Proposed American Indian Charter School in Michigan Is Criticized Story-Date: 12:54 a.m. PST Sunday , March 7, 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------ Proposed American Indian Charter School in Michigan Is Criticized By David Melmer, Indian Country Today, Rapid City, S.D. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Mar. 1--FLINT, Mich.--Allegations of racism and bigotry underscore criticism of a proposed charter school for American Indian and Hispanic students. At the center of the verbal foray is Lily Tamez Kehoe, a Flint school board member, who supports the charter. But, because of a letter she wrote in support of the American Indian/Hispanic charter school, she was asked to resign from the board by the board president, a teacher's organization and the local media. Kehoe said the charter school was not brought up at the most recent school board meeting. A teacher's union head backed off his criticism of her and what was supposed to be meeting to remove her didn't materialize. "It was as if nothing had happened." "They brought in people from the bilingual program accusing me of trying to shut the program down." Kehoe said, although the program has problems, she is supportive. "They took an issue and turned it into something else." The proposed school, one of 10 applicants in a Central Michigan University project, is the only one being criticized, said Gary Glenn, director of School Choice YES!, an organization promoting parental choice for private and charter school systems. The announcement of which school will be chartered will come something after Feb 15. "Instead of using her position on the board of education to advance the interests of Latino and American Indian students within our own school system, Ms. Kehoe has given her support to the charter school," Flint School Board President Randall G. Talifarro said when he called for Kehoe's resignation. "This, in my opinion, is a breach of her duty." Kehoe said she was acting as president of the Spanish Speaking Information Center when she gave her support. She said repeatedly she will not resign from the Flint School Board. Kehoe's letter, the first to arrive in support of the proposed school, was included as support material for the charter application and was made public. In the letter, Kehoe used statistics proving the Flint public schools had a 65 percent combined dropout rate for Hispanic and American Indian students. She also said the children's culture was ignored in the traditional public schools and that "subtle racism" did not welcome the students. "We want to present a good academic curriculum with American Indian and Chicano traditions and present reinforcement of the cultures," said Catherine Davids, Cherokee, charter school board member. The purpose will be to instill pride in the students, teach accurate history and involve the elders from the community. "We want a place where the kids can come and learn about their ancestors," Davids said. The proposed school will include the Ojibwe language and story telling from the elders. Davids said two schools in the Flint school district lost accreditation since the application for the charter school was submitted. "(The Flint) schools teach a Euro-centric curriculum, and when our kids see the Washington Redskins they think that's who they are," Davids said. She said the school idea came to her in a dream where she saw "brown kids tending a garden with elders teaching them how to grow corn. And the principal was Indian and there were flags, Indian flags outside the building. "I thought this is where the kids needed to be," Davids said. Critics of the proposed charter for Hispanic and American Indian children say proponents are separatist and have accused them of reverse racism, Davids said. "I told them don't start with us. We have a history of being involved with separation. "We were separated from our homes and moved onto reservations. Then sent to urban areas and then separated to the (boarding) schools," she said. "What do our kids feel like when they hear the words -- kill the Indians?" Davids said. The sports teams for the Flint school system are known as the Indians. "American Indians put their heads down. Some even identify with Mexicans so they won't get put down. We want to take them out of that environment," she said. Flint school district has more than 24,000 students, of which 611 are listed as American Indian, 511 as Hispanic. Kehoe's critics, which include George Wingfield, president of United Teachers of Flint, claim her support for the charter school will drain resources from the public school system. Wingfield also asked for Kehoe's resignation from the school board. Vernon Craig, a member of the board for the proposed charter school, said the focus should be on how students were being educated and not on any "parochial" concerns about who was doing the educating. He said parents will migrate to the best education product. The Flint school system maintains its own charter school. More than half of the city's teachers send their children to private or charter schools, Glenn said. In that case, he claims, Wingfield must ask for the resignation of most of the members of the teacher's union. Glenn said Kehoe will not resign, and he is doubtful the board can remove her. He said the only possible way to remove her is a recall petition. He added, however, that the momentum was on Kehoe's side. Central Michigan University is the potential chartering agency for the proposed school. A decision will be made soon and the school, according to Davids will be operating in September 1999. ----- Visit Indian Country Today on the World Wide Web at http://www.indiancountry.com/ (c) 1999, Indian Country Today, Rapid City, S.D. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. ------------------------------------------------------------