Head Start Talk Evolves into Compromise for Entire Grosse Pointe School District

Yelling, name-calling, irritation and frustration marked Monday's Board meeting, during which the topic of Head Start was revived. 

After all of the official action items on the agenda had been attended to, board member Fred Minturn made a motion to reconsider the Head Start program at . His motion included the fact that the program would not be at the school during the coming school year because the funding already has been reallocated elsewhere, but he sought sought approval for the following school year. 

Minturn's motion gained quick support by Board member Judy Gafa, who was one of two who voted in favor of the program last month. The a vote that has caused considerable conversation within the community. 

Minturn was absent during the last meeting and therefore did not vote. He was on a trip with his wife celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary—an absence later criticized by Board President John Steininger, who noted he's never missed any of the meetings in his term.

Board Vice President Joan Dindoffer motioned for the administration to work with the district's policy committee to research ways in which at-risk students distict-wide could obtain educational help similar to the idea of Head Start. Her motion eventually gained 6:0 approval, but not without contentious argument. 

Steininger, Dindoffer, Cindy Pangborn and Tom Jakubiec—the four who voted against Head Start last month—all offered their reasons. during his public comment period at the end of Monday's meeting, but the topic came up sooner with Minturn's motion.

Much of the crowd at Monday's meeting came to offer their thoughts about the board's decision during the public comment session.

Steininger said he wouldn't change his vote, noting he feels the district is not "in the business of" renting out school space to third parties during the school day. He also said there have been numerous studies showing the program is ineffective, which he researched before his original vote. He eventually noted that the program has several benefits and several downsides.

Pangborn, who blamed inadequate media coverage of the issue, said she made suggestions to get the program moved to to ensure it would have longterm space, but heard no consideration from parents or school officials about doing so. She described it as being short-sighted on the side of the parents. 

Dindoffer said she wants such a move to help district students to be in "a well-considered and thought-out program." Finding a solution that would help students district-wide would be better, she said.

Jakubiec was the only one of the four who voted against it to visit a Head Start program as part of Poupard Elementary Principal Penny Stocks' offer during her original proposal. He said there was never a guarantee that the program would benefit 20 children from the Grosse Pointe district. Head Start determines enrollment through a point-based formula, meaning it could have been helping students who are out of the district before reaching those in district, he said. 

There also was considerable debate concerning the renting of space during the school day—a practice the district prohibited years ago when religious groups were wanting to offer bible study at the high schools during lunch hours, Pangborn said, who offered the policy limitation as another reason for her no vote. 

Minturn disputed all of the arguments saying they were non-issues and convenient excuses. He also explained that Head Start is not a "fly-by-night religious group" but a nationally recognized and established program supported by the U.S. Department of Education. 

The program is also offered based on the socio-economic conditions of a targeted area, Gafa said, explaining that Head Start would not likely allow its program to be offered at Barnes as Pangborn suggested. The reason Head Start sought out Poupard is because of the amount of free and reduced lunches it offers—signaling the amount of students from low-income families.

Steininger said the program could locate somewhere other than the school building, calling it a "federal behemoth" with the funds to rent anywhere. 

Much of the conversation on either side of the argument gained audience reaction—clapping and boos. Their discussion was full of barbs not only at each other but also about the voting pattern of the four-naysayers. 

Dindoffer's motion, although it passed, concerned Minturn, who said he didn't want it to turn in to a "bureaucratic nightmare" for the parents who were looking to get their children into the program. The opportunity for next school year has already passed as the program dollars have been reallocated, but Minturn wanted to make sure something was in place by the following school year. 

At least half a dozen residents spoke to the board at the end of the meeting, acknowledging the compromise reached Monday but also voicing concern about the initial no-vote on Head Start and the board's ability to function in a professional manner. 

Rodd Monts, who has a 6-year-old child at Poupard and lives in Harper Woods, said he was concerned about the tone expressed by some of the board members.

He explained that he saw how difficult it was for teachers during his son's kindergarten year to work with students who were not prepared for the classroom setting. He also questioned whether it was the board's goal to ensure the best possible educational outcome for each and every student in the district, and urged members to recall this when voting on issues like Head Start. 

Another man who addressed the board, Alex Morgan, is a 2007 South graduate who will begin his career as a kindergarten teacher in Milwaukee in the fall. He said the board's decision is another that lends itself to the Grosse Pointe elitist attitude. He talked about his own benefit of going through the school system—a goal of his mother who often worked three jobs to keep him in the district. 

The board's decision, he said, isn't taking into account the program's "long-standing effective trajectory" that sets students up for the long term of education. Morgan, who taught at a Head Start program outside Chicago over the summer, warned the board that if they don't decide what to do with their empty classrooms, Gov. Rick Snyder is certainly going to with Schools of Choice.

Poupard's kindergarten teacher, Deb Kraft, also addressed the board. She highlighted several statistics from last year's class—including the fact that 30 percent of the students hadn't been in pre-school and that 56 percent were eligible for free and reduced lunch.

She also emphasized that early intervention is what provides the most significant benefit to students. Such programs, Kraft said, teach students how to listen in a group setting, how to follow directions, how their own actions have consequences and how to share—lessons that can truly only be learned in a group setting. Location of the program does matter, she said, explaining transportation cannot be an issue for the success of this kind of program. 

Other comments emphasized:

• the board's need to conduct itself in a more positive manner.
• the lack of discussion about the topic.
• the shock residents felt when hearing about the board's refusal of the program.
• in a time when funds are dwindling and cuts are necessary, the need to invest in children early is necessary.
• the dismissive attitude of the board toward one of its district's principals and her expertise.
• the lasting impact the decision will have on the 20 students who planned to enroll for this coming school year.

Board member Brendan Walsh was absent from Monday's meeting.