European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 30, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday december 30, 1991 the stars and stripes b Page 9 education teachers to lose 85 jobs in Germany by Jimi Jones education writer of the estimated 170 teaching positions targeted to be Cut in Germany next month Only 85 people will actually lose their jobs school officials said. A in some of those instances jobs were already vacant a said Frank of Gara a spokesman for department of defense dependents schools Germany Region. A principals Hadnot filled them because they had anticipated that there were going to be  also a number of locally hired teachers were already planning on moving Back to the United states with their military spouses he said. Because of the expected decline in student population ail new locally hired teachers were employed on a temporary basis. They were hired under the provision that they not work past the last Day of the first semester unless their positions had been extended officials said. Since locally hired teachers Are temporary employees they Are not entitled to Severance pay of Gara said. A breakdown of the 85 positions affected in the regions eight districts Are bad Kreuz Nach 5 Bremerhaven 5v4 Frankfurt 31 i Heidelberg 10 kaisers Dodds cutbacks breakdown of the 85 teaching positions to be Cut in Germany bad Kreuz Nach 5 Bremerhaven 5.5 Frankfurt 31.5 Heidelberg 10 Kaiserslautern 5 Nurnberg 6 Stuttgart 9 Wurzburg 13 a amps Lautem 5 Nimberg 6 Stuttgart 9 and Wurzburg 13. One half of a position in some cases includes part time work. District superintendents made the final decision on which schools would lose teachers of Gara said. The Region has lost about 7,000 students since the beginning of the school year Down to about 71,000. The overseas education association the Union that represents teachers in Germany has advised teachers who have worked 10 years or less with Dodds to consider looking for positions outside of the system. And Many others should expect to be moved within or outside of the Germany Region. School administrators were spared in the first round of cuts but can expect some adjustments at the end of the school year of Gara said. The system is not replacing administrators who leave by bringing on new people but Are filling vacancies with administrators from schools that have lost students. A based on figures that we staffed schools with at the beginning of the year just As we Are with teachers we Are overstaffed but we also have people leaving midyear a of Gara said. A at the end of the school year we will have to take a serious look at the number of administrators we have based on the declining enrolments and make some adjustments a he said. A hopefully through attrition we can absorb most of the Over staffing that we have. What other things might happen in terms of reduction in Force is not Clear at this  of Gara said it is too Early to Tell How Many employees will be let go at the end of the school year. Quot we have some projections that Are based on information sent to us from Usa eur and Safe but its classified and can to be shared with anyone a he said. A we done to know where we re going to be at the end of the  John Stremple the school systems director said earlier this month that he could not provide an a absolute updated on the school system draw Down. In conjunction with the military draw Down a a it a been accelerated a he said. A plans for the foreseeable future Are about to be released but they Are not Public  of Gara said the two Munich schools Are the Only ones scheduled to be closed at the end of the school year. However officials Are working with Usa eur and Safe officials a to identify some locations based on de 4 dining enrolments that might be candidates for closure next year. But we will wait for recommendations and requests specifically from the military to close any Sites a he said. Locations like Hahn and Wei Nicken which will be hit hardest by the draw Down in june will continue to operate he said. A unless the military makes some recommendations to us to cease operations we will continue although the operations Are substantially reduced from what they were last year a he said. Student visits Birthplace on birthday for 2 births by Amy Geiszler Jones . Bureau Raf Lakenheath England High school senior Betsy Brown spent her birthday in a delivery room at the base Hospital witnessing the Miracle of birth in the very same room where she had taken her first gasps of air exactly 18 years earlier. As part of Lakenheath High schools cooperative work experience program Brown has been assisting in the Hospital Nursery two hours each Day this semester. On nov. 20, her 18th birthday she saw two babies being delivered in each of the Lakenheath hospitals two delivery rooms. They were the first deliveries she has witnessed since she began the program in August. The second baby to be born a girl was Jordan Bowman. She arrived at 5 26 . In delivery room no. 1. Jordan a parents Are tech. Sgt. John and Jenni Bowman. By coincidence. Brown witnessed the birth in the same delivery room where she was born almost to the hour 18 years earlier a 3 30 . On nov. 20,1973. Brown a basketball cheerleader said the event was Worth skipping cheer Lead ing practice that Day. A i got an unexcused absence but i did no to mind a she said. The schools cooperative work experience coordinator Melvin Samuelowitz said this is the most unusual occurrence that has happened to any of his students. Samuelowitz has been the Lakenheath program coordinator for the past 14 years. Students in the program open to juniors and seniors can work in various base agencies at Lakenheath and Mildenhall such As the base Exchange and the fire department. The Hospital with its various departments including its records Section lends itself very Well to such a program said Cal. Charlie Brown Iii the Hospital administrator and Browne a father. Students working in the Hospital however must be members of the american red Cross who accept the insurance liability of its members working in the Hospital the administrator said. While Brown intends to major in business at either the University of Alabama in Montgomery or Auburn University in Auburn ala., she said she chose to work in the Hospital Nursery because a a in be always liked  Brown has discovered she enjoys working with Newborn babies so much that she intends to participate in the program again next semester and give up her lunch hour to increase the time she spends at the Hospital. Students have the option of taking the class for either one for Sas airman 1�l Clma Vvong Wourl Betsy Brown left an is year old senior at Lakenheath High school hands Jonlan Bowman to her Mother Jenny in the Raf Lakenheath Hospital maternity want. Or two semesters. Brown said she May follow in her fathers footsteps As a Hospital administrator combining her interest in hospitals with the business degree she intends to earn. Giving students a Chance to Sample careers is the pitch Samuelowitz uses for his program. He said if someone is interested in a career the Way to find out about it is a somehow you have to taste it you have to feel it you have to talk  the students also glean such necessary work skills As interpersonal skills that can to be developed by simply Reading a  cry foul on comparisons of test scores by the new York times Ever since sputnik americans have been Browbeaten with stories of How Dull their students Are when it comes to the technological cutting Edge. Its True that year after year High school students in the United states score much lower on science and mathematics tests than students in other countries. But some educators Are starting to complain that the comparisons Are unfair. In Many countries outside the United states Only the Best students make it into the schools and programs where the tests Are administered they said. As a result a Large majority of the american student population is being compared with other countries elites. A a if you Are comparing 16-year-Olds, you Are going to compare the top 70 to 80 percent of americans with maybe the top 30 percent in european countries a said or. Harold Hodgkinson the director of the Center for demographic policy in Washington and a former director of the National Institute of education. A if a nation has Only the top 5 percent in the comparison it will do a lot better than any other nations top 70 percent a Hodgkinson said. He said Many countries exclude schools or districts or groups of students who they know will pull their scores Down. A in Many countries to look Good is very Good for International prestige a he said. Archie Lapointe the director of assessment at the educational testing service which does some of the comparisons said the organization is being a much More careful about How we report the  but some educators say that despite the discrepancy in the samples there Are plenty of other reasons for american parents to feel depressed. A it would be appropriate to raise this question if we had reason to believe that american students Are doing Well and All of a sudden International comparisons come along and say we Are at the Bottom a said Albert Shanker the president of the american federation of teachers. A but i think its silly to try to shoot holes in International comparisons when there is a huge body of evidence that we Are doing