stantial desegregation pro
gress. Preclearance proce
dures established guaran
tees that schools were not
rewarded for continued
school segregation. These
requirements have been
eliminated with Black
Grants.
ESAA contained “carrot
and stick" provisions. A
school district was ineli
gible for federal grants if it
committed any of the
violations since 1972; (1)
discrimination on basis of
race or nationality in
hiring, promotion and
teacher assignment, dis
crimination against stu
dents in discipline, segre
gated extra-curricular ac
tivities, racially isolated
classrooms, discrimination
against non-English speak
ing students and transfer
or equipment to segregated
academics. Under ESAA
the Education Department
was prohibited from pro
viding funds to school dis
tricts that violated these
provisions.
The Office of Civil Rights
determined school districts
eligibility for grants. The
ESAA program provided
access and triggered edu
cational improvements for
minority students faster
than would otherwise have
been. The “carrot and
stick" compliance was
used by both the Executive
ar|d Federal Courts as they
enforced the Fourteenth
Amendment. Including
ESAA in the ECIA of 1981
eliminated a very effective
tool for reducing racial
discrimination.
The Educational Block
Grant programs have been
reduced by the Reagan
Administration from $583
million to $483 million.
Before consolidating
Educational Block Grants,
federal funds were being
spent under guidelines,
provided many innovative
programs; enriched cultur
al extracurricular activi
ties and creative pro
grams. Parents were
trained in integration.
Superintendent McMur
rin of Milwaukee Schools
stated that while their
schools were court ordered
desegregation, it was
achieved through volun
tary parents’ and child
ren's efforts. In that city,
37,000 children are trans
ported daily. A broad spec
trum of elementary school
program options, transi
tional middle school pro
grams and an array of
career specialty high
schools, resulted in inte
gration because of the pro
grams made possible by
the federal desegregation
funds.
Eugene Reville, Superin
tendent of Buffalo Schools
stated that ESAA funds
provided the Buffalo
Schools with needed reme
dial work and creative pro
grams. Results of the six
year phases of desegrega
tion effort, the public
school image changed so
much that many people
who had previously placed
their children in private
schools returned them to
the public schools because
of Buffalo’s school success,
“white flight" has not been
a factor. During this
period, student attendance
increased and suspensions
and discipline problems de
creased
Educators emphasized
that there is a risk of the
Administration’s consoli
dated grants of creative
educational programs and
schools which are desegre
gated in both letter and
spirit.
The Council of the Great
City Schools wrote Secre
tary of Educational Bell a
letter expressing concern
over the Department’s ap
proval of states’ formulas
for distributing federal
funds that do not meet the
federal requirements. In
this letter written July 2, a
e
meeting with Mr Bell was
also requested. At this writ
ing there has been no re
sponse to the letter.
Autumn Leaven
The City Sanitation Divi
sion provides Charlotte re
sidents with a leaf collec
tion service during the fall
season as follows:
- Bagged leaf service is
available at curbsides each
Wednesday except for holi
day weeks.
- Leaves may be bagged or .
placed in containers. Br
boxes, please; rain water
will cause the bottoms to
fall out.
-- The City of Charlotte no
longer provides leaf va
cumming service. This ser
vice is available through
local private contractors.
- Do not place bagged
leaves for backyard collec
tion.
For more information a
bout proper disposal of au
tumn leaves contact the
City Sanitation Division at
374-2873.
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