Vol. 64/No.18 May 8, 2000

25 and 50 years ago

May 9, 1975

OLYMPIA, Wash.— Chanting, "Save our schools," more than 8,000 angry teachers and supporters rallied here April 22 to demand state funding of schools hard hit by special levy losses.

The teachers' rally was the latest in a series of actions in Olympia, the state capital, in the wake of the most widespread school-levy losses in the history of Washington public schools. School levies, which are voted on every year by each school district, are special property taxes that pay for a substantial share of the schools' basic operating costs.

Students and teachers are calling for an end to the special-levy method of financing the schools and for state funding to make up for school-levy losses. The WEA estimates that as many as 5,000 public school employees will be fired as a result of school-levy failures in thirty-one school districts.

The demonstrations came on the heels of a strike vote by Seattle public school employees. In the April 21 voting, 84 percent of Seattle's teachers and staff threw their support behind a strike to protect their jobs.

May 8, 1950

DETROIT, April 30 — Denied the use of Wayne University for a meeting, and refused at the last minute a church previously promised, several thousand students engaged last week in a mass demonstration the like of which has not been seen here for many years.

One of the largest civil rights rallies in Detroit's history, it was called only four hours earlier by leaflet, and reflected the growing indignation against the Wayne administration's denial of elementary democratic rights to political speakers.

Milling around the Student Center, the Science Building and structures in the campus vicinity, leaning out of windows, standing on rooftops, on university property, on sidewalks and tying up traffic in the streets — the students defied the school officials and voiced their right to hear speakers of their own choice.

So large an assembly could not be easily dispersed by the police or the "Gas House Gang"--the fascist-minded school hoodlum athletes. They could only stand by and watch as the meeting took place on the rear lawn of the main Detroit library directly across the street from the main school buildings.

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