Severely handicapped class arrives - The Lowell

Chief Justice is up for reconjirmation
By Jama Wboolry
This November. California voters
will decide whether %i% of the seven
California Supreme Coun justices
including Chwr Justice Rmc Bird.
wtU remain in office
Up for rewnrtmuiion are Bird and
justices Malcolm Lucas. Cruj
Reyoovi. Joseph Gmlin. Edwani
PaneW. and Stanley Mask. According
to recent polls, DOI all of them
may return.
Bird has been under fire since she
*as appointed as chief justice hy
former governor Jerry Brown in
|0?7. When firu appointed, the wai
criticized for her lack of experience.
Bird was a lawyer whh the Santa
Clara public defenders offrx until j-Sc
hc^an Meriting for governor candidate
Biown in 1974.
When Brown was elected. Bird
suffers from inefficiency and wtue,
underpays it* principal*, and is unnecesurily
complex.
The study, conducted by University
of California proi'essor Dr. James
Guthr»c. compared San Francisco'i
adininiuralitc plan with thwe of
Oakland. S*n Jose. Frejno.
Sacramcnio, Los Angelr*. aiul
Stockton in order to *ci iho founda-
uuV a cabinet pent m hu adminutratkm
until he appointed her at chief
justice For a job (hat hinorically
takes year* of cliflibim> u? ihe
political ladder to obtain. Rose Gird
went from public defender ut c.*i»cf
justice of the California Supreme
Coun In tru than four yean.
Prtarntiy. with nine yean, of experience
at her position. Bird *
criiicued for c lack of Icadenhin
qualities. Her critic* *ay that with a
hut temper and stubborn attitude.
Bird is more of a pUyer than the
!eaJ_-r of a team.
Bin! defends herself b>* saying that
all Icier* Uick tj their fuu during
a conflict, and that if inc and her
critics agreed en issues, her Ctilk\
wouldn't complain about her \tyle of
leadcnhip. She hope* that people will
vote To.* her and all potilicum or. ihc
•tandani* of competence, hnnestv.
cites problems
?Lh.-oni "f 1 ^ 1 * 100 "«* principal!' re*pon-
. * sibilitics to accompan) the salary in-
**j; crease. Said Guthric. "San Fnnchco
cicnt]y...the distria
ute principals a* tntc eiecutiCc officer*
and should owpeniatc them
a!u> cuntributn to "...a crazy quill
of job cUuincaliora and inflated
position litlet." If adopted, the new
plan's proptHcJ reshuffling thould
n«H cauvc any firings. Instead.
po,,, w.Ilbe AufHedaround tone*
potiiiom." acco.din|> 10 Myra Kopf.
'The study found (hat iheSFUSD 's
existing organizational plan \. .results
in wasted administration effort/"
Thr stwiv found that the 3
existing organtf?*ionaJ Hui"re»uJis
in wasted admumtiattve elfort." Ore
of the study's proposed lolutioos to
this problem i* the reductkii of deputy
superiutendent po»u (rjm twt» to
one, and the climinaiw*, of the five
exutifl( associate »jpcriruendci't
poutions.
The fiwpositiom would be replaced
with four assistant superintendent
posts, cadi representing one of four
departments: instructional tcrvice*.
comeot decree, business, and planning,
research, evaluation, and budget.
hi addition other administrators
wooJd also report directly to the
superintendent, includinf tabor relations,
govcramenoJ and legal affain.
internal acdit, and public
infonnttion.
The puu> alw calb for **Uiy lacroKS
for ciemeatafy and high
school principals, whete ularies
were round to be $3,000 u> S4.000
below thai of other districts avenge,
respectively.
The study alto rtconjneodtd »Q
Happy
Birthday
Andrew
Solomon
(Feb. 24)
pre»kkul.
According to Guthrie. the
"Mreamlininj; effect" wixild cause
not only the elimination of unnerded
pmition*. but could alvo uvc the
dutrict as much as SZ50.000 a year.
The plan would also aid the
district's ability to help atd to *cr*c
students' need* by reducing the
district's bu*caucracy, a proulem
often cited as one uf the procnl itructure's
shoncomiPpi. Said Superintendent
Carte* Comcjo, "These reform*
will...enhance education provided to
the students."
The study, which has already
received an ioitully fevorkble reaction
tram me school board, is a pan
of the board's plans to adopt a new
orgJiiUational structure before the
hiring of a new superintendent in
May.
Says Guthric. the proyo*ed plan
will uve the district money and will
be *n attempt "...to send out the
signal that the thing the board
believe* is mnt Unporttf* b Injtfv
tioo of the midcatt."
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a defendant's other crim*nj activity.
Many of the death |*cnaliy wp-
poncn feel Uul the ifucit) of a
cfimr b often cnou|th in utctf to war.
r-nt a death sentence. Bird, however.
says uut her court will -lw*y» gi%c
fairness that the Constitution
guarantees to the defendant in a trial,
•u matter how extreme ihc case.
Bird's cnlics say the b juu soft on
criminal defendants in general.
Bccaute of the capital puAbhmenl
owe. it b possible that man? Californiar»
will vote agaimt Bird and the
more liberal member* of her coun.
Many people oppose Bird simply
because of her liberal politics.
Among her nxnt wontrovenial decisions
ire the outlawing of "Ltdio*
days" 3* discriminatory and outUwjury
for the death sentence, or improper
cnmideraikMi by the jury of
and diligence, not jitst on her stand
on mme iium.
Nevertheless, the coming election
will be heavily decried on issues and
one in particular Ihe death penalty.
Since California voten nude
capital punishment legal throbgh a
comtitutional amendment in 1972. 35
deal'i untences have been utucd b)
California couru. all of which have
been appealed to the Supreme Court.
Of thmc 55 death sentences, only
three navt> been approved by the
Suprcirte Coun. and bird has voted
again*! tliem all.
Dejth penalty *uppnnen find It infuriating
ih* cvm tn the most broti'
coo. Bird anJ the court rtnr rcvciv
ed dealh sentence* because of
technical itic* wch at faulty jury instructiuRf.
vapx rcavms given by the
inc ictalutory eviction of tenants by
landlords.
. Han* 7. I9M. hilt 7
According to a tecent poll, all four
justices are in danjer of not being
reconfirmed, but Bird b by far In Jte
moil danger. The poU showed that 4S
percent of California voter* would
vote against her today, a mfnoriry 25
percent would support her.
Bird however, U dctenrinuJ to get .
recoflfitroed. She bat *Jread) raited
SI million for Her campaign and b
expected to rafre a half itiRlion HKMV.
Many liberals have svggeited to Bird
iha! she resigi in order to save the
johs of the other t**ec liberal justice*,
but Bird fecit that her critici wouldn't
be lainficd with only hei out of of-
- fice. Che fecU Out they would kct?
pu*hing to remove the other three
tibcMl*. Bird stated that she should
be reconfirmed became "...I've been
a hard working, diligent, and. I nope
an intelligent juuice who has tried to
do nry very best."
Board president speaks candidly
by Kallc Corritan
Jchn Moliiuri. a 1953 sndtutc of
Lm>cll High School ii presently
praafcM of tiK Bmnl otSupcmmn,
havinf icncJ at c tro.iber lince
1971.
He dncuuc« his curcems about tl •:
City with in* U>*ttt. as wetl as
plans-yet