Pubdate: Sat, 30 Dec 2000
Source: Detroit News (MI)
Copyright: 2000, The Detroit News
Contact:  http://data.detnews.com:8081/feedback/
Website: http://www.detnews.com/
Author: Maureen Feighan
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/dare.htm (D.A.R.E.)

EAST DETROIT KEEPS DARE IN SCHOOLS

Despite Budget Cuts, District Will Use Funds From Police Department Program

Eastpointe - The national drug prevention program DARE won't be among the 
items on the East Detroit School District's chop block as officials 
scramble to reduce a $3-million budget deficit.

Eastpointe city officials have agreed to come up with $40,000 to $50,000 
from the police department budget to keep DARE, which stands for Drug Abuse 
Resistance Education, going rather than discontinue the program midway 
through the academic year, as school officials had planned.

"We feel that the program works very well here in East Detroit and didn't 
want to see it discontinued," Eastpointe Mayor Frank Accavitti said.

For more than five years, East Detroit schools and the city have split the 
tab for the DARE program, which costs roughly $78,000 to $80,000 to run.

School Board President Larry Burton said the district, which already has 
slashed more than 30 teaching positions, had no choice but to cut DARE.  He 
hopes the district will be in better financial shape two years from now to 
help fund half the program.

DARE is taught to fifth-graders or sixth-graders in roughly 70 school 
districts across Metro Detroit.  Held an hour each week over a 16-week 
period, the program teaches students that any drug or alcohol use can lead 
to addiction.

But a four-month study earlier this year by The Detroit News found that 
message typically is lost on kids when they start experimenting with drugs 
later.  Still, Eastpointe officials say the program creates a good early 
relationship between students and police officers, and could later deter 
crime and drug use.

"You turn one around and prevent them from getting involved in drugs, isn't 
it worthwhile?" Eastpointe Police Chief Thomas Danbert said. "That's been 
our attitude here."

Danbert admits funding the entire DARE tab will put "a whack" on his 
budget.  He said the department either will have to cut back on supply 
costs or possibly dip into its drug forfeiture funds, which are earmarked 
for new police officers in the municipal courthouse.

"When you look at a $5-million budget, $50,000 seems like chump change. But 
it's not," Danbert said.  "something along the way has to be cut back.  But 
I support it, so I'm going to write it into my budget for next year."
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MAP posted-by: Terry F