TESS - Role Model Schools Pt. 4
FIRST SUPPLEMENT ON PROGRAM FOR THE
ESTABLISHMENT OF
ROLE MODEL SCHOOLS OR LIFE ENHANCEMENT CENTERS
THROUGHOUT THE DETROIT DISTRICT, DETROIT, MICHIGAN
BY
TOWARDS ESTABLISHING A SAFER SOCIETY, INC.
DAVID C. HAKIM, J.D.,CHAIRPERSON
JACK E. WILKINS, M.A., VICE-CHAIRPERSON
January 31, 1990
TABLE OF CONTENTS
STATUS OF TOWARDS ESTABLISHING A SAFER SOCIETY’S (hereafter
referred to as TESS) ROLE IN ESTABLISHING ROLE MODEL SCHOOLS
IN THE DETROIT DISTRICT 3
POSSIBLE MEDIA PRESENTATIONS 7
EVALUATION OF TESS’ ROLE MODEL SCHOOLS PROGRAM 8
BUDGET REQUEST FROM THE CITY OF DETROIT 1990-1991 NEIGHBORHOOD
OPPORTUNITY FUND COMMUNITY BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM 9
REQUEST FOR OTHER FUNDING FOR TESS’ ROLE MODEL SCHOOLS
PROGRAM 10
TESS’ ALTERNATIVES TO ROLE MODEL SCHOOLS PROGRAM
STATUS OF TOWARDS ESTABLISHING
A SAFER SOCIETY’S ROLE IN
ESTABLISHING ROLE MODEL SCHOOLS IN THE DETROIT DISTRICT
TOWARDS ESTABLISHING A SAFER Society’s
(hereafter referred to as TESS) social
education program to establish role model schools or Life Enhancement
Centers is still in its research and development stages (Please note
that the term “Life Enhancement Center” is copyrighted by TESS’
Vice-Chairperson, Jack E. Wilkins. Mr. Wilkins has his M.A. in School
Administration and is the principal advisor of TESS’ current Chairperson
and founder, the writer of this program).
TESS intends its program to be a supplement to other programs attempting
to bring about role model schools in the Detroit District. To the
knowledge of TESS’ executive board, none of the programs
sponsored by the organizations attempting to bring about role model
schools in the Detroit District are identical to our program.
TESS’ program is currently under initial consideration for possible
adoption by the school administration through the agency of the
following officials, who received the two page summary addressed to the
Detroit District’s Area Superintendents on or about December 14, 1989
and the 30 page PROGRAM FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ROLE MODEL SCHOOLS
OR LIFE ENHANCEMENT CENTERS THROUGHOUT THE DETROIT DISTRICT, DETROIT,
MICHIGAN on or about January 10, 1990, and are to report to Dr. John
Porter, General Superintendent of the Detroit District:
Ms. Ellen Stephens
Deputy Superintendent of Program Development
and
Dr. Arthur Carter
Deputy Superintendent of Community Confidence
All of the former Board of Education members of the Detroit District
received TESS’ two page summary on or about November 3, 1989 and the
newly elected board members will receive the two page summary on or
about this date. And all the members of the board will receive a copy of
TESS’ 30 page program on or about this date.
In addition, since TESS’ role model schools program is currently under
study by the school administration, no commitment has been obtained from
any of the later to be mentioned individuals and organizations. However,
several school officials and individuals working for the named
organizations expressed an interest in the Detroit District adopting
TESS’ program.
TESS also delivered the following Area Superintendents copies of the 30
page program on or about January 10, 1990 because Dr. Lewis Ellis,
former Assistant Superintendent of Pupil Personnel Services, stated that
the school system was decentralized:
Dr. Mary Jeanmarie, Area A Superintendent
Dr. George Pierce, Area B Superintendent
Mrs. Ella Cooke, Area C Superintendent
Mr. Benjamin Bernoudy, Area D Superintendent
Mr. Eddie Green, Area E Superintendent
Mr. John Hauck, Area F Superintendent
Since we realize this project is immense, we hope to work first with
Pershing High School and its Local School Community Organization to
assist the school administration to implement Phase 2 of our program,
the establishment of Pershing High School into a role model school or
Life Enhancement Center, through the cooperation of the following:
Dr. Emeral Crosby, Principal
Pershing High School
Ms. Marian Caidwell, President
Pershing High School’s Local School Community Organization
Since TESS’ current Chairperson has met with the following school
official, he is also sending a copy to him:
Dr. Leonard Wilson, Director
Project Head Start, Detroit District
After consent of the school administration has been given towards TESS’
assistance of our implementation of Phase 2 of our program, TESS hopes
to have an office at Pershing High School. We would work day school
hours for Phase 2, but after consent has been given by the school
system, hopefully before the second year of the program, we would hope
to assist in the administration of Phase 3 beyond day school hours and
eventually to 24 hours a day.
Phase 1, the provision of volunteers as counselors, would be greatly
assisted through the cooperation of the following volunteer agencies,
who have had considerable success in their programs to bring about role
model schools. Therefore, TESS’ Chairperson has also delivered
them our complete program. In fact, if Phase 1 is to be administered at
this time, TESS doubts that it can be administered at all without their
cooperation:
Ms. Maryann Haggerty
Field Representative of Youth Services
American Red Cross
Southeastern Michigan Chapter
Mr. Maurice Wesson, Senior Manager
Center For Volunteerism
United Community Services Building
Ms. Kay Farrell, Director
Detroit Youth Assistance Program
Ms. Joyce Graves, Director
Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP [local])
(Perhaps the American Red Cross and RSVP could obtain many volunteers
through inclusion of their request in the Association for Retired
Person’s (AARP) newsletter by requesting it through AARP’s Volunteer
Talent Bank, 1133 20th Street, Washington DC 20005, phone (202)
662—4035.)
Other organizations attempting to bring about role model schools in the
Detroit District and whose indicated personnel have been contacted by
TESS’ Chairperson at the following:
Detroit Area Council, Boy Scouts of America
Mr. James Vollman, Executive Director
Detroit Compact
Greater Detroit Chamber of Commerce
Donna Lovette
Director of Educational Services
Metropolitan Youth Foundation
Since TESS’ current Chairperson has met with Mr. Alan Hurwitz, former
Educational Director of New Detroit Inc., he is also sending a copy to
it:
Ms. Lois Work
Assistant Vice-President and Interim Educational Director
New Detroit, Inc.
POSSIBLE MEDIA PRESENTATIONS
With the requested assistance of
Governor Blanchard and Secretary Lewis Sullivan of the United States
Department of Health and Human Services, perhaps the earlier named
volunteer organizations could obtain sufficient volunteers to expedite
Phase 1 of TESS’ social welfare program to establish role model schools
or Life Enhancement Centers in the Detroit District.
Also, the above named officials, TESS and other individuals and
organizations through the media could also attempt to educate the public
as to the cause of delinquent behavior, the ineffectiveness of
imprisonment without rehabilitation, alternatives to imprisonment, and
crime prevention and/or social education programs such as TESS’ role
model schools program and other role model schools programs which are
designed give everyone the ability to fulfill the adage, “If you give a
hungry man a fish today, he will only be hungry tomorrow. If you teach a
man how to fish, he will have the freedom to use his own resources •“
ROLE MODEL SCHOOLS PROGRAM
TESS’ progress in
implementing its program of role model schools could be accomplished
through the use of social scientists, who would study the school chosen
by our organization before commencement of our program and yearly
thereafter. Evaluation techniques to be used could be the measurement of
psychological and attitudinal change by testing and changes in the
dropout rate, grades of students, number of student contacts with the
police and disruptions in the classroom.
BUDGET
REQUEST FROM THE
CITY OF DETROIT 1990-1991
NEIGHBORHOOD
Our social education program for role model schools has been
stated as a comprehensive and ambitious program that is far reaching.
However, we cannot accomplish it without funds. Therefore, we have
applied for $200,000 from the City of
1990-91 Neighborhood Opportunity Fund (NOF) Community Block Grant
Program. Our budget proposal for NOF is the following (our request for
funding proposal is proposal number 23):
Executive director $40,000
Assistant director 35,000
Secretary 20,000
Bookkeeper 15,000
Part time social workers or
psychologists 20,000
Part time medical personnel,
including an M.D., D.0,
27,000
Fringe benefits 25,000
Office rental 6,000
Utilities 3,600
Telephone 1,200
General liability insurance 5,000
Miscellaneous expenses 2,200
Total expenses projected to
be covered by NOF $200,000
Currently the only trained personnel acquainted with TESS’ social
education program for role model schools are the Chairperson and
Vice-Chairperson, who will probably be the Director and Assistant
Director of the program. These personnel are board members. Therefore,
if necessary, the school administration or other independent agency,
such as a trust department of a bank, could set our salaries based upon
our actual participation in implementing the program.
REQUEST FOR OTHER FUNDING FOR
TESS’ ROLE MODEL SCHOOLS PROGRAM
since we believe our program to be highly innovative, TESS requests
additional funds from the A. Alfred Taubman Fund and/or any other state
or federal funding source for our social education program. Then we
could train and furnish coordinators to establish role model schools for
all the public schools in the Detroit District. Since there are 245
schools in the Detroit District, and we anticipate the need of at least
one coordinator for 4 schools, we conservatively estimate the cost for
67
coordinators at $15,000 each to be $1,005,000. (The
coordinator’s first priority would be as administrator in coordinating
TESS’ program aimed at developing role model schools with the school
administration. He could, with the consent of the school administration
and the consent of the named organizations and others assisting to
develop role model schools, attempt to facilitate cooperation and
collaboration with the school administration and such organizations. His
second priority would be to obtain and train volunteer counselors to
achieve TESS’ goal of one counselor in each classroom [since there are
approximately 7,000 classrooms in the Detroit District, we would need
about 7,000 counselors. However, the counselor could also act as a
teacher’s aide]. His third priority would be to report to TESS’
administration details of the administration of the program for any
needed disclosure to the government and other funding agencies. And his
fourth priority would be to counsel students.)
Furthermore, more paid counselors are needed in the school system, since
the current counselors have an overwhelming caseload (There are
currently about 400 counselors in the school district, and each
counselor has an average of about 300 students to counsel). Also, many
sponsors of projects aimed at bringing about role model schools have
terminated their services to the school system because they have
experienced an inability to obtain or maintain an adequate number of
volunteers, effectively utilize their volunteers and/or experienced a
lack of funds. Therefore, assuming TESS is unsuccessful in obtaining an
adequate number of volunteer counselors and the school administration
desires us to administer part of our program, we could recruit, train,
certify and implement paid counselors. If we estimate that we will need
at least 245 additional counselors, at least one more for each of the
245 schools, our budget for counselors could exceed $2,450,000
(Including the value of their benefits, each of the 245 counselors could
be paid a minimum of $10,000 each).
Therefore, the total cost of TESS’ first year administration of the
program district wide could easily exceed an estimated
$3,445,000.
Certainly at first blush the above budget may appear to be expensive,
but we anticipate savings of over $18,000,000 the third year,
$36,000,000 the fourth year, and $54,000,000 the fifth year to be
realized by Michigan residents through the operation of TESS’ role model
schools program, wherein at least 950 counselors are utilized throughout
the entire school system and sharing groups and/or pairing of role model
students with non-role model students are utilized (There would then be
about one counselor for 180 students, with intensive care needed for at
least 50% who are vulnerable to moderate and high risk behavior). This
savings does not include any savings realized through the implementation
of an expanded curriculum and the use of sharing groups in night and/or
Saturday school. For example, TESS estimates savings of $15,000 to the
state for each student who completes two years of college by the time he
his 18). Furthermore, how can money ever fully compensate victims of
crime and their families? Isn’t the value of any human life priceless?
And if we stand still and do nothing, the predictions that “when the
28th new prison tin Michigan) opens in 1992, the overcrowding crisis
will be 10 times worse than when the expansion began (“The Buldge Behind
Bars,” Detroit News, Sunday, June 25, 1989, 1A) and those made by
the U.S. Department of Justice based upon the government’s National
Crime Survey from 1975 through 1984---that 83% of 12 year old children
will be the victims or intended victims of violent crime at least once
in their lifetimes, that
one out of every 133 Americans will
become a murder victim, that one out of every 12 women will be the
victim of a rape or attempted rape, and that nearly everyone will be the
victim of a personal theft at least once and 87 percent will be personal
theft victims three or more times---may come true (“Study Finds Crime
Awaits Many of Us,” Detroit Free Press, Monday, March 9, 1987,
1A).
TESS’
ALTERNATIVE TO ROLE MODEL SCHOOLS
PROGRAM
Part of TESS’ 30 page program is a statement of the purpose, activities
and philosophy of TESS. With volunteers and with funding to hire any
necessary employees, TESS hopes to someday promote and/or implement the
more than 21 programs or activities stated therein, some of which are
summarized as follows: The promotion or implementation of programs such
as the provision of universal family living and self esteem classes;
crisis, mental health, substance abuse, and rehabilitation centers;
media presentations as to the cause of delinquent behavior and the
institutions that are currently available to assist the offender;
rehabilitation centers as an alternative for incarceration of the
offender; and volunteer probation counseling, volunteer inmate
counseling and volunteer parole aide counseling so that any offender can
be provided counseling on a one to one basis.
If consent is not given soon enough by the school system for
implementation of TESS’ program for role model schools, perhaps the City
of