COMMUNITY

Van Buren ready for a Civil War weekend See Page 1-C

SPORTS

Belleville High blasts past Romulus, 24-6 See Page 1-B

The
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VOL. 28, NO. 40 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2012 Weave the Web:
Make sure to click on www.heritage.com around the clock for the most in-depth coverage. See most popular stories....Game Review: Borderlands 2 among best all-time co-op shooters.

Library looks at future

Consultant helps community examine space and other needs in the years to come
By Jerry LaVaute
Special Writer

Check out our video:

Nothing to Hide exhibit on mental illness

Photo by Jerry LaVaute

Library Planning Associates Anders Dahlgren updates the community on the needs of the Belleville Area District Library during a Sept. 26 meeting.

About 50 residents from the tri-community attended a forum in the new mini-auditorium in the new Belleville High School on Sept. 26. Its intent was to share information updating a space needs study conducted initially for the Belleville Library in 2005, and was updated and published earlier this year. Anders Dahlgren of Library Planning Associates, who authored the 2005 and 2012 studies, presented the salient facts and conclusions on PowerPoint slides for about an hour in the comfortable auditorium. Dahlgren was lauded by library board president MJ Dawson as at FYI the forefront of library sciences. The Space Needs Dahlgren began by sayRevisited draft report ing, The tectonic plates of can be found on the librarys website: www. library services keep shiftbelleville.lib.mi.us. ing, suggesting that changing technology and culture affect modern library design. To illustrate the pace of technological change, he used the rapid evolution of three Apple Corp. products and how they have changed how people live: the iPod introduced in 2001, the iPhone in 2007, and the iPad in 2010. Dahlgren asked, Who among us 15 years ago could have predicted these would be on the market? He summarized that the emphasis on the role of todays library is, instead of collections of books and magazines, a way to make connections to information and to others using newer tools like personal computers or e-readers.
PLEASE SEE LIBRARY/3-A

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Superintendent elds criticism, pursues goals

Part 4 of a 4-part series

District serving breakfast to 1,000 kids daily

By Jerry LaVaute
Special Writer

By Jerry LaVaute
Special Writer

Van Buren Public Schools Superintendent Mike Van Tassel said he read a letter sent earlier this year to school board members and local media by now-retired educator Eva Marie Harris, although he noted that it was not also addressed to him. In the letter, Harris, a 25-year teaching veteran, raised several points. She said Van Tassels unannounced visits to classrooms provide him too limited a perspective on teacher or student performance, allowing no opportunity for the teacher to discuss expectations and improve performance as

required. Harris complained about suspensions of school staff for what she called minor infractions, including one instance where an administrator requested from the central office a clarification of district policy. She said that fear was rampant among staff in school buildings. The fear and intimidation in the buildings is pervasive, Harris wrote. She also claimed the school districts budget was balanced on the backs of the teachers. Harris said that Van Tassel is an achiever, but his methods were harmful, resulting in broken spirits among the teaching staff, and that the school board
PLEASE SEE VAN TASSEL/3-A

Mike Van Tassel

About this series

As Van Buren Public Schools undergoes wideranging change, special writer Jerry LaVaute talked with Supt. Mike Van Tassel about whats happened in the district and whats on the horizon, as well as some of the criticism thats been leveled at the school leader during his rst year on the job.

More than 1,000 students in kindergarten through the fourth grade are now eating breakfast at their desks before class begins each day, according to Van Buren Public Schools Food Service Supervisor Karen Sanders. Last year, it occurred to Sanders that the revenue from the U.S. government to subsidize free and reducedprice breakfasts for select students might exceed the costs associated with serving breakfast to all K-4 students, allowing her also to provide breakfast to students whose families wouldnt qualify under federal guidelines. At the Sept. 24 school board meeting, Sanders

said that the daily profit from serving breakfast to all students was $355, from daily revenue of $1,425, compared with labor and food expense at $1,070 per day. Breakfasts served consist of milk, juice or fruit, and a bread product like cereal or a muffin. When asked about serving young students at their desks in their classrooms, Sanders said it was a work-in-progress, and that occasional spills had to be cleaned up before class began. School Superintendent Mike Van Tassel said he decided against serving breakfast to more than 300 students in each school in the cafeteria, because moving that many students to
PLEASE SEE DISTRICT/3-A

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INDEX
Editorial Calendar Sports Page 6-A Page 9-A Page 1-B

Death Notices Page 12-A

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