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Township contracts
FAREWELL TO
Tigers put 54 points with attorneys
on the scoreboard vs. specializing in SUMMER
Redford-Union labor relations Take a look at some area
See Page 1-B See Page 3-A summer colors before
See 1-C
it’s too late

The
Official Newspaper
of Record for
Van Buren Township

50¢
VOL. 26, NO. 36 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2010
BACK TO SCHOOL SPECIAL VIDEO FROM
HERITAGE..COM
HERITAGE

Teachers
agree to 2- ■ MEDICAL
MARIJUANA: How is it
affecting your community?

year contract See an exclusive video of

our editorial session dis-
cussing this topic.

By Austen Smith
Heritage Newspapers
Teachers and Van Buren
schools’ administration have
reached a two-year contract
agreement as members of
the Van Buren Education
Association approved the pro-
posal in a vote held Tuesday.
In the contract, teachers’
salaries for this year will be
frozen staying at the same
step as last year and in 2011-
2012, teachers will be eligible
to advance one salary step.
The salary concessions are
anticipated to save the district
more than $1 million.
One resolution in the tenta-
tive agreement asks that both
parties recognize the unprece-
dented financial difficulty fac-
ing the schools at the moment.
“...which will require
economic sacrifice from all
groups.”
BHS’ Van Tassel gets
President of the VBEA,
Susan Duda-Osborne, said
faculty recognized the critical
financial state of the district
and wanted to be a “team
player” every step of the way.
“I thought the process was
fair,” said Duda-Osborne.
“Basically, we asked the
administration what it was
they were looking for as far as
concessions were concerned
and a couple of weeks ago,
we came to a basic settlement
which led to the tentative
agreement.”
The teachers’ union met
last week in a general assem-
bly meeting to discuss the
proposal and ask questions.
The agreement was presented
to the VBEA Executive Board
and Representative Assembly
for approval on Aug. 30.
While accepting salary con-
cessions for the 2010-11 school
PLEASE SEE CONTRACT/13-A
LIVE CHAT
CHAT
■ Heritage news staff
will be conducting a live
chat at 1 p.m. Thursday
at www.heritage.com to
discuss the medical mari-
juana issue
Photos by Tom Perkins
Students from Edgemont Elementary step off the bus as students’ summer officially ended
with the start of school on Tuesday. Connect with
Yahoo’s Hot Jobs:
First day of school brings Click on the “jobs” tab on
the home page of our Web
site or go directly to http://
jobs.heritage.com.
warm greetings, challenges
By Gerald LaVaute
Heritage Newspapers
“It’s good to see you. You got
taller. You’re a second-grader,
Join us on Twitter:
honey!”
Become an Ypsilanti
So went the cheery greeting
Courier follower. Click on
to the returning student by the the Twitter tab on the home
teacher, before school began at page of our Web site or go
Edgemont Elementary School directly to http://twitter.com/
in Belleville, at about 7:30 a.m.
on Tuesday.
Teachers were checking their
HeritageNews.

prepared for tough year mailboxes in the school office,

By Gerald LaVaute
Heritage Newspapers
Editor’s note: This is the con-
clusion of a two-part profile
of new Belleville High School
Principal Michael Van Tassel
Mike Van Tassel views the
Belleville area as a middle-
class community whose
residents work hard, and he
worries that the high school is
failing some of its students.
He is thoughtful and driven,
and he appears to care about
his teachers and his students.
What are his goals, as the
new principal of a high school
that each day is responsible
for educating 1,650 kids, based
on last year’s enrollment?
He has two:
• The primary goal is to pro-
vide high levels of learning
for all students
interested to learn their class
size this year.
• The other goal is to “I got 32 to start my day,”
change the culture in the high one teacher said, referring to
school, he said, to be about the number of students in her Join us on
“trust, respect and responsi- classroom this year. “I got 37,” Facebook:
bility.” said another.
Click on the Facebook
He has been very impressed School principal Karen Mida
tab on the home page of
with his staff at the high said on Wednesday morning our Web site or search
school, in that Edgemont’s total student for us on Facebook for
the office enrollment, based on current Belleville View/Ypsilanti
Sierra Rafail and Hannah Harm in Mrs. Henning’s fourth
and in grade class on Tuesday. See more photos on 15-A Courier
the class- PLEASE SEE FIRST DAY/15-A
rooms. He
described Buren Public Schools.
the teach- Kindergarten teachers prepare This school year, it looks as if Hollister will
ers in for year, welcome new kids need to call upon many of the teaching and
particular classroom management skills that she has
as com- acquired over the years, for she has 37 kinder- The Marketplace:
passion- By Gerald LaVaute gartners in her classroom, first-year students Local ads are just a hop
ate toward Van Tassel Heritage Newspapers
at about five years old, arriving in her class- away at the MIcentral.com
their room this week. marketplace. Check out all
students. Judith Hollister has been teaching in the
In the 2009/2010 school year, Hollister had the special supplements
He said that teachers need Van Buren schools for 36 years.
22 students, and the help of a full time para- of JRC newspapers in
more job exposure outside 27 of those years were in kindergarten,
professional. There is no paraprofessional Michigan. Click on “market-
the classroom, on how to view which she currently teaches. The other years place” on our Web site or go
their roles and their mission. were spent teaching first grade. directly to www.marketplace.
Kindergarten is an all-day class in the Van PLEASE SEE KIDS/15-A
micentral.com.
PLEASE SEE YEAR/13-A

Classifieds. . . . . . . . 8–13-B NEWS TIP HOTLINE - 429-7380 ONLINE: WWW.HERITAGE.COM E-MAIL: EDITOR@BELLEVILLEVIEW.COM
WHAT’S Community Calendar . . 3-C
INSIDE Death Notices. . . . . . . 10-A yard sales, they are required to staff their own are co-sponsoring a “Meet the Candidates” forum
Letters to the Editor . . 8-A BRIEFLY... table and all proceeds are to benefit BACA.
■ St. Anthony’s to hold rummage sale for
set for 6:30 p.m. Oct. 4 at North Middle School,
47097 McBride. Dinner will be served promptly
■ City-wide yard sale on Saturday and City-Wide Yard Sale event: St Anthony will be at 6:30 p.m. at a cost of $10. Please send your
Printed Sunday: The annual city-wide yard sale for city of holding a rummage sale from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. reservation, with check payable to Belleville Area
on Belleville is set for Saturday and Sunday all through 10; and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 11. Women’s Club (BAWC) by Sept. 22 to Shelly
recycled downtown and residential areas. The Belleville St. Anthony is located at 409 W. Columbia Avenue Brown, 42 Clarence Street, Belleville, 48111. If you
paper Area Council for the Arts is inviting members to in Belleville next to Belleville High School. have questions, contact Shelly at 1-734-391-8451
drop off unwanted items at Kay Atkins’ Threads ■ Womens Club and schools sponsoring or e-mail shellybrownmortician@yahoo.com.
and Treasures Quilt Shop on South Street. For “Meet the Candidates:” The Belleville Area The public is also welcome to arrive after dinner
Women’s Club and the Van Buren Public Schools
those members who want to participate in the to attend the program around 7:30 p.m.

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comes news releases about upcoming events, articles profiling
people of interest in the community, guest columns, com-
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What and why: will hold an open house as a benefit fund-
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Where: at the Woodlands of Van Buren
When: from 1 to 3 p.m. Dec. 22
How to Send Your
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