Lesley Decries 'Insult' From Official

Lesley College notified the Cambridge School Committee last week that it was withdrawing its "Compass" summer program for Cambridge school students with special needs because a member of the committee insulted a Lesley official and "impugned the honor" of the school.

The notification letter sent the committee did not go into specifics, but Glenn S. Koocher '71, a member of the committee, acknowledged last week that he had accused Richard E. Wiley, the letter's author and the dean of Lesley's graduate school of education, of "knowingly misrepresenting" Lesley College to the committee and had described the college of "growing like a hemorrhoid" on Cambridge.

Cambridge Mayor Francis H. Duehay '55 said yesterday that he was writing Wiley a letter asking him to make sure Cambridge got the program and to put aside disagreements between adults in order not to hurt the children.

The "Compass" program is a summer-school program for special-needs children run in a local elementary school by Lesley College. Wiley said last week the program is used as a "training ground" for Lesley students and as a service to the city of Cambridge. "The kids will lose because of the attitude of some public officials," he added.

Alice K. Wolf, vice chairman of the school committee, said last week Lesley's withdrawing the program was an "irrational institutional response...not in keeping with the event."

Last summer, Wiley said, 80 to 100 children used the program, at a cost of $500 tuition per child. Scholarships were provided for 20 children whose families could not afford the tuition, he added.

Wiley said Lesley College had withdrawn from the rate-setting commission and planned this summer to charge a $50 activities fee to all students, opening the program to both special needs and "regular" children. Wiley said several school committee members had asked him to come to the school committee meeting at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 3 to present the plan and get permission to use one of the city's schools.

Wiley said he waited at the meeting until almost midnight before the matter was discussed. Then, he said, the committee used the matter as "a public platform" to criticize Lesley College.

In 1980, Lesley College contributed $3000 to operate the program, Wiley said. He added that if the community is not going to recognize that contribution and use the college as a "public forum for criticism" then it is not in the college's best interest to continue the program with Cambridge. His letter asked the committee for an apology.

Koocher said last week the school committee "does not owe" Lesley College an apology. Wiley waited five hours at the meeting because no one knew who he was, Koocher said, adding that the committee would have "expedited" the matter if he had known a Lesley representative was present.

"The bottom line," Duehay said, "is whether the kids get a good education," While Duehay offered to apologize to Lesley to get the program, the school committee voted to have him "deal with the matter in a most judicious manner" without making any mention of apology.

Wiley said last week that Lesley is in the process of negotiating with another community that wants the program.