Amused, but saddened, by Blethen's views

I read with equal parts amusement and sadness Ryan Blethen's column on "the furor surrounding President Obama's speech to students," ["Some parents missed an opportunity to let kids learn about the world," Opinion, Sept. 13].

I was amused by some jabs at the far right that were perhaps not entirely out of place -- the bit about kids returning home from school on speech day with copies of "The Communist Manifesto" was entertaining -- but saddened Blethen could find no common ground for dialogue with those who opposed the speech -- just "hypocrisy and ugliness" from the other side of the political spectrum.

This was not only odd in a column urging parents to help turn classrooms into political caucuses, but ironically both hypocritical and illustrative of why many people opposed the speech.

So before we abandon grammar and calculus for community-based education and parades, let us have a discussion about exposing young minds to competing views of history, politics and economy. Since Blethen references Marx's "Manifesto," the left can bring that to the table. We on the right will bring "Wealth of Nations."

As many folks on the left have not actually read the "Manifesto" (it's dense and isn't really all that fun), we will bring that, too. In our home, we have copies of both, and we don't need the state to tell our children what they can or cannot read.

-- Tom Steele, Bothell

To protect teachers' rights and public interest, introduce binding arbitration

No matter which side you believe is right in the labor dispute between Kent's teachers and their district's management, we can all agree teachers should receive fair contracts and a teachers strike is never in the public interest. So when negotiations reach an impasse, how can they be resolved without teachers applying the pressure of a strike?

The answer is simple: Give both sides the right to request binding arbitration when contract negotiations on a particular issue have stalled.

State law does not guarantee or prohibit a right to strike for teachers, but state courts have always granted injunctions against teachers that choose to strike because of the "irreparable harm" a long strike would potentially cause.

State law specifically bars police and firemen from striking, but the law gives them the right to binding arbitration when they hit an impasse in bargaining to preserve some semblance of a level playing field during bargaining. If teachers can be forced to work by the courts even when they do not have a labor agreement, they absolutely need the ability to bring in a fair and neutral arbitrator during bargaining to help them ensure disputes over contract provisions can be resolved quickly and fairly.

This simple reform would dramatically streamline negotiations, thereby saving taxpayers and unions a lot of money and completely eliminating the annual ritual of looming strikes in Washington schools every September.

The Washington Education Association should organize a ballot initiative to change the law in Washington state to specifically provide the right for arbitration wherever state law will not provide the right to strike.

-- Pat Mead, Maple Valley

Fine striking teachers, cut administrators' positions, salaries

Each and every one of Kent School District's striking teachers should be fired or at the very least fined at least $500 per day retroactive to the first day of the strike. In addition, they should work the full 180 days but receive no pay for the days on strike.

If class size is the issue, then teachers should give up any pay raise and give money back so the district can hire new teachers.

However, on the other side, the district needs to rid itself of half the administrators and reduce salaries. What they make for what they do is downright obscene.

-- Lynn Folsom, Issaquah

Think the strike is bad? Try being a teacher

As a former high-school English teacher and football coach, I understand the Kent Teachers' Association's position and support their strike. The attitude of some members of the public and the Kent administrators needs adjustment.

They want and expect teachers to go into classrooms with 30-plus kids, and within a 55-minute period, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages and instill in them a love for learning. They want and expect teachers to check the kids' backpacks for weapons, counsel them on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases and raise their sense of self-esteem and personal pride. They want and expect teachers to teach kids patriotism and good citizenship; sportsmanship and fair play; and how to register to vote, balance a checkbook and apply for a job.

They want and expect teachers to recognize signs of anti-social behavior, and make sure the kids all pass the final exams. They want and expect teachers to provide an equal education regardless of the kids' disabilities while communicating regularly with parents in English, Spanish or any other language by letter, telephone, e-mail, newsletter and report card. And they want and expect teachers to do all that and more with a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a bulletin board, a few books and a big smile.

All that and more is expected of teachers on a salary that qualifies most of them for food stamps. Yet teachers are castigated for striking for smaller classroom sizes, more time with their students and a pittance of a raise in salary.

-- Patrick Watson, Federal Way

Teachers are fighting for the quality of education

My wife and I have wisely decided to have only one child. The reason is not because we don't like children, but because it is much easier for us to manage if we only have one rascal than to have more than one.

My heart goes out to Kent School District teachers on strike, and I give them 100 percent of my support for their sad plight.

If I whine because it is tough to manage one child in my household, how much worse would it be if your job is to manage around 30 students in a single class by yourself at least six hours a day everyday? That is a mountainous job.

I don't blame teachers for their courage to go against the court injunction to go back to school to teach. Disobeying the court order doesn't mean teachers don't have regard for our court of law. It does mean that if they decide to go back to work against their consciences, the quality of education will certainly be affected.

Picture yourself as a teacher with 32 students of different ethnicities, traits, characters, idiosyncrasies, likes and dislikes. Do you think it's easy to manage that big of a class? I bet it would drive you nuts!

-- Warlie Villasencio, Kent

Teachers need time in detention

While I'm sympathetic to the goals of Kent School District's striking teachers and value the bargaining process, the teachers' decision to defy a court order is not OK.

They are teaching now in a very dramatic and visible way, as all adults do by their actions, that the judicial system doesn't apply to them -- only everyone else, I guess.

Will students respect guidance from teachers expecting rules to mean something when those expecting to be respected have publicly violated what a judge says? Will students feel respect for teachers who ignore the law, and instead of doing their job while continuing to negotiate, as professionals, have treated a court order the same way a hoodlum would?

This isn't OK. Kent teachers need to go to detention.

-- Kevin Grossman, Shoreline

A sense of sacrifice from UW president

I for one am terribly impressed by University of Washington President Mark Emmert's shared sense of sacrifice ["Emmert gets new perks, no pay raise," page one, Sept. 4] as the UW has made deep cuts in its budget, including eliminating its swim team as well as increasing tuition by 14 percent.

If leaders lead by example, may we all be so lucky!

-- Patrick Burns, Seattle

Can I be Emmert's driver?

I think you printed the story about the University of Washington's benefits for its president, Mark Emmert, just to raise the blood pressure of folks like me.

I will be so sorry if Emmert is unable to live on his $906,500 per year, plus change he receives in cash and stock for sitting on various boards. As far as I'm concerned, all of this is a disgrace. How much do people really need?

Of course, this salary is nothing at all compared to the corporate titans' compensation. My point is, however, how much is enough? Where does it stop?

Since I have been out of a job since October, perhaps I could sign on as Emmert's driver. I wonder how much it would pay ...

-- Kathleen Collins, Bellevue

A public service announcement for our nation's children

Editor, The Times:

This message is offered by the Republican National Committee to provide balance to the president's message to America's children.

"Kids, studying is hard work. Don't do it. Don't study, and do not stay in school! If you picked your parents well, your daddy will get you into college and set you up in business with your buddies. If you were born poor or middle class, well it sucks to be you!

In America, it may be true that even a man who was born into a family that broke up and was given a funny name can stay in school, study hard, work hard and run for president! And even get more votes than the other guy!

But it can't happen to you. We're working hard to ensure that, so don't bother trying, OK?
Remember, kids, whether you're in the classroom or just walking around wearing a suit if something really bad happens, you should freeze for six or seven minutes. Sooner or later, another man in a suit will come along to tell you what to do.

You already know school is hard work. And I'm here to tell you it does not matter. Don't study! Don't stay in school!

Hope sucks. Give up!"

-- Randy Winn, Mercer Island

Fox keeping speech only on its news channel

I was amused at The Seattle Times' attempt ["Fox to dance, not sit for Obama speech," News, Sept. 7] to denigrate the Fox network decision to ignore (not air) President Obama's health-care speech Sept. 8 in favor of regular programming.

Is it really necessary for the Fox broadcast network to cover the speech when its cable affiliate, Fox News Channel, will be doing so?

-- Ed Wittmann, Seattle

Why can't Obama reinforce parents' positive messages?

It is tragic how easily fear can be generated and people manipulated into believing President Obama should be censured and shouldn't have spoken to students.
Excuse me, but he is the president of the United States of America. He told the children to, "Study hard, be good, be responsible."

It's a parent's job to talk to their children, of course, but aren't we pleased when other adults reinforce important messages? Could we be reasonable? The president cares about children, including his own whom he obviously treasures.

I'm not happy with all Obama is doing either, but he does know how to speak to children. As angry as I was when Bush was trashing this country in a variety of ways, I would never have objected to his offering a word of encouragement to our nation's young citizens.

No one objected when Reagan and George H.W. Bush spoke to the country's children.
This suspicion is completely unwarranted. Our country is built on diversity, but acceptance of it is tough.

-- Charmian Jondall, Gig Harbor

After Bush, who wouldn't question president's motives?

It's not surprising some parents worried about their children being indoctrinated by President Obama when he spoke about the importance of education to school children ["Obama tells students each has something to offer," seattletimes.com, Politics & Government, Sept. 8].

We are barely out of the eight years of the Bush administration, in which no decision was made, no action taken, no speech given that was untainted by politics and ideology.

Unnecessary wars, the firing of federal prosecutors, inept cronies in charge of federal agencies -- all carried out with an eye on the goal of a permanent Republican majority.
Rest assured, parents. As a child of the '60s who grew up in a politically conservative family, my life was constantly scrutinized for evidence that I was being indoctrinated into the liberal agenda of the public school system.

Forty years later, I am a law-abiding, family-raising, hardworking, taxpaying American, just like you. Can we please give President Obama the respect he deserves as the legally elected leader of our country?

-- Karen Knutson, Seattle

Objections to Obama's speech boil down to racism

No argument as to why President Obama should not speak to students at a school can hide the real reason for the dissent: racism.

Racism that is so abandoned to its own urges that it cannot help but make itself obvious in the most vile, contemptible ways. For example, in this phony indignation over Obama's speech to students.

A visit and speech by any other president was an honor in the past, and no valid reason can be given for this to be any different. It is obvious some people will just not accept a black president and that racism is the reason for the whole litany of ignorant objections to Obama's presidency.

It is time for the rest of us to marginalize this hateful group, and call them out for what they are. And it is time for the press to stop legitimizing the thuggery that is so commonly practiced by these racists by presenting it as some sort of normal thing.

At a time like this, the country needs to pull together, not tear itself down, as these lunatics would have it. Enough is enough.

-- Jeremy Smithson, Seattle

Strike illegal, but will teachers face consequences?

For being educated people, striking Kent teachers don't seem to understand their strike is illegal, yet they still serve no consequence for their action. ["Kent teachers delay decision on whether to stay on strike," page one, Sept. 4.]

Kent teachers point their fingers at other school districts when they talk about money and class sizes, so why don't they leave the Kent District and go to those other districts?
The teachers' strike has caused the rescheduling of the start of classes, so why don't the students, parents and taxpayers insist the teachers' union pay the district's expenses for the period of time the strikes cost?

-- H. Lontz, Kent

A history lesson in strikes from the Boston Tea Party

Is there ever a right time to strike? A right time to break the law?

Some of my ancestors believed strongly it was right to remain loyal to the crown, so they moved to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, Canada; others thought the law bad, so they disguised themselves as Native Americans and threw tea into Boston Harbor to protest.

These Americans thought they had an inalienable right to break a bad law.

I taught for 31 years, and I am sure there's more to the Kent teachers' strike than is on the surface. I say, "Throw the tea in the harbor."

-- Delbert O. Lawrence, Bellevue

Low teacher pay, oppressive administration at issue in strike

Editor, The Times:

As a 22-year occupational therapist (OT) and member of the Kent Education Association, I am personally appalled at how my very own school district administration is treating our dedicated staff in this bargaining process. Why are we still on strike?

First, we have a constitutional right to strike against an oppressive administration that has been disrespectful, dishonest and poorly responsive at the bargaining table.

Second, high class sizes and caseloads lead to ineffective teaching and too many mandated meetings interfere with our valuable intervention time with students.

Personally, I have seen my therapy caseloads increase by about 25 percent in the last five years.

Third, even with a $5,000 national certification stipend for specialists like OTs offered by the district, our base salary is so low that OTs in Seattle still make more money. Thus, we still have unfilled OT positions and students who will not receive legally mandated services.

Finally, I find it insulting that Kent has one of the largest rainy-day reserve funds and pays its administrators the most in the Puget Sound area, yet holds its teachers at the bottom of the pay ranks.

In Kent, we stand united as teaching staff and sincerely hope we can begin this school year by reaching a win-win agreement with the district, knowing that ultimately we are all after the same thing: a quality education for our children.

-- Rose Racicot, Kent

Teachers, administrators holding students hostage

Is it just possible that both management and labor are less committed to "students first" than they have always alleged?

The autumn threat of a teachers' strike is almost as regular as the annual spring flood in Western Washington. If students indeed come first, both management and labor would have resolved their differences long before students are due back at school.

Instead they have made students and families hostage of their dispute, which borders on the myopic.

-- H.T. Wong, Seattle

Stuffed classrooms threaten a healthy base for students

After going through seven years of schooling in the Kent School District, I saw why the teachers are striking.

It's ridiculous to be in a classroom with 35 students or more. My art class last year did not even have enough desks for all of the students in the class. I was in a math class with more than 30 students, and people still wonder why students are failing state tests.
It makes sense to have smaller class sizes. Teachers will have the time to get to every student. Education is the foundation of everything, and it's about time teachers and students started to fight for it.

-- Jackie Argueta, Kent

Righteousness found in the Rule of Law

If anyone in Seattle cares, part of what is wrong with our country and our educational system is in Danny Westneat's column ["Teachers strikes are different," NWWednesday, Sept. 2].

"Yesterday the head of Kent schools said the strike there is illegal. Probably so -- public employees generally don't have a right to walk off the job," Westneat wrote.

Whether it's legal or not, it is a technicality. What matters is whether the strike is righteous. This country was founded on the Rule of Law, that a law is not a technicality but something to which we must adhere.

That a columnist for a major city's newspaper can write, "Hey, this law isn't 'righteous' so it doesn't have to be obeyed;" to have a president indicate that "empathy" in a Supreme Court justice is as important as following the law, is to diminish the Rule of Law.

To encourage breaking a law when it is opposite to your belief is to encourage anarchy. In part, the reason our Founding Fathers started a revolution was that the laws of the king were arbitrary and capricious, not to mention discriminatory and favoring certain classes over others.

Now, Westneat and President Obama are essentially saying, "Yeah, if you don't like a law, break it."

Citizens of Seattle, think about this: If we have no Rule of Law, if we can arbitrarily break laws we don't like, especially if our teachers break laws they think are wrong, what does that teach their students, our kids, the future of America?

"Hey kids, the law is only a bothersome technicality so do whatever you want, what you think is righteous." I hope the union bosses get thrown in jail if for no other reason than to show our kids that this country is based on the Rule of Law.

-- Theodore M. Wight, Seattle

Students, not teachers, lifeblood of schools

I find the quote from Terri Brown, a sixth-grade teacher at Soos Creek Elementary, revealing in the article, "Kent district tries to force its teachers back to work" [page one, Sept. 2].

Brown says, "I can't believe instead of working with us, they [Kent School District administrators] take us to court. We're the teachers. We're the lifeblood of the schools."
But last time I checked, students are the lifeblood of a school. Perhaps Brown and her co-workers should all be fired and made to reapply for their jobs.

-- Tom Gates, Yakima

Put teachers back in the classroom

What frustrates the general public about teacher strikes is that the solution to teachers' concerns is always the same: more money toward salaries or to hire more employees. The mantra is always the same, too: Strikes are "for the kids" while, not surprisingly, the solutions always seem to benefit the adults.

Kent teachers say they are striking ["Kent teachers vote to strike as talks go on," page one, Aug. 27] for lower class sizes, and their solution is to hire more classroom teachers.
Here are the facts: The Kent School District Web site says the district serves 26,833 students and employs 3,292 people, of which 1,745 are teachers.

This is 15.4 students per teacher. If class sizes are too big, then a solution lies with the staffing ratio of non-classroom teachers.

It appears the actual average districtwide class size is about 25 students, which would fill about 1,073 classrooms, yet the Kent District employs 1,742 teachers. Simple math says there are 669 teachers who are not "in the classroom," and 1,550 other nonteaching positions.

Replacing non-classroom teachers with in-classroom teachers should not cost more money, and if done well, could actually save money.

I am confident the teachers will support this, since it is for the benefit of the kids.

-- Daniel Hillman, Tacoma

Reduce class sizes by bringing in fresh faces

How would raising the salary of the teachers in the Kent School District reduce class sizes?

I suggest we take away say 5 percent to 10 percent of teachers' salaries to hire new teachers to help downsize the numbers in the classrooms. They should be happy to eliminate the stress of so many children they are responsible for. How, I repeat how, can the classroom numbers be reined in by paying the existing teachers more?

Is the state ultimately responsible? We all (should) know the answer is yes. Even at the cost of loosing some overpriced art projects, we all have to fund in this state. Throwing more money at teachers will not diminish class sizes. Hire teachers, put people to work and replace the "deadwood" who have lost the desire to make a difference.

Please, hire new talent, and people who are interested in making a difference and glad to use their education. Now is the time to rid our educational system of the teachers who have lost their drive, as we cannot afford their expense or the negative impact they have on the children. We all know the ones we had in our time.

The teachers union should be at the front of this movement, if only for its members' jobs. The union is well aware of problematic teachers.

If the union chooses to defend them, it will become one of the untold unions in this country that was all about itself, not in touch with the reason it was even formed.

-- Richard Eirich, Kirkland

Teacher on strike? That will be $100 a day

I think it is about time to fine teachers so they suffer a monetary loss while striking -- something like $100 a day. Bargaining employees in other sectors suffer financially, and it takes real backbone to strike, but if they didn't lose anything there would be strikes all the time.

It takes a strong person to strike. Teachers can do it because they lose nothing and just create hardship on students and parents by late start and ending of the school year.
Financial loss is the only answer to stop them from going on strike so easily.

-- Ed Williams, Renton

Teachers look like fools striking during recession

Its amazing to me in a time when all workers are being asked to do a little more, stay a little late and perform a little better during a recession, the teachers in Kent School District and other districts go on strike.

Teachers have every summer off, every weekend and every holiday. In Kent, they have been asked to meet in the morning and afternoon; I have asked my management team to do so as well this year to ensure every penny is accounted for, and we are all on the same page and performing well.

It's amazing and a sad day for the unions again, when in the face of obvious hard times and struggles for everyone, they choose to stand up and make themselves and their members look foolish.

-- Thomas Olson, Sumner

Individual attention important to future success

Editor, The Times:

I am a 2003 graduate of the Washington state public school system now working in Portland. I've remained friends with several fantastic, supportive and inspiring teachers from my past, including several that are now working in the Kent School District.

As my K-12 school memories fade further into nostalgia and my agenda focuses more and more on my future theoretical children, the issues that the Kent teachers are fighting to amend ["Kent teachers vote to strike as talks go on," page one, Aug. 27] have a new sense of importance and urgency. We can't afford to let our kids suffer in large, anonymous classrooms and become nothing but a number in a district database. Not in a recession, not in a rebound, not ever.

Teachers and education are institutions that stay with us past high school, past college, into our daily lives to create successful and contributing adults. With attention and guidance from a young age, they teach us how to behave well and listen to others in classrooms and future board meetings. They teach us to respect each other and stop gossiping on the playground and around the coffee pot. They help us find how we learn and work best, so we can get our homework and our business proposals done.

Lessons like these, begun in the home and nurtured in the classroom, are much too important to compromise. It is with all this in mind, and at stake, that I put all my support behind the Kent teacher's strike.

-- Tabitha Blankenbiller, Wilsonville, Ore.

Teachers' raise a little relief in tough times

Let me get this straight. Many teachers have lost their jobs this fall due the financial meltdown of the marketplace. Those teachers who still have a job are facing higher classroom sizes due to the loss of their colleagues.

They will be working longer hours each day to keep up with their added responsibilities. The Legislature gave them a 0.6 percent pay cut by reducing the number of days they work by one day this year. And teachers' out-of-pocket expenses for family medical premiums will increase by around $100 per month more than the hundreds of dollars they already pay. And your Aug. 24 editorial ["Merit pay for teachers would end fight on pay," Opinion] complains because Seattle teachers got a 1 percent pay raise this year.

Don't you realize this 1 percent raise won't even cover the loss of state pay and the rise in monthly medical premiums? It's not like teachers' lives are getting any easier. If fact, this year will be extremely difficult for most workers in our state.

If you need to complain about pay raises or bonuses this year, then you should spend your time complaining about the outrageous raises and bonuses financial people on Wall Street and executives in board rooms are making this year. They are getting pay raises while teachers are taking an overall pay cut.

Stop blaming the average worker for trying to maintain their working wages in this economy, and demand financial institutions stop giving outrageous salaries to the very people who tanked our economy in the first place.

-- Peter G. Mohn, Bothell

Merit pay not a quick fix at all for improved education

The depth and breadth of the editorial board's ignorance of our educational system and of teachers' concerns and motivations took my breath away when I read the editorial on merit pay for teachers that appeared in The Times Aug. 24. In good conscience, I cannot let such a blatantly misleading portrayal of the situation stand unopposed by the facts.

The author states that, "Teachers are professionals who deserve strong compensation," immediately after an unveiled dig at the teachers' union for negotiating a 1 percent raise for its members "despite a recession meting out few raises anywhere."

Does the author support strong compensation for teachers or not? The snide remarks about teacher strikes being illegal further undermined my belief in the board's genuine support for teachers. By the way, if you were paying attention, you know that teachers in Bellevue felt compelled to strike because of detrimental teaching practices that had been foisted on them. Salary concerns were a secondary issue.

Merit pay is offensive to many teachers who, like me, bridle at the assumption that I would work harder to do a good job of educating my students if you paid me more. I wouldn't.

I work as hard as I can right now because I am a dedicated professional, and I have a very challenging job. Public education functions fundamentally differently from private industry, in which incentives like pay raises for increased productivity make sense.

People want educational reform because they want improved teaching and learning. Hallelujah! That takes a concerted effort over the long term with a significant investment of energy, research and resources.

If you'd like to know how it can be done, read the thoughtful article published in The Times about Finland. The Finns did it. It just took a commitment and plenty of money, a lot more than a futile quick fix like merit pay.

-- Marianne Clarke, Seattle

A stark picture made worse by merit pay in rough schools

It sounds so logical to tie student achievement to teacher's employment and or pay.
Teacher merit pay, based on a child's progress from A to Z, is inherently flawed and demeaning to teachers. You need only to teach or sub -- not just visit -- in the Seattle School District's "extremes" to be startled at the push for performance pay.

In the so-called failing schools, a teacher using all effort and resources may move a student only one bump on a progress chart. This hardly measurable step represents the best and deserves recognition.

In these poor achieving schools:

Income issues dominate family life, and one parent, grandparent or foster family are all too often the home life of many students. Parent involvement is minimal and adults at home are frequently victims of school failure while serious language and cultural issues run deep.

Class sizes can't be reduced but school aids are. Volunteers are few and far between. Discipline is complicated and daily disruptions rob children of learning.

Contrast this picture with "high performing" schools, which operate under the other side of all the negatives.

Contrary to the unchallenged mantra, we don't need to find and place the best teachers in our "failing" schools -- they are already there. We only need to honestly support them.

-- Michael McCullough, Seattle

In alternative schools, creativity thrives

Kudos to Lynne Varner for describing alternative public schools in Seattle as "models of creativity" ["State needs to hone its game in fight for education dollars," Opinion, column, Aug. 26]. Thanks also to Gov. Chris Gregoire, who also recognized that our programs can hold their own against the ever-popular charters: "The secretary was clear, that's what they're looking for -- nontraditional schools that allow students to excel," Gregoire told The Los Angeles Times. "I would like to show him some of our alternative schools and get his feedback."

As a parent of two children in public alternative programs, I have been disappointed that local leadership has been unable to recognize what alternative schools offer. The nonsupport we have become accustomed to over the last several administrations has turned into action that directly harms our programs under Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson, including school closures, forced relocations and the loss of autonomy so central to the charter model.

We hope the district's alternative-school audit, scheduled for September, will highlight the innovation that has been happening in our district for decades. Otherwise, alternatives will be out, and we will be stuck with charters, which were recently shown in a national study to offer little improvement over traditional public schools.

-- Chris Stewart, Seattle

With merit pay, no way to determine who merits the money

Editor, The Times:

I see you've jumped onto the ever popular merit-pay bandwagon ["Merit pay for teachers would end fight on pay," Opinion, editorial, Aug. 24]. It sounds so good on paper.

But you argue it would take the steam out of salary negotiations? How? By paying a few teachers a little better but the majority less? The idea of rewarding the best teachers is appealing.

But no one, and I mean no one, has figured out an objective way to quantify best teaching. Many merit-pay plans have emerged. They are all deeply flawed. Principals get into most classrooms once or twice a year. Evaluations by students and parents can be manipulated and are not objective in any way.

Some of the most effective teachers are not the most popular. After all, they push students hard and don't always hand out the grades students and parents want. Every kid and every classroom is different. There are huge problems with performance testing. Any educator can tell you what they are.

Every fall, like clockwork, your editors turn the guns on those greedy teachers who dare to disrupt the beginning of school with their unreasonable demands. It's an easy story to sell. Fact is, it's a lot easier to blame teachers and spout simpleminded solutions than to dig a little deeper into the problems facing education in this state and report them.

-- Dan Reeder, Seattle

Education a collaborative effort that's too hard to put price tag on

The difficulty with merit pay is that it doesn't recognize the collaborative effort in building a student's skills.

I am a resource teacher, and I traditionally work with students who receive special-education services. However, due to the increasing demands of No Child Left Behind and Annual Yearly Progress, any student who struggles in school -- be it due to English-language acquisition, poverty or illness -- will likely receive reading, math and/or writing instruction from a resource teacher.

I had a student who could not read English in January; in June, he was reading nearly 100 words per minute, yet was considered to have not met the standard as his score was below grade level. Another student more than doubled her reading rate; again, since her June score was slightly below grade level, she did not meet the set standard.

If merit pay were in place, who would get the salary increase? The student's classroom teacher, who sees the child only for social studies and science? The resource specialist, who teaches the child reading two hours a day? The instructional assistant who works with the student in the before-school reading lab? The AmeriCorps volunteer the student receives math tutoring from? How about merit pay for the parent who makes the effort to get the child to school fed, clothed appropriately, on time and prepared to learn?

The trouble with merit pay is it assumes only one person is responsible for a student's achievement, and it fails to recognize the collaborative efforts necessary for a student's success.

-- Martha de Carbonel Patterson, Silverdale

With multiple evaluations, merit pay will work

Effective teachers should be rewarded for the work they do to help improve students' performance. Pay increases should be awarded based on a variety of different components, not just test scores.

Take, for example, the Denver Public Schools' ProComp system. Teachers earn bonuses based on four components: market incentives like teaching in challenging schools or hard-to-fill positions; student growth including, but not limited to, test scores; knowledge and skills like advanced degrees, national certification and professional development; and professional evaluations like satisfactory ratings from administrators.

The Kent School District recently sent a letter to community members stating that the Kent teacher's union had rejected its proposed pay increases. What the district failed to mention is that those pay increases would be tied directly to teachers' yearly performance evaluations and their students' WASL scores.

Though I support a form of merit pay, as a special-education teacher in a Title I school, I cannot support a pay increase that is based on whether or not my students pass the state test. There are far too many factors out of my control that impact my students' test-taking abilities. Did my students eat breakfast? Did they have a safe place to sleep the night before? Will there be food on the table for dinner?

Before teacher unions can agree to merit pay or a pay increase proposal in the case of Kent School District, fair and reasonable systems need to be developed that do not penalize teachers for factors out of their control.

-- Allison Wegg, Seattle

Bass an advocate for students, true public education

The Seattle Times' editorial, "Voters vet leaders for Seattle schools," [Opinion, Aug. 20] was yet another shot in the crusade of your editorial writers to privatize public education.

Mary Bass is doing what she was asked to do, such as advocate for students and families many people in our corporate never-never land want to test and standardize out of existence. Even if the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle has given up on Bass, many black folks in Seattle and elsewhere gave up on the Urban League back before Bass was even born. E. Franklin Frazier had their leadership style pegged more than half a century ago.

So Kay Smith-Blum can raise funds? Big deal. It's a criminal absurdity that public schools even have to fundraise in an era when the so-called private sector is busy selling us on the conviction that the public purse should be used to bail out banking thieves and military speculators.

And it is definitely a mark of the crisis in education, public or private, that such a shameless con game continues to drive the discussion connected to education reform or anything else in society.

-- Michael Hureaux, Seattle

Editorial does not speak for community that knows Bass best

Your assessment of Seattle School Board member Mary Bass was flawed, not based on fact and certainly does not speak for us in District 5.

Even if the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle wrote Bass off, that is not sufficient evidence for you to give such a negative report. What does The Seattle Times know about her?

Mary Bass has an impeccable record in the community she serves, and her accessibility to those she serves is a plus in any language. Everyone in every venue would appreciate the kind of hands-on availability she offers to hear the concerns and issues of the people.

We are more than faceless voices to her. Your attempt to malign such a capable person is overshadowed by the good she does on a daily basis. Her impact and accomplishments can be viewed on her Web site, www.marybass.com.

Bass will retain her seat on the School Board because the district needs her wisdom and commitment.

-- Naomi Donovan, Seattle

Listening to math experts won't help select a textbook

Which statement is most absurd: Each school district should choose its math book, or "math people" -- engineers, mathematicians and scientists -- enjoy practicing their math skills with drills?

I wouldn't be surprised if the countries that do well in math education use the same book nationwide. Perhaps we should choose one of those and have it translated.

One thing I am sure of: We must avoid listening to those "math people" who rely on their education in math to qualify for and, often, to practice their profession.

-- Mickey Walker, Redmond

Does math really need such attention?

The article on math textbooks ["Which math book to use? A passionate debate rages," page one, Aug. 16] includes the following semiarticulate comment from Issaquah School Superintendent Steve Rasmussen: "All of our kids want to go, and we want them to go, to college, and math is the gatekeeping course."

It seems to me that Rasmussen might have benefited from greater focus on communication skills during his college years. I've long wondered why math is required of all U.S. college students. There are many otherwise capable students who simply cannot master higher math, regardless of the curriculum used.

Why should they be barred from attaining an academic degree if they have college-level talents in the liberal arts, for example? In the United Kingdom, and numerous other countries, the typical undergrad studies only one subject, allowing them to gain a deeper grasp of the material and emerge truly well-educated in the field of their choice.

Not everyone needs to be a scientist or mathematician.

-- Richard Schafer, Bothell

Debate centralizes on preparing for tests, not teaching math

The math-textbook debate is really about which text will best prepare students for the math exam. It is not about teaching math.

Education is a process not a product. Teaching to the math test is not teaching math -- it is simply teaching the math test.

In fact, much of our innumeracy is due to such nonteaching of mathematics. Let's pay more attention to teaching math and less to testing and the textbook industry.

-- Don Pollock, New York City, N.Y.

Encouraging calculator use will help aid math education

I am the parent who testified in favor of the Math Adoption Committee's recommendation of the Discovering series on the night the Seattle School Board voted to support the adoption.

In my testimony, I referenced new research from the Education Research Centre at St. Patrick's College that found that calculator use by students raised both conceptual understanding and achievement.

In fact, in rigorous final exams, so-called ordinary-level students using calculators performed as well as higher-level students who did not use them. The conclusion is that not only do calculators not hinder learning, they actually enhance it.

The benefits are across the board, but, in addition, the researchers conclude calculators may be of particular advantage to the student who previously may have become disenchanted or fearful of math, as the use of the calculator deepened understanding and buoyed confidence.

It is ironic to me then to find, in a supposedly technologically advanced metropolitan region such at Seattle, this gigantic Neanderthal fear of the humble and effective calculator in the classroom.

Sophisticated textbook series like Discovering, which encourage calculator use, are the way to go for today's students. Mathematics instruction is not just about teaching a progressive set of skills; it is also about understanding what enhances learning.

Calculators do just that.

-- Catherine Costello, Seattle

With reform stumbling, an honest assessment is needed

The page-one article ["WASL scores level, but more schools in federal trouble," Aug. 15] regarding 2009 Washington Assessment of Student Learning results, sounded an all-too-familiar refrain.

"We are puzzled, No Child Left Behind is at fault and so is the WASL." The sad fact is, that 17 years after education reform was started in Washington state, a consistently high number of public high-school graduates in this state who enter community college or a university must take remedial math, English, reading or a combination of those. What does this say about those who don't go on or the 30 percent that drop out? These are dismal statistics.

It is never one issue in education. While the curriculum (particularly in math), graduation requirements, teacher qualifications and school districts all own a significant share of our plight, parent involvement, proper funding and other factors play a role. You can never generalize about these things, and, for sure, there are some exceptional teachers, principles, individual schools and committed parents.

A first step toward improvement is an honest assessment of where we really are. Then we must do whatever is necessary to address the issues. Otherwise the future will be pretty bleak, especially for our children.

-- Charlie Liekweg, Kirkland

Hunter, Jarrett failing education

House Rep. Ross Hunter and Sen. Fred Jarrett failed Washington public-school students and employees this past legislative session. They wasted most of their time promoting an education-reform bill that has little chance of ever helping students.

Additionally, they didn't increase the levy-cap limit despite the will of local voters. As a result, hundreds of Washington state teachers lost their jobs unnecessarily, which will lead to higher class sizes for all students this fall.

Hunter and Jarrett have always told voters public education was one of their top priorities. Given their F grade from last session regarding public schools, the voters need to return Hunter and Jarrett to Olympia in hopes they will fulfill their promises to help public schools.

This is just one reason why Eastside teachers and Washington Education Association members are endorsing Dow Constantine and Larry Phillips for King County executive.

-- Stephen Miller, Bellevue

In recession, remember to look out for special education

It is time that some of the inequities pressed onto special-education families are being rectified ["Fair play on special-ed," Opinion, editorial, July 5]. Maybe this ruling will force districts to seriously contend with the issue of truly educating these students to their full potential. This is one victory for parents, and we hope, the first of many more.

As parents of a student with Aspergers, a form of autism, who was forced to graduate earlier than he deserved, we know personally how poor services are after school ends. Let us take the tenets of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act seriously, which defines education as academic and functional achievement to allow that student movement to post-school life. For us, neither of these was achieved. So we struggle, like many others, to define a meaningful life for our son.

Yet, concurrent with the windfall of stimulus money dedicated to special education, some districts will be using part of those funds to patch shortfalls within their budgets. Since special education has never been fully funded, this seems particularly cruel. The unemployment rate for autistic young adults is 92 percent. We need a paradigm shift in which the educational system produces winners, not losers.

The opportunity to provide lifelong learning options for this population will benefit all of us as a community.

-- Valerie Brenner, Tacoma

Kentridge Bible club harmless to religious minorities

Editor, The Times,

As an atheist, I'm quite leery of intrusions of religion into government-funded schooling, like mandatory prayer. However, it's clear that banning an extracurricular Bible club is taking the wall of separation between church and state a little too far ["High court won't hear Kent schools Bible-club case," NWTuesday, June 30].

We must be wary of condoning social pressure on nonbelievers and other members of religious minorities to toe the line, especially in the less religiously diverse areas of the country, but we must also be sure that we're not infringing on the religious liberty of the majority.

Since the club would receive no school funding and hence, no government funding, since it is an optional extracurricular activity and since it seems unlikely to present undue social pressure (as a "moment of silence" in place of a moment of prayer would do), the club is harmless to religious minorities.

Banning the club, however, harms every person, Christian or not, who values religious liberty in public schools.

-- James Vonder Haar, Chicago, Ill

Religion has no place in schools

Wow, it's hard to know where to start regarding the arrogance of the people proposing a Bible-study group called Truth at Kentridge High. They propose to ban from the group anyone who doesn't sign an affidavit of Christianity -- yet they are complaining about being discriminated against on religious grounds. Does that not strike them as a tad contradictory?

The notion is especially specious that one can compare limiting group members' philosophy -- clearly a personal issue -- to the limits imposed on clubs for girls and for boys. I'm sure they are in to evangelizing to potential new members, so why would they want to prohibit someone who might want to actually learn something and simply "preach to the choir." I forgot, they would rather just blast to the unsuspecting and possibly unwilling over the intercom.

Does it not occur to them that such broadcasting itself is pretty discriminatory to the rights of non-Christian students and faculty, of whom there must be at least a few? It's one thing to allow Bibles in classrooms for those desperate enough to need a hit of scripture during the school day, but there's no need to proselytize on the school loudspeakers.

Are people teaching reading, writing and calculus in church these days? Unless you're going to a church school, religion has no place in the classroom.

-- Sean Bentley, Bellevue

Here's an idea: Let's not give our jobs to foreigners

After reading "State schools reach overseas for teachers," I've heard it all [NWSunday, June 28].

Now we're bringing in foreign teachers! First, it was only farm workers, then landscapers and maids and now we've gone to importing nurses, engineers and finally teachers. The way Washington is going there won't be any jobs left for Americans. Maybe we can import some politicians who really represent the people who elected them and not their own agenda.

This country has got to start thinking about our citizens and their plight. In the news every day, more and more people are losing their jobs, their retirements and their 401(k)s and return to work just to survive.

Yet we have 12 visa programs to bring in foreigners. We let 1 million people come here legally each year. We have 20 million people who have stayed here when their visas expired or who were smuggled into the country. Politicians cry about illegal immigrants and their sad stories while they storm our streets and demand rights. Many of them have broken our laws, have forged identities and use our services that were meant for our citizens.

Since when were cheaters, stealers and liars held in such regard?

-- Kathleen E Bukoskey, Everett

Greedy employers hiring immigrants for cheap while ousting citizens

As an out-of-work U.S. citizen who has been employed as an instructor, I find this employer practice to be outrageous. It is another example of how immigration benefits are privatized and employers pay less while costs are socialized, with increased unemployment in a depressed economy. There is no shortage of teachers, only a shortage of teaching positions that pay a middle-class wage.

This program was invented by greedy employers in 1990. You may learn more about the corruption that is inherent in this program by reading online, "The Greedy Gates Immigration Gambit."

Then, apply pressure to end the practice of reserving high-skill positions for young immigrants -- and displacing experienced American citizens. You may help to save your own job and stop this race to the bottom.

-- Gene A. Nelson, Arlington, Va.

Funding should stay for World School

The Seattle Times editorial board got it right ["Seattle School Board, voting blind," Opinion, editorial, June 28] when it chided the School Board for all too often rubber-stamping policies initiated by Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson. The acknowledgment of one board member that he and his colleagues were "not up to speed" in signing a contract granting $756,000 to hire a consultant to help revamp high-school curricula is a case in point.

One wonders -- or fears --that if a similar rubber stamping of a proposal to be voted on at the July 1 board meeting might occur. At issue is the proposed allocation to award $798,958 to an architecture firm for design renovation of the Meany facility.
Despite numerous inquiries by stakeholders in the programs to be housed at Meany, the answers as to where the $798,958 will come from are vague, circuitous and totally lacking in transparency. One wonders if the board members (four of whom are relatively new) will remember and honor a grant made in 2001 that allocated $14 million for a new stand-alone Secondary Bilingual Orientation World School (SBOC).

The board must honor this commitment and not use voter-approved funds committed to a new World School for seismic and other essential safety upgrades for the Meany facility, which will house both Nova and the SBOC.

-- Jeanette Corkery, Seattle

Principals know what's best for students

Editor, The Times:

Professor Michael Eisenberg of the University of Washington's Information School uses inflammatory rhetoric ["Librarians are not optional," Opinion, guest column, June 25] to criticize the decisions of nine middle- and high-school principals in the Bellevue School District to reassign their school librarians to work in the classroom. Eisenberg calls this decision a "scorched-earth policy," even though not one librarian will lose a job and every library will remain open and staffed with library assistants. Eisenberg claims these decisions will prevent the schools from preparing their students for success in the 21st century.

What is most significant to us at the Washington Policy Center is that the Bellevue School Board has decided to allow its principals to decide how to use their staff dollars. The key recommendation of our Center for Education's reform plan is to let school leaders lead by giving them authority over their budget and staff.

Literacy and research skills are certainly important for students to acquire. But nine school principals have decided their students are best served by placing librarians in the classroom. We agree with School Board President Carol Marks, who observes that "building administrators are in touch with their student population and know what student needs are."

-- Liv Finne, Washington Policy Center director for education, Seattle

Ask my kids: Libraries are a waste of funds

Both of my daughters graduated from the International School in Bellevue, one of the schools about to lose its librarian. The library there was always regarded mostly as a joke and played a minimal role in the excellent education they received. Their reaction to this news is the same as mine -- about time.

Paying a full-time teacher to manage the library was an egregious waste of money and seemed to serve mainly as paid retirement for a burned-out teacher.

-- Alan Davidoff, Bellevue

Teachers can't adequately cover for librarians

While I heartily agree that research skills must be taught and are important generally, the districts' good teacher-scholars should be able to handle this. I admire the innovativeness of administrators in finding ways to cover bases in difficult budget times, but I think keeping the library expertise available, without asking librarians to teach the whole day in the different role of classroom instruction, is valuable.

Working with individual topics and students on their research is too time-consuming with everything else classroom teachers do. Also, the best research skills in the world are difficult to employ as effectively for learning if there is no one available to catalog and keep the library in order. If less librarians are available than previously, a larger group of library assistants and tutors may be needed to supplement the efforts of head librarians, though some benefits will be lost probably due to their less-relevant training.

It seems a shame to lose any librarians, and certainly there are large numbers of unemployed teachers and instructors to draw upon to cover classroom needs as well.

I do agree that in terms of priorities classroom instruction must come first, but I don't think the library is the place to cut in order to maximize student learning. I think Michael Eisenberg is right -- librarians are not optional.

-- Robin Poling, Seattle

Times editorial downplays dropout numbers

Regarding your editorial ["Strugglers, achievers: Support both groups," Opinion, June 24], I have followed dropout rates in this state for more than 25 years as an educator and former associate research professor at the University of Washington.

I am concerned The Times is misreporting and consequently misrepresenting the significance of our dropout problem in Washington state and nationwide. To say that "cumulatively one in 20 students leaves school permanently between ninth grade and 12th grade" implies to many people that the dropout rates here in Washington are not problematic.

The Office of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction annually collects data from every school district to determine the number of dropouts each year. Many school districts have little incentive to report their dropout rates accurately, especially when they are consistently high year after year. Also remember the state does not maintain annual records on the numbers of students dropping out before ninth grade.

That aside, the cohort rates here in Washington state have been fairly constant over the past 35-40 years at approximately 22 percent to 30 percent. Using the cohort method of compilation involves counting numbers of ninth-graders enrolled any given year, and then four years later counting the number of those same ninth-graders who graduate (on time) with their cohort of peers four years later.

When disaggregated by race, it gets worse, with approximately 50 percent of African-American, Latino and American-Indian students currently not graduating on time with their peer cohorts.

My read on the new superintendent is that he recognizes the significance of this situation to our state's future well-being and consequently is publicly highlighting this ongoing dilemma.

By suggesting a mere 5 percent (0 percent is the only acceptable performance measure) are dropping out is, at best, misleading, and worse, it sends a message that the state superintendent is negative toward success measured by test batteries and that current state dropout rates are no big deal.

-- Albert J. Smith Jr., Seattle

Stakeholders don't have say in librarian cuts

At the June 2 Bellevue School District meeting, the board claimed it had listened to supporters of the secondary-school library program and were looking into possible remedies to proposed cuts ["Reassigned school librarians get attention beyond Bellevue," NWWednesday, June 24]. But board President Chris Marks began the June 16 meeting by declaring the decision to eradicate the secondary-school library program would not be reversed. When a Bellevue High School student pointed out the board could choose to use stimulus money that can be earmarked for any purpose to reinstate teacher-librarians, the board declared it didn't know yet how these funds would be spent.

While this may be true, it's clear the board has no intention of restoring the library program to its middle and high schools, despite having enough stimulus funds to do so and despite hearing from hundreds of parents, teachers, students and business leaders that this should be a top priority. The board claims cuts will be temporary while at the same time claiming the decision to decimate the library program was made individually by principals.

If staffing libraries is a building decision the board has no control over, how can it possibly have control over whether the cuts are temporary? It is unfortunate the district administration and School Board did not allow any input from teachers, students and parents when determining community priorities before making painful decisions about where to make cuts.

The students of the Bellevue School District would have benefitted from the transparency demonstrated by the Lake Washington School District, where district administrators opened their budget and went through it line by line with community stakeholders to determine what the community wanted.

Lake Washington made $7.7 million in cuts. But the community is accepting of this, because stakeholders had a say in the matter.

-- Kristine McLane, Shoreline

We have to start somewhere

Last week, Gov. Chris Gregoire made a line-item veto that removed early learning from House Bill 2261. While the bill was signed into law and broadened the definition of basic education, early learning was left out ["Smart leadership on early learning," Opinion, editorial, May 24]. As someone who is passionate about early learning, this news was surprising.

The governor noted that she chose to veto this section of the bill because it only expanded the definition of basic education for at-risk 3- and 4-year-olds. In signing the bill, the governor reaffirmed her commitment to early learning but "wanted quality early learning programs available to all children." This is an excellent point.

If Washington is interested in a vibrant future, we must invest in early learning for all children; however, we need to start somewhere. By prioritizing the children in our state who are at the greatest risk of not succeeding in school, we are developing a system that will eventually support the early learning needs of all children.

I strongly urge community members who want a brighter future for children to contact their elected representatives and request that we start investing in the foundation of this future: early learning.

-- Vijay Vashee, board chair, Foundation for Early Learning, Seattle

Could have built upon small, positive step

Gov. Chris Gregoire's argument for vetoing the early-learning section out of the basic-education bill was weak at best ["Gregoire signs bill overhauling education, but vetoes 2 parts," seattletimes.com, Politics & Government, May 20].

This state's existing early-learning program -- the Early Childhood Education Assistance Program (ECEAP) --currently doesn't even serve all eligible children. This legislation as passed would have implied full enrollment and at the very least could have protected ECEAP from arbitrary cuts. Rather than scrap this small yet positive step, we could simply build upon it.

I agree that early-learning services should be available to all of Washington's children. I believe this based on the constitutional mandate of "ample provision for the education of all children." Learning begins at birth, and this state should be supporting each child's entire development.

If the governor wants to address early learning next session, I challenge her to work with all stakeholders and develop a comprehensive early-learning act (birth to age 5) that would spell out fully this state's responsibility of how it will support all parents and guardians who are raising young children as lifelong learners.

-- Mike Sheehan, Shoreline

Religious beliefs can hinder learning

It should be no surprise that U.S. students and teachers are behind on biology ["Report: U.S. students lagging in biosciences," seattletimes.com, Nation & World, May 18]. Many of them don't believe in it. More people in this country believe in the literal existence of Satan than believe in evolution.

That's a fundamental (so to speak) problem for scientific literacy.

-- Chris Nielsen, Shoreline

Bring students face-to-face with those in need

I have a great idea on how to discipline the kids who participated in that food fight at their school cafeteria ["Food fight! It's a scene out of 'Animal House,'" NWFriday, May 15].

Rather than canceling their prom, which would punish students who did not participate in the food fight and make those who did feel like "victims," tell those students that took part in the fight that not only do they have to scrub down the cafeteria until it shines, but they have to make a substantial contribution to the local food bank.

They also have to spend time volunteering at the food bank and interacting face-to-face with the people who are in need -- let the students see for themselves how precious that bowl of fresh fruit would be to someone who is going hungry, and what it is like to worry about getting enough to eat. Then maybe next time they want to have some "fun," they will think twice before choosing to do something so destructive.

-- Joan McArtney, Seattle

The root of district/union problems

Linda Shaw's story on the Seattle School District and the letter cutting one training day ["School chief's letter vexes union," page one, May 9] is a prime example of what is wrong with education in this city.

The real story here is buried within it and consists of less than a full sentence: "... because state legislators cut funding to pay for it."

In today's parlance, this story is a distraction from the real story: funding for education. Improving education was a primary campaign plank in Gov. Chris Gregoire's re-election campaign. Somehow, some way, the teachers will get their training day. The teachers union will see to that. The kids will just have to do with one less day of in-class education. How is that an improvement to our kids' education?

Funding for public schools should be the very last item on the chopping block, given the deplorable state of Washington state schools today.

-- Jeannie Stratton, Seattle

Mike Siegel / The Seattle Times

Maria Goodloe-Johnson is superintendent for Seattle Public Schools.

Written out of arrogance or ignorance?

Editor, The Times:

It vexes me why Seattle's school chief Maria Goodloe-Johnson failed to consult union officials before she wrote a letter to teachers about the reduction of paid days for next year ["School chief's letter vexes union," page one, May 9]. If she had taken the time to talk with the union, the whole problem could have easily been avoided.

It's quite a coincidence that an adjacent article reports that the management style of Paul Jackson, Seattle's manager of transportation, has come under City Council scrutiny ["Promotion of 'unsafe' manager questioned," page one, May 9]. While they're working on management practices, the council should ask Goodloe-Johnson if her letter to the teachers was written out of arrogance or ignorance.

-- Bill Whetham, Seattle

Union ignores students, pursues power

It's all about power, isn't it?

The Seattle Education Association is mad that it can't run Seattle Public Schools. They think they are co-superintendents and should have the final say on how the district runs.

Nowhere in the article do union spokespeople mention the children or education. You might think the union would be complaining that reduced class time means reduced success in education our children, but no --its complaint is about usurping the union's "rights."

Throughout the country, teachers unions are -- while giving lip service to education -- demanding policies that give them power. They insist on length of service as the criteria for pay increases. They fight back at the slightest suggestion that competency or merit should be reflected in their pay or that poor performance can result in termination.

In the last week, the Obama administration caved in to union pressure and let die an extremely successful scholarship program in Washington, D.C., which has one of the worst school systems in the country. Scholarships to private schools were given to a few students. Every report indicated that students in this program were far more successful than those in the D.C. system. About 10 applications were received for each vacancy. Never mind -- the power of the union was threatened.

Everyone agrees that today, as never before, a good education is essential for the success of the individual and for the nation. Everyone agrees, that is, except the unions, who would rather trade their power today for our country's future.

-- Henry Kroeger, Redmond

Times' solution hurts children in poor districts

Kudos for The Seattle Times' editorial calling for lifting the levy lid and reducing the levy-equalization fund ["A small lift for schools," Opinion, May 7]. Those steps would aid children who showed good judgment by living in property-rich school districts and would hurt only those children who showed bad judgment by living in property-poor school districts.

It is a mathematical truism that the parents of children in property-poor districts have to expend more tax effort to raise school money through levies than do the parents of children living in property-rich districts. And it is true that concerns for fairness and equity produced the levy lids and levy-equalization funds, which seek to reduce these differences.

But fairness and equity are vagrant claims; I much prefer your more disciplined stand -- that treating some of our children unfairly is just "an unfortunate reality of this recession budget."

-- William R. Andersen, Seattle

Thank legislators for school-funding problem

Why is it that school supporters always attempt to make it an argument about funding schools versus funding for sports stadiums? ["Time to put education ahead of sports," Opinion, Christine Johnson-Duell guest commentary, April 27] Sports fans never argue that we are providing too much money for schools. Why can't we have both?

I agree that teachers are underpaid and that class sizes need to be smaller. We also need more innovation in our schools and more effective methods in teaching.

State legislators didn't overturn the will of the voters with regard to funding Safeco Field and Qwest Field. The voters rejected a sales-tax increase to pay for those two facilities. The state implemented taxes on hotels and restaurants. Now the stadiums are funded mostly by tourists and not state residents. Some of these tourists or business people will stay additional days to take in sports events, increasing the money they spend while in Seattle. The stadiums are revenue-generators because of the taxes that are assessed on tickets and franchise fees paid by vendors, regardless of the financial conditions of the sports teams.

A 1 percent tax on the Seattle Mariners, as proposed by Christine Johnson-Duell, is absurd. The Mariners lost 101 games last year and also lost millions of dollars at the gate. This makes as much sense as taxing Boeing, Amazon or Microsoft, all of which lost money in the past year's economy.

We should keep funding our stadiums by taxing visitors to our state and not state taxpayers. As for school funding, we should thank our gutless legislators for not addressing the problem.

-- Stan Terry, Shoreline

Dean Rutz / The Seattle Times

The Safeco Field faithful stand and cheer Brandon Morrow as he closes out the ninth inning against Tampa Bay last week.

Editor, The Times:

Hooray for Christine Johnson-Duell! She has come up with a reasonable means to help fund education through a 1 percent tax on sports ["Time to put education ahead of sports," Opinion, guest commentary, April 27].

Most of our legislators seem to think that sports are more important than education. In this time of economic distress, it seems that the 1 percent tax is a great idea. Johnson-Duell is so right on about the alarming habit of the Legislature ignoring voter mandates and doing what they want despite what the majority votes.

I fail to understand the Legislature's thinking in passing the megabillion-dollar tunnel and cutting the education budget to the barest of bones. We, the voters, have said no to a tunnel and again we will have to sit back and take it while our schools continue to suffer.

I say let's tax those sports teams that have been receiving welfare for the rich for many years.

-- Nancy Dickerson, Seattle

Funding not tied to better education

I'll put aside the fact that Christine Johnson-Duell's premise is flawed -- no state money has gone to Safeco Field that might have been used elsewhere, such as education.

She acknowledged in her guest commentary that the stadium is revenue-positive for local and state government, not to mention local businesses. The real issue is that there is no correlation between dollars spent and the success of the educational process. Check the funding levels in Washington, D.C., against results.

Certainly, teachers want to make more money and have smaller class sizes. Why not? But at the end of the day, these likely won't improve education in some schools.

Real education improvement will only occur when the issues raised in Walter Backstrom's excellent piece in the April 27 Tacoma News Tribune (also in the April 25 Federal Way Mirror), "Faith can elevate education levels for blacks," are honestly dealt with.

The issues Backstrom confronts in his article, including parents who don't care, teachers who can't teach, poverty, drugs, no fathers and no positive role models, and others, are unlikely to be resolved through increased education funding.

I believe his message applies wherever these issues arise. A different type of community problem-solving will likely be necessary and I suspect money is the least critical resource.

-- Darrell Fisk, Federal Way

Unjustified actions

In the matter of a school searching a young girl down to her underwear, the school officials involved should be fired ["High court to weigh school strip searches," News, April 19]. There is no justification for what those incompetents did. The girl's parents should sue the daylight out of those losers.

-- Walter Montgomery, Seattle

Embarrassing situations part of life

On Sunday, I read "High court to weigh school strip searches." Now Monday, I found your editorial, "School went too far in searching student" [Opinion, editorial, April 20]. My first response was: What were you thinking? My second response was that there was no thinking involved at all.

I have to concede that an appeals-court ruling automatically makes something newsworthy, so I can't fault your news judgment in running the strip-search piece on Sunday. But I am at a complete loss with respect to the editorial.

I have no doubt that "thirteen-year-olds do not want to change in front of each other for gym class." I also do not doubt that thirteen-year-olds do not want to strip for an exam in a doctor's office. But they need to learn to get over both. Occasional embarrassing or humiliating experiences are part of life. None of us likes them, but we all need to learn to deal with them.

Ulcers, dropping out of school and filing lawsuits are inappropriate responses. They are especially inappropriate when combined with the activities discussed in the interrogations piece ["Psychologists shaped interrogations," News, April 19]. The logical conclusion of your line of thinking is that we should be waterboarding teenagers (not torture) and making terrorists turn out their underwear (torture).

-- Patrick J. Russell, Seattle

Look for them at a school near you

The changes outlined in "State Senate budget plan would cut $3.8B -- education takes a hit" [seattletimes.com, Local News, March 31] alarmingly trickled down to our Snoqualmie Valley School District last night. Among a variety of cuts is the proposal to eliminate interscholastic athletics for all middle schools in our district.

Sports are our community's most valuable anti-drug and -alcohol program. Coaches work as bookends with parents to help watch over our kids and keep them busy so they avoid looking for trouble.

Besides the ramifications of how this cut will trickle up and affect high-school athletics, what about these kids who want to be part of a school's competitive team but are unable to because they no longer exist? Do we even need school mascots anymore?

It rains here a lot. Kids get bored. Now more than ever, sports are a bright light and a distraction from today's worldly issues. Football makes math more tolerable, basketball gets us through winter and track makes our kids sleep well at night.

Parents, let your Legislature and districts know your support for athletics so that fundraising and creative cuts elsewhere will be considered to save our sports. Similar cuts are probably coming to a school near you.

-- Stephanie Hager, Snoqualmie

Stronger steps for potential borrowers

It isn't surprising, of course, to see Sen. Patty Murray and her colleagues begin by throwing a little taxpayer money -- $250 million -- at promoting appropriate courses and activities that will help people develop sound saving and investing habits ["Murray banks on financial literacy," Opinion, editorial, April 11].

A good idea. But are these steps strong enough?

Let's face it: The current economic meltdown, caused in part by overzealous borrowers and lenders encouraged by politicians painting rosy pictures of homeownership, might at least have been mitigated if potential borrowers been required to take and/or pass some fundamental tests demonstrating their financial understanding.

Think "out of the box" --like a vehicle driving test. That's the idea!

-- James P. Shenfield, Bainbridge Island

Educate financial heads, too

When I read the editorial in the April 11 edition, I was compelled to check the date at the top of the page. It would seem that an editorial that contains both the term "financial literacy" and Sen. Patty Murray's name must be a joke. With her as a financial role model, we can be sure that the current bailout programs will not end soon.

Good for Foster High School. However, a similar program on Capitol Hill and in Olympia, especially in the governor's office, would yield faster results for the citizens of our state and nation.

-- Ken Knutsen, Lopez Island

Efforts offset by modern distractions

As an executive who has taught economics and business in Seattle middle schools many times, I was glad to see The Seattle Times' editorial on financial literacy.

However, I was a bit disappointed that you did not mention the thousands of professionals and volunteers at Junior Achievement, Economics America and BusinessWeek who have been dedicated to K-12 classroom activities for decades in Washington schools for economic, financial and business literacy and knowledge.

Unfortunately, some of these efforts have been offset by the incongruent messages sent out by the influential screens of TV, movies, computers and video games.

-- Harvey Gillis, Bellevue

Don't discount successful program

For decades, Junior Achievement has been providing financial literacy programs, taught by business students and volunteers, to K-12 classrooms across America and the world.

To think that a new government program needs to be created to replicate a program that works for 100,000-plus students already in Puget Sound alone is to simply ignore a fine, established and supported institution.

The recent emphasis on tests for math, reading and writing have caused teachers, especially in elementary schools, to not place as high an emphasis on social studies as they might have otherwise. Junior Achievement programs even help students with these key skills, most especially with math taught in a practical, "I'm going to need this" way.

Students need a foundation education in many things and students who have Junior Achievement consistently score higher when administered tests on financial literacy. I'm not advocating another test, but I am advocating Junior Achievement.

I certainly don't see the need for government to advocate creating a program when an excellent one already exists. I am quite certain that Junior Achievement would be happy to show their materials to your editorial board and to Sen. Patty Murray.

-- Gail D. Yates, Seattle

Need a healthy, informed populace

In regard to the article "Senate budget plan would rescind gains" [page one, March 31], it seems ridiculous that the state Democrats plan to compromise their morals and beliefs simply because of a little financial trouble.

There are many other states in a worse condition than ours, and reducing our investment in the economic future of our state by cutting health-care and education funding seems contrary to every law of economics.

Our state will not recover with a sick, uneducated population --only an informed and healthy populace will be equipped to get our economy back on its feet.

-- Jay Farber, Issaquah

Cuts outweigh federal funding for health care

More than 130 community health clinics across our state are experiencing a dramatic increase in the number of uninsured patients seeking care.

The $10 million federal stimulus recently announced is a welcome acknowledgment of this trend ["A needed lifeline for hospitals, clinics," editorial, March 30].

But we must be clear: This is one-time federal funding that pales in comparison to the $300-400 million in health-care cuts proposed by the Legislature this week.

Clinic patient loads are increasing as funding resources for safety-net providers are being reduced to unsustainable levels. Clinics across the state are already anticipating layoffs, reductions in operating hours and extensive waiting periods for appointments. Proposed state budget cuts threaten the ability of community health clinics to serve their mission of caring for all who need care, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.

For more than 30 years, community health clinics have woven a health-care safety net that now provides a health-care home to almost 650,000 Washingtonians each year. Communities across the state count on this safety net to be there when they need it, but the recently announced budget proposals will leave it in shreds.

-- Rebecca Kavoussi, Community Health Network of Washington/Community Health Plan, Seattle

Health-care cuts hurt growing number of uninsured patients

On behalf of the uninsured patients at Neighborcare Health, I appreciate the small, one-time grant provided to us by the federal government to serve the growing number of uninsured people. Unfortunately, these dollars are dwarfed by the substantial cuts announced this week by the Legislature.

Neighborcare Health provides care for more than 19,000 uninsured patients annually at our 15 clinics and their numbers are rising as people lose their jobs and their health insurance. We are caring for the economically disadvantaged, the uninsured and unemployed, as well as the workers of small businesses that can no longer afford to offer insurance to their employees. Due to job loss alone, we anticipate an additional 112,000 people in Washington state will be uninsured by 2010.

The drastic cuts to programs such as Basic Health being considered by our Legislature could make tens of thousands more people uninsured virtually overnight and permanently cripple our state's health-care infrastructure.

While the additional dollars from the federal government will help, they represent a small Band-Aid, insufficient to cover the gaping wound created by the state budget. We will all feel the pain if these budgets pass.

-- Marcus Rempel, interim medical director of Neighborcare Health, Seattle

Don't cut services for the blind

My father was 50 when he was in a tragic motorcycle accident that took from him his sight and independence. He has spent the last 18 months regaining use of his leg, which was badly damaged, and gaining back his confidence, with the loss of his sight. This could be anyone's story

My father is now attending a school for the blind and thriving. I've seen more change from him in the last week than I have in the last 18 months. He's becoming independent and social, and he's happy.

At the school, he shares an apartment with another visually impaired man, and is relearning the basics in life: house chores, cooking, taking out the trash and taking care of himself. He is also learning computer and life skills to help him in the future.

This school is more than just an opportunity for people like my father to learn things in a new perspective; it's a chance for them to become independent again, or for the first time ever.

He and my mother still live in Goldendale and without the apartment, which is funded by the school, my father would not have been able to participate in this amazing opportunity. The school is truly a blessing for the visually impaired, which is why my family and I were so saddened to learn that due to recent budget cuts, the school may be losing funding for the apartments.

This cut would mean that many students at the school would no longer be able to attend because, like my parents, they can't afford housing if they don't live in Seattle. Terms at the school can last anywhere from several weeks to several months, depending on what a person needs and wishes to gain from the program. Many students will not be able to continue their education after this term if funding is cut.

In Congress and throughout the government, at both state and local levels, money is being thrown away on unnecessary items and bad budgeting. The governor is requiring that the director of the Department of Services for the Blind present a plan for budget cuts.

I pray that the state of Washington makes it so the director can still offer services to the blind and that they can find a place in their budget for a program that gives visually impaired people, like my father, the independence and confidence they need to succeed in our society.

-- Denielle Seaver, Goldendale

Funding for K-12 education in jeopardy

I read the article "The state Senate budget: How 4 key areas would be affected" [News, March 31]. I am worried that the K-12 cuts will have a very negative impact on Washington.

My school district is talking about increasing classroom sizes and decreasing the numbers of teachers so kids aren't as well-educated. If kids aren't as well-educated as kids in other countries, we'll lose our jobs to them.

Also, my school district is talking about getting rid of sports programs, which will give kids more free time to get in trouble or do drugs. Sports keep kids healthy and if they like them, they can play them for the rest of their lives and stay healthy, which reduces medical costs.

Finally, my school district is talking about cutting busing to schools. Without busing, what if a kid got hit and killed by a car? It is unsafe to have all the kids walking to school near cars trying to get to work and school.

This is why we can't cut money for K-12 education, and if we do, it will have a very negative impact on Washington.

-- Andrew Hirschi, Grade 6, Totem Falls Elementary, Snohomish

Education system should be shielded

I guess we should have seen this coming -- but we didn't. Did anyone know that the budget crisis in this state would get this bad?

My parents are both working teachers living in Bremerton. Will they ever get to retire? The budget proposed by the Senate, and made worse by the House's proposal, will mean that educators and students alike will take most of the brunt of this economic downturn.

These tentative decisions with fuzzy numbers could literally mean that class sizes will be larger, teachers will be fired and our schools will suffer yet again from a funding system that lacks teeth.

An alternative solution is necessary. I am just outraged that the Legislature is dragging its feet and actually considering making these cuts that dramatically affect every community in Washington.

Our education system should be shielded and saved when the economy goes bad because an educated populace is what will pull us out of this recession.

Can you hear me, House Speaker Frank Chopp? I'm in your district, and these cuts go too far!

-- David Thompson, Bremerton

Choosing real life over imposed homework

I'm so glad to see staff columnist Jerry Large spreading Alfie Kohn's message about the evils of homework ["Homework hater's spiel makes sense," Local News, March 9].

I know many families that struggle with homework and whose kids have no down time. When my friend talks about her sixth-grader doing two hours of homework a night, I feel horrified -- and a little guilty -- because homework never intrudes on my family's evenings.

What I want for my 11-year-old son is much like what Kohn's audience listed as long-term goals for their children: "Be a mensch, happy, independent, curious, self-motivated, passionate ... "

My son's unusual school supports him to develop these attributes. At The Clearwater School, he doesn't get homework or grades. Instead, he chooses how to spend his time and what to learn. The students also make the rules, mediate disputes between other students and hire and fire staff.

My son doesn't see reading as a chore and has time to read for pleasure. I sent him to Clearwater because I wanted him to be happy and develop his whole self.

Indulgent? Maybe. But, Clearwater students grow into well-rounded adults with practical skills employers and colleges love. Every day, my son makes real decisions that affect his life and community.

At Clearwater, school isn't drilling to practice responsibility; it's real life.

-- Amanda Klein, Seattle

Exposing kindergarten minds to 10-grade curricula is a waste of tax dollars

I am writing regarding Seattle Public Schools' special-education teachers who were suspended for not administering the Washington Alternative Assessment System (WAAS) ["Pair suspended for failure to test special-ed kids," Times, page one, March 6].

I am both a special-education teacher and the parent of a child with severe autism. I have taught special education for almost 20 years and have administered the WAAS, the alternative to the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL), since its inception. I, for one, am glad to finally see someone has decided to do something about this test.

I teach high-school students with severe autism and moderate-to-severe developmental disabilities. My students neither read nor write. They should be acquiring life skills, so they can become as independent as possible.

Instead, I am rewriting novels, such as "Emma," this year because the WAAS Portfolio requires students to read 10th grade-level texts, write three-paragraph expository essays, complete scientific investigations and extend linear patterns.

These students only have so many years of free and public education left, and we are wasting time exposing them to 10th-grade curricula when their skills are at a Kindergarten level.

Why are we doing this?

If they could do sophomore-level work, they would be in sophomore-level classes.

These students are frustrated because the work is difficult. They do not understand why they are made to complete these assignments.

When I complete my paperwork showing how they are progressing on their Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), I am frustrated because we are wasting valuable time doing tasks that will not help them gain employment skills, community access or daily-living skills.

The IEP is supposed to drive the program and services for the child, but the WAAS completely contradicts what these students are supposed to be doing.

As the parent of a 7-year-old severly disabled child, who will have to compile a WAAS Portfolio next year, I will be opting him out of it. I want him working on the skills that really matter, such as tying his shoes, using the bathroom or communicating, instead of wasting valuable educational time doing senseless, meaningless tasks to please the state.

-- Jennifer Bosanko, M.Ed., Federal Way

An ice-cold response to disabled students' families

My child is one of the Green Lake Elementary students with severe cognitive and physical disabilities being affected by the loss of her teacher for two weeks.

I would like to add that, as of writing this letter, we, the parents of "Team A," have received zero communication from the district or principal regarding this unfortunate situation.

My Washington Alternative Assessment System (WAAS) refusal letter was e-mailed Jan. 27 to eight individuals at Seattle Public Schools. Not one person has acknowledged receipt of it, validated my concerns or assured me that ultimately my request will be honored.

There has been no note, e-mail or phone call regarding the sudden absence of one of the most important people in my daughter's life. There has been no reassurance the substitute teachers will be able to handle the profound and diverse needs of the 11 children in my daughter's classroom. What I "hear" is that the administrators "can't discuss human-resource issues," but this is no excuse for the ice-cold response to our families.

I suspect no one will have the courage to step up and admit their response was overly harsh and heavy-handed. However, it shouldn't be too much to ask that someone assure Team A families that despite how it looks to the outside world, our children will be safe, well cared for and possibly even taught something during these two weeks.

It appears Seattle Public Schools' allegiance is first to their legal department.

-- Lisa Boeckh, Seattle

Special ed versus general ed: fighting for all students instead

I found myself shocked and dismayed by a recent Times article reporting two special-education teachers at Green Lake Elementary School suspended for refusing to give the Washington Alternative Assessment System (WAAS) to six students.

I lack details beyond those provided in the article and, therefore, am hesitant to pronounce where fault lies. However, it cannot be overlooked that a 10-day suspension seems to benefit no one, least of all the children being served.

After all, these two teachers work with profoundly disabled children and, by the very nature of their work, have skills that are not easily replaced. Beyond the specifics of this incident, it appears necessary that the district review its regulations, making sure all staff involved understand the regulations and are aware of the implications of violating them.

That said, what is even more disturbing to me is the level of invective directed by some individuals against students served by special education on the public-feedback venue of The Times' Web site. A number of comments were downright offensive, and many demonstrated a level of ignorance regarding children with disabilities that was frankly startling.

How is it possible in this day and age -- and especially in a place as "progressive" as Seattle -- that someone can say their child is worth more than another because their child does not have a disability? How can they advocate the removal of children with more severe disabilities from public schools?

Perhaps I'm naive, but I thought the civil-rights movement effectively discredited the notion of "separate but equal."

One argument is children served by special education take precious public funds away from general education. On the contrary, children with disabilities bring additional funds to the schools they attend. According to the Funding Washington Schools Web site, $4,899 was allotted for every general-ed student in the 2007-8 school year; an additional $4,362 was allotted for each student in special ed.

The extra funding for the students in special education comes from state and federal sources and is not taken away from general-ed students.

In addition, school districts can apply for "safety net" funds to help with high-cost students. Under the site-based management approach of Seattle Public Schools, up until now each building has largely determined the allocation of its resources, opening the possibility for special-ed funds to be designated for purposes other than special education.

Public education is failing all students -- general and special-ed alike. We are in this together and need to join forces to press our elected officials and school administrators for true "excellence for all."

-- Janet Anderson, Special Ed PTSA president, Seattle

Stop shortchanging our students

This year, the legislature has a decision to make when it comes to education: Is Washington going to make progress for children or maintain the status quo?

If we're ready to make some real progress for kids, the answer lies in the recommendations of the Basic Education Taskforce, which is crucial to updating our antiquated-education system in Washington state.

As a parent of two kids, I've seen how our underfunded system is shortchanging our children's education. Last year, when school enrollment was larger than teacher capacity, our third-graders were facing a 35 percent increase in class size for the following year.

One of the suggested solutions? Have the PTA essentially "buy" an additional teacher -- for $75,000.

This suggestion outraged me. Bellevue is considered by many to be a wealthy school district. There are certainly wealthy PTAs in Bellevue. However, not all schools are as lucky as the school that my children attend, and one's zip code should not be the determining factor in their child's education.

Schools around the state are being forced to privately fund public education, yet our constitution states it is the paramount duty of the state to fund basic education.
We all know that Washington is facing the worst budget crisis in our history. However, over the last 30 years, education reform in this state has been piecemeal at best.
Our kids are the future of our state. They deserve a comprehensive, 21st-century education system that will truly prepare them for college and careers.

This session the Legislature has the opportunity to pass real education reform such as smaller class sizes, updated graduation requirements in line with college standards, teacher-mentor programs, and prekindergarten for high-risk students.

While our education system is in dire need of funding, we cannot continue to throw money at the same broken system and expect better results. Our Legislature has the opportunity now to fix this broken system. I urge them to take leadership and embrace this opportunity.

-- Krista Capodanno, Bellevue

Gut the plan

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said, "We have to educate our way to a better economy."

I love this quote. I just wish it were followed up with an action plan on how to do it. Something like the final report of the state legislature's Basic Education Finance Task Force?

I wish we had a plan that included an honest assessment of what children need to succeed in class from access to early education to a professional team including librarians, counselors and tutors.

I wish we had a plan that made sure new teachers got intensive mentoring and support, provided for built-in analysis of competitive pay, gave districts the resources to increase math, science and language courses and explained what was being funded and why, so citizens could see how they're investing in the future.

Oh wait, we do have that plan. Fabulous! Because here's what we have to fix:
Eighty-three percent of Seattle Public Schools graduates can't get into a university. They don't meet the entrance requirements.

In the state of Washington, giving kids the chance to go to college isn't considered "basic education" and it isn't funded as such. We can fix this. We can redefine basic education and clarify the state's financial obligations. We can stop shifting the financial burden onto local school districts, which have neither the resources to pay for our schools and staffing, nor the legal ability to raise adequate funds.

Or, we can let the House and Senate bills that would implement the plan die. We can gut the plan. We can study it for two more years. We can continue with an inaccurate and irrational way to predict school costs. I mean, it's just the future. Nothing pressing.

What's it going to be, Olympia? Can you commit to our children and fix this problem? There are 46,000 kids in Seattle Public Schools. Sure would be nice to send more of them to college.

Sure would be nice if this Washington could educate its way to a better economy.

-- Ramona Hattendorf, Seattle

Refresh the antiquated-funding formula

School boards in three of the biggest districts in King County -- Issaquah, Seattle and Bellevue -- all recently endorsed House Bill 1410 and Senate Bill 5444, upon the recommendations of the Basic Education Task Force. Their leadership on these bills show they truly understand we cannot afford to wait to make these long, overdue reforms to our education system.

After one and a half years of study by the Basic Education Task Force and two years of study by the Washington Learns Committee, these bills finally put a strong foundation in place to bring the Washington state definition of "basic education" up to the 21st century and clean up the antiquated-funding formula we currently have in place.

New high-school-graduation requirements will assure our kids will graduate ready to enter a four-year college, technical field or workplace without remediation. In a region with some of the most innovative technology in the world, we need to be preparing our graduates to enter the workforce in our own backyard.

I urge you, and I urge our legislators to fully support these bills and bring the Washington state education system up from 42nd in the nation.

Do what's best for our kids.

-- Deborah Parsons, Issaquah

Don't push it

Fifteen percent of 16,000 students taking Advanced Placement (AP) exams receive a score of three or higher ["High state grades for AP exams," editorial, Feb. 9]. What's wrong with this picture?

If three is passing, then either the test is not valid or the teachers are not qualified to teach these high-level classes.

Also, there might be a third reason: The students might not be ready for such rigorous classes. In any case, I do not believe that these classes should be pushed down students throats.

-- Mike Dougherty, Bellevue

Asking for college in high school

In your editorial, you advocate for more rigorous schooling so as to better prepare students for Advanced Placement (AP) courses, the "bridge[s] linking high-school students with college-level rigor."

If a student passes an AP exam, the AP course taken counts for college credit (in some schools). Thus, AP classes should be considered college-level courses. Therefore, you're suggesting that schools should teach at much higher-grade levels, college in high school, for instance.

AP courses are not for everybody, and if they were, it would defeat the purpose. AP stands for "Advanced Placement," not "Adequate Preparation."

-- Catherine Schmidt, Yarrow Point

Cutting confidence for students in alternative schools

I'm concerned about Senate Bill 5410. Passed into law, it would remove choice in alternative education.

I chose alternative education for my child over district schools because he struggled with daily classroom learning and there was a large student-to-teacher ratio.

I also made the decision to pull my son away from the district-school environment because of the depravity of student-promoted drug access, prolific sexual activity and filthy language.

I chose Washington Virtual Academy (WAVA), a tuition free, statewide public school using a K-12 curriculum, blending technology and innovation with a traditional academic approach.

WAVA provides this engaging education for many types of learners. Professional, certified teachers are meticulously involved with responsive instructional skills; 93 percent of WAVA students passed the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL).

SB 5410 eliminates this asset to education. Students must return to the district or enroll in their district's online program, which is not really a school.

Defend the choice to have alternative learning. Call your senator and ask them to reject SB 5410. Help students like my son obtain confidence in material, learn at an individual pace, experience a personal-learning approach and have the opportunity to escape the social ills of public school.

Tell senators to vote no so that really no child will be left behind.

-- Tanya Noel, Graham

Inspired to teach multiple languages

Patricia Kuhl's research reassures and inspires me ["Infants learn earlier than thought," Local News, Feb. 3].

As a parent, it's nice to know how much of a difference we make in our children's lives by talking to them and playing with them. It's also inspiring to know that we can help our children embrace the world by providing them opportunities to interact with people who speak other languages.

Parents who have a native language other than English can feel empowered to play with their children in their own language. English-speaking families can seek out opportunities to expose their children to other languages and cultures. Starting early is clearly the key.

I founded Sponge, a children's language center, based on these principles. Watching our native-speaking teachers sing, dance and play with babies and children, it's clear how powerful a personal relationship is in child learning. A special bond grows between the children and the teacher and the children and their parents, as they embrace a second (or third) language and culture together.

Ideally, our children will continue to grow up ready to embrace diversity in the world in a new way.

I look forward to the next groundbreaking round of early-learning research and the impact it will have.

-- Jackie Friedman Mighdoll, Seattle

The brain-building bond between child and parent

Gov. Christine Gregoire and members of the Legislature who claim that early learning is their top priority should be held accountable for having apparently ignored these basic facts ["Infants learn earlier than thought," Local News, Feb. 3]:

-- Science long ago proved that parents are their child's first and most important teachers;

-- Early brain development is primarily a function of parent-child interaction, not the interaction between the child and other caregivers;

-- Many parents struggle to provide the nurturing that children need, especially those with low incomes, who have to manage the stress of making ends meet;

-- The return, especially to the state, from investing in prevention programs that support parents and strengthen families is far greater than any other early-learning strategy.

Given these facts, the state's failure to invest in genuine, early-learning strategies that foster healthy parenting and the all-important brain-building bond between child and parent is an abrogation of its responsibilities to children, families, communities and our economic future.

-- Jarrett Lee, Seattle

Cap greenhouse-gas emissions, create green jobs

Need a job? Help pass Cap and Invest.

Tens of millions of dollars are pumped out of the state each day to pay for imported fossil fuels. That's money we should be putting to work here in Washington state.

The cap-and-trade bill, which was revealed by Gov. Christine Gregoire last week, is a fast step in the right direction to keeping our money local. Both bills, House Bill 1819 and Senate Bill 5735, would create a cap-and-trade system, putting our state on a firm path to meet our global warming, pollution-reduction goals.

By partnering with six states and four Canadian provinces, we will first put a cap on the amount of greenhouse-gas emissions that major companies produce. After capping these companies at a certain level, these bills will require them to either keep that level consistent or gradually reduce it.

Also, by requiring polluters to buy permits if they wish to pollute, we will generate enough money to enhance our clean-technology innovation. It will be possible to create green jobs and assist working families struggling with high-energy costs. According to the Office of Financial Management, these investments would help support 2,900 jobs for the next two years.

Furthermore, by ending our dependence on fossil fuels, a cap-and-trade system will drive our transition to a stable and more prosperous economic future.

If passed, the program will not take place until 2012, so it's important that Washington acts now. This legislative package will greatly benefit our economy while protecting our interests in the national climate-policy debate, and position us for success in the new energy economy.

-- Gabrielle Evans, Greenwood

Third strike for three-strikes law

It is time to remove Robbery 2 from the list of "three strikes, you're out" offenses.

Washington was the leader in this three-strikes legislation. It is time for us to be a leader in correcting it.

Something is foul in the state of Washington and the nation when Bernard Madoff, who has ruined so many lives, gets mansion arrest, and a third-time purse snatcher is in prison for life.

We need to support Senate Bill 5292 to remove Robbery 2 from "three strikes."

-- Ruth Yarrow, Seattle

Simplifying school finances

Our Legislature is meeting in Olympia right now and one of the biggest long-term issues on the table is developing a new K-12 school finance system.

A bipartisan, legislative task force has developed a new, transparent model for funding a "basic education" system in Washington state, as required by our state constitution. It uses a prototypical school as the basis for figuring costs.

The current system is extremely complicated; we can't determine the true cost of educating Washington state students. Funding increases would be paid for by K-12 education assuming a larger share of the general fund (50 percent as it was historically). Funding would increase over six years, starting in 2011.

House Bill 1410 and Senate Bill 5444 embody these changes. Find them online at www.leg.wa.gov.

What is the response? The bills are supported by the state PTA, the League of Education Voters, Stand for Children, 35 Puget Sound school superintendents and parents from across the state. The Washington Education Association (WEA) opposes the bills and has been lobbying against them aggressively.

The legislators who drafted these bills need our support. Will you e-mail them, write them or call them? Our legislators want to represent us, but they need to hear from us.

-- Kirsten Taniguchi, Woodinville

The voice of a silent minority

Let me see if I have this correct. Three years ago, when Montlake Elementary School was threatened with closure, affluent parents in the neighborhood banded together in protest and were successful in keeping the school open. Fast forward three years: Montlake Elementary School again appears on the list of schools to be closed. But, parents band together and are successful once more in removing the school from the chopping block.

Credit should be given to these parents in their successful efforts to keep their school open.

Across town, we have the Secondary Bilingual Orientation Center (SBOC), Seattle's port-of-entry school for immigrant and refugee students, on the current list of schools to be closed. The question might well be asked: Where are the parents of these students? Why aren't they protesting the closure of the school and the Seattle School Board's reneging on its 2006 promise for a stand-alone site? Why aren't they complaining about the loss of $14 million originally slated for a new school for SBOC students that instead went to cost overruns for other schools?

Might the answer lie in the fact that the parents of SBOC students speak 60 different languages, do not understand the school system and have little time to organize (even if they did speak English)?

Many parents of refugee and immigrant students work two or three jobs to simply sustain their families, but they nonetheless have valid concerns about the education of their children.

The school board must listen to the different ethnic-community groups representing this silent minority: Horn of Africa Services, the Vietnamese Friendship Association and Campana Quetzel among others. All advocate keeping the SBOC a stand-alone school.

One does not like to think that the Seattle School Board takes advantage of its non-English-speaking parents when it makes decisions about which schools will be closed or relocated, but cynicism cannot be rejected outright.

-- Jeanette Corkery, Seattle

Charter the road to educational success

I cannot think of a better education system than one in which like-minded, competent teachers get together and start their own charter school: teacher-operated, student-centered, without the disruptive and expensive administrative overhead.

Our taxpayers currently support 295 independent school districts in Washington state alone, each one with a superintendent, a school board and large number of nonteaching administrators and backup staff. If private schools thrive without a supervising bureaucracy, charter schools, if operated by dedicated educators, should do quite well. It is worth a try; we can learn from the success or failure of existing charter schools.

-- James Behrend, Bainbridge Island

Blowing smoke about feasibility

Newly elected Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn and the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) were the subject of a Seattle Times editorial Sunday ["Scrutiny encouraged for WASL reforms," Jan. 25].

The Times urged him to slow down the WASL-revisions process in order to let people review it. That's good advice. But The Times seems unconcerned about the proposal to run the WASL by computer in two days, instead of two weeks.

I'm sure the technology exists to rewrite the test for computer administration, though I'm unclear as to the cost and timeline. What seems to be overlooked is the huge lack of hardware needed to administer all four sections of the test in multiple grade levels at the same time.

The junior high school from which I recently retired after 37 years of teaching has about 90 computers available for such a purpose, and that's stretching it. The school has about 500 seventh- and eighth-graders, who will have to take their portion of the test simultaneously to preserve test security.

It's not hard to see the problem, but no one seems to be talking about it.

Either Dorn intends to run the test cycle for the original three weeks, despite what he's said about administering the test over a couple of days instead of a couple of weeks, or he's blowing smoke about the feasibility of using computers. My question is: From where is the hardware coming to run the test?"

-- Kenneth Mortland, Bothell

Music stars become dwindling embers

Seattle boasts two of the best high-school music programs in the country: Garfield in the south end and Roosevelt in the north end. They are fed by the two best middle-school music programs in the city: Washington in the south end and Eckstein in the north end.

It's truly amazing. These music programs are shining stars in the Seattle school system, and they provide a place for kids to come together and create something the entire community, and the even the country, can enjoy and be proud of. They are proof of what is possible in public schools.

These programs have taken years to build and cost a lot of money. Each one of them is heavily subsidized by friends and families of the students they serve. Auctions, fundraisers, bake sales — it all adds up. This year, Friends of Washington Music, the parent group at Washington Middle School, has a $50,000 budget to support the roughly 500 students in its music program.

The current school-closure plan requires that approximately 240 students move from Washington to Hamilton. Almost all of these students participate in the music program at Washington. When these students leave, their dollars will follow and the ability to raise $50,000 will be cut in half.

That is only the beginning of the demise of the music program at Washington. Once the Washington program declines, the Garfield music program won't be far behind. Seattle public schools will be left with shining stars in the north end (Roosevelt and Eckstein) and dwindling embers in the south end (Garfield and Washington).

I wonder what Quincy Jones, whose name graces the new performance center at Garfield, would think about that.

-- Alice Boytz, Seattle

Dense population demands more schools, not fewer

It was recently discovered President-elect Obama, as an infant, lived on Capitol Hill. His mother took up an apartment on Mercer Street and 13th Avenue and lived there for close to a year while she attended the University of Washington.

It is likely if Obama had stayed, he would have attended Meany Junior High School just a few blocks away.

It's ironic and tragic given the upcoming administration's emphasis on education that Capitol Hill's only junior high is now slated to close. It believe it would be a disgrace and a national embarrassment if we cannot offer one of Seattle's most densely populated communities a middle school, and students are forced to travel outside their neighborhood for schooling.

This places a severe hardship not only on the students, but the parents and families. It rips up the community.

There is no doubt Obama's mother, Stanley Ann Soetoro, chose Capitol Hill and this community as a place to start her family. This school speaks to the diversity of the neighborhood.

This finding perhaps gives some weight to recognizing the importance of schools in diverse communities with single parents and struggling families.

I believe every effort should be made to support what is in the best interest of student education. Closing Meany with its specialized education and art programs will not do that.

Please keep Meany Junior High open and Seattle schools open.

-- Charlette LeFevre, Seattle

Immigrant students suffer

I am an ESL teacher at Renton Technical College. I realize we are currently in a state of crisis because of the grim economic situation, but I hope that there are no further cuts to the already deeply cut basic-studies departments of local colleges. It is in these departments that the local immigrant population is working hard to better their skills in order to become productive, active members of our community.

In the last 20 years, I have taught in various college classrooms. The ESL students at Renton Technical College are the most earnest, enthusiastic students I have ever worked with. If you wonder how important these courses are to them, please consider the fact that they are taking the three-hour classes for no credit, at the beginning or end of a long workday, without recognition.

Most people don't realize how difficult the English language is. Someone's accent stands out to us more than the fact that they have just strung together a coherent sentence. A missing "the," "a" or "r" that sounds like an "l" makes us think the speaker doesn't speak English well.

We don't often think about what it took to get to this point: overcoming differences in our pronunciation and the pronunciation of other languages, difficult article usage, sentence structure and a myriad of idioms speakers must learn.

For the many immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as adults, language mastery is that much harder. And for almost all of them, it must be tackled "after hours."

Already, both the short-term and long-term effects of these cuts will be felt in the community and work force for years to come. Immigrants of all backgrounds will be forced to work in jobs below their capacity, important bridge-building and communication skills will decrease, and the multicultural world we live in will become even more factionalized.

I realize decisions are extremely difficult now. But in the current economic climate, classes in the basic-studies department should be growing, not decreasing. These classes teach the skills that are the basis for building a competent, vibrant work force.

You probably talk to or buy something that is made by an immigrant nearly every day. The benefits of ESL are far-reaching and affect virtually every person living in this area and beyond.

-- Elizabeth Falconer, Renton Technical College

Stability and security, not mobility

Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson evidently thinks the public supports her school-closure proposals and the Seattle School Board will approve them. I think she is mistaken and urge the Board to vote no.

The more people learn about the ramifications and impacts of the proposed closures, the more they oppose them.

Goodloe-Johnson was quoted Thursday morning as saying the district "would need to make sure the move didn't disproportionately affect students living in poverty and students who already are struggling in school." The topic was high schools. She doesn't seem to have this concern about closing schools now.

The majority of students at the African American Academy, T.T. Minor, Meany and Cooper are poor (eligible for free and reduced lunch) and of color. Under the proposed closure plan, more than 3,000 students, disproportionately poor and of color, would need to change schools.

But stability and security are central to academic gains among at-risk students, while mobility is highly associated with no gains. This sounds like a recipe for failure. The costs to children are too high and the theoretical dollar savings too low.

If the future is like the past, up to 20 percent of displaced students will leave the district, and the cost in lost revenue will offset a substantial part of the estimated savings.

The alternative: Put the whole process on hold while the district and the community do a more thorough analysis, including the new school-assignment plan.

Improve the schools and market them; don't have a "going out of business sale." Lobby or sue the state Legislature to provide full funding. The state constitution says it is the "primary duty" of the state to provide for the education of its children, but this is not being enforced.

Washington state students are about 45th among the 50 states in per-student funding. If Seattle schools received the funding to which they are entitled, the district would have a surplus, not a deficit.

Meanwhile, don't make the neediest children pay the price!

-- Jonis Davis, Seattle

It's a science

Ellen Goodman hit the nail on the head with her analysis of a new study on teens and sexual activity ["Sex mis-education doesn't work," syndicated columnist, Jan. 2]. For the past eight years, our government has funded and promoted abstinence-only-until-marriage programs, despite mounting evidence that these classes make adolescents more likely to have unprotected sex.

Advice to patients should always be guided by scientific evidence. As a physician, I have encouraged my patients to exercise more or stop smoking based on studies that show the health benefits of these behaviors.

I urge President-elect Obama to use the same principle when deciding which sex-education programs merit federal funding. Comprehensive programs -- including lessons on relationship-building, responsibility and birth control -- are the best choice for raising healthy adults.

-- Suzanne Poppema, MD, Edmonds

Not this one

A quiet tragedy is unfolding in Seattle's Montlake neighborhood.

In the bustle of the holidays, many may have missed the Seattle Public Schools superintendent's hasty and ill-advised proposal to permanently close Montlake Elementary School.

We should all care because Montlake represents the best in our public schools -- high test scores across the socioeconomic spectrum, engaged parents and strong community support.

It is a popular school with a perpetual waiting list. Montlake should be the model for schools everywhere.
Our public schools face a large and real budget crisis. The superintendent and School Board should be commended for taking strong action, but shuttering an important and successful school is not the right solution.

If the School Board endorses the superintendent's recommendation, our city will have lost something valuable and irreplaceable -- and we will all be much the poorer.

-- Lyle Bicknell, Seattle

Withdraw or brace yourselves

In her Dec. 23 op-ed, Maria Goodloe-Johnson touts Garfield High's award-winning jazz ensemble as a district program that rivals any in the nation, yet her current proposal could lead to its demise ["Seattle Public Schools changes will better serve all students," guest column].

If the district splits the Accelerated Progress Program (APP) at Washington Middle School and sends half its students to Hamilton, it will gut its music programs and Garfield's, since Washington is Garfield's feeder school and jazz band. A strong Washington program supports Garfield's success. Splitting this population takes away a core of student musicians vital to its strength.

It has taken decades of sustained effort to build these outstanding music programs. It takes only one ill-considered moment to dismantle them, with irrevocable harm done.

If the district is committed to providing "equity and access," it should recognize that Washington's music program is one way it accomplishes this in our part of town. Weaken the programs at Washington and Garfield, and we're back to the "haves" and the "have-nots." We'll have successful, award-winning jazz programs at Eckstein and Roosevelt in Seattle's North end, and nothing to rival them in the Central Area/South end.

The District must withdraw its proposal or face devastating and divisive repercussions for years to come.

-- Laureen Mar, Seattle

Don't break us apart

This is a country that was founded by people who believed we should all live our lives like a tree, where branches grow apart from each other, but are still part of that one big tree.

Please don't cut down our tree.

I am a seventh-grader at Washington Middle School. I have always been taught to work and live with the people around me. I have grown up and been through almost 13 years believing this, and treasuring it, like I treasure my own life and my family, but because I have moved from one country to another, I have been through the hardships of losing communication with old friends and the pain of leaving my home.

Separating us would ruin our middle-school years. We'd rather wake up earlier everyday and see each other smiling, than sleep in a little more and walk down halls flooded with strangers.

We don't find it fair to break us apart after two years of working, learning, supporting each other and laughing together. Have you thought about how it would make us suffer on our last year of middle school, to send half of us away because the school district doesn't have enough money to budget a small school?

We wouldn't just have a social downfall, but a break in our lives, like a rip in a piece of paper, or a crack in the sidewalk's cement.

Washington Middle School is a united place. Almost all of us are musicians of Washington's nationally recognized music program, mathematicians in our championship math team, debaters, technologists, artists or players in our championship sports teams.

Hamilton Middle School isn't in sync with our school; there would be gaps and overlaps in all of our subjects.
Junior Huskies have been showing the steady pattern of higher grades on the WASL over the past seven years. Wouldn't changing schools at such an inconvenient year impact our grades?

I remember the last days of sixth grade, when we were congratulated for having done a great job at our first year in middle school; we could all hear the eighth graders in the gym. They were shouting and laughing and celebrating. They were happy, proud, victorious and together.

Washington Middle School is our home. We are together, and we are all willing to travel farther to see each other than to break apart.

-- Tabata Viso, Seattle

Think about the future

Instead of closing Seattle schools, it appears Seattle Public Schools may have to open more schools in the near future given all the high-density housing springing up ["Why I'm changing my name to Chrysler," Jesse D. Hagopian guest commentary, Dec. 22].

And will the current economy lessen the appeal of costly private-school tuitions? The unforeseen overcrowding in Seattle's northeast and Magnolia schools may be adumbrations worth heeding.

-- Patricia Bailey, Seattle

It's all relative

The other day, you endorsed Sen. Karen Keiser's plan to provide medical-school tuition breaks to students entering primary-care specialties, such as family medicine, pediatrics and internal medicine ["Tuition breaks for family docs," editorial, Dec. 19 ]. While her idea is certainly a helpful one, it will fall far short of its goal, simply because the long-term financial rewards of specialty care far surpass the costs of tuition.

I'm a family physician. I enjoy what I do, but I work in a system that is designed to reward specialty care and procedures at a far higher rate than primary care. Any intelligent student can see that the financial compensation for specialty care is many times the compensation provided to primary-care providers, especially if there are diagnostic or surgical procedures to perform. Even when there is no procedure involved, specialists are compensated at a much higher rate than primary-care physicians for the identical service.

When a student projects those rewards for even a few years, the benefits of choosing specialty care far exceeds the cost of medical-school tuition.

The senator wants to promote primary care, and I applaud her. But I hope that she sees that the issues go far beyond tuition. Her proposal won't accomplish much, until America decides that providing complex care in a primary-care setting is worth as much as the same care in a specialist's office, or perhaps as much as a single diagnostic procedure.

-- Doug Trotter, Snohomish

Teach 'em cheap

Isn't it wonderful that the teachers and students have to absorb the budget cuts ["Gregoire releases slimmed-down state budget," News, Dec. 18]? Fewer teachers, larger classes and even less time to teach.

Stack 'em deep, teach 'em cheap is still the motto.

Even the "property-poor" districts lose $125 million in levy-equalization funds. Isn't it good to see the pain spread among those who already are in pain? No need to infect the multitude of nonteaching administrators without whom schools could not possibly operate, and teachers could not possibly function.

-- James Behrend, Bainbridge Island

Not the time

Editor, The Times:

Al Sanders would like to see Lowell closed and the Accelerated Progress Program [APP] his daughter joined four months ago split in two. Many other Lowell APP and special-eduction parents, however, do not share this view ["APP can be duplicated; Lowell should be closed," Times, Al Sanders guest commentary, Dec. 18].

As a parent whose child has been at Lowell for four years, I believe that splitting a successful, needed program in two during a time of fiscal crisis is not wise and comes with serious risks, regardless of the intent behind the proposal. The fact that Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson and the School Board revised their initial proposal last Tuesday and now opt to keep the economically sound, spacious and central Lowell School open and only move out half of APP, demonstrates that they too found it was flawed and at least some of our concerns valid.

I would not presume to psychoanalyze how parents respond to shocking news that their child's school will be closed, their community splintered and moved across town, other than to empathize with all parents in the district whose children are being shuffled around in a process that seems erratic.

But I too can cite Lowell parents I've heard at various forums recently: "No matter what happens to our APP kids, let's ask the district to keep Lowell open for the special-ed kids." "As parents of a minority, interracial student, we have always felt that Lowell is colorblind." "the APP program has been a godsend. My son is not a freak in this school."

Or the special-ed father who pleaded, "We don't want the district to warehouse our kids." And the School Board member who, when asked if the district has enough resources to create two new APP programs at Thurgood Marshall and Hamilton, and provide for special-education kids if dispersed throughout the district, replied, "No, it doesn't."

-- Susan Peters, Seattle

Tell me this

I wonder what Al Sanders' plan is for the special-education students who also attend Lowell.

The two programs, APP and special education, have shared the building for more than 10 years and in that time have built a strong relationship for the betterment of both populations. As the parent of a special-education student, I would like to see the two programs continue to coexist.

-- Leslie Rorty, Seattle

We need
a guarantee

Al Sanders creates straw men (or straw parents) to support his non-argument that closing Lowell will be good for the kids in APP. Fix the building if that is the problem.

Transplanting the APP program to other school buildings and not guaranteeing the resources to make sure that the program will take root is the genuine concern of the parents.

-- Anthony Boxwell, Seattle

It's not broken

The reason Lowell parents are ready to fight splitting the APP program in two is simple: The program is thriving and successful, and the district's plan is flawed, rushed and ill-conceived.

We recognize that the Lowell building does not define who we are as a community; we are greater than the sum of our students, teachers, staff and very involved parents. How are we wrong to want to keep together a program that is effectively serving our children?

We ask no more or less than other parents in the district.
The district's proposal defies their own research published in the University of Virginia APP study.

The initial proposal has since been revised, demonstrating that even the superintendent and School Board saw that our concerns were valid. Yet the new plan still doesn't solve issues of capacity, APP growth, access and equity. We haven't been given a plan that addresses the transition, and how the program will retain its strength and integrity, which is a critical factor in this time of financial crisis.

In order to attempt a division of the elementary APP program, the district would need time and money -- neither of which it has.

Why wouldn't the district instead turn its attention toward schools that are under-enrolled and struggling, rather than trying to fix programs that aren't broken?

-- Sally Hardwick, Seattle

What help?

As a teacher hired in 2006, I will be going through the National Boards Certification process. You stated that "Seattle offers assistance for its teachers as well." As a Seattle teacher, I'm curious about that statement ["National Board Certification = Quality Teachers," editorial, Dec. 15].

We were informed that Seattle Public Schools offers one planning day for its teachers going through the board process. No videographer, no upfront payment for teachers (like Bellevue does), and if you want a support group -- lucky for the UW [University of Washington]. Since they partnered with Seattle Public Schools, UW gets our $500 for being a part of a cohort.

With the state budget crisis, teachers' cost of living allowance is threatened. We were told that there was only one more year guaranteed for the $5,000 bonuses. After that, the state couldn't promise anything.
Being a new teacher who started a career with over than $30,000 in school loans from my master's degree and special-education endorsement, I'm wondering, since my district won't help me with the costs, and it looks like the state won't be in any shape to help over the next few years, if The Seattle Times would help us teachers out?

Since they think its such a good idea.

-- Kate Napolitan, Seattle

What next?

The recent story about cuts to after-school programs speaks to an issue happening right here in our local communities ["After-school cuts stir fears of kids home alone," Nation & World, Dec. 12]. The story cited programs in other states experiencing budget cuts, but we don't need to look further than our neighborhood after-school programs to see how the deepening recession is impacting where kids spend their time once the school bell rings.

We have all heard about the proposed school closures the Seattle School Board and superintendent are considering right now. These closures and relocation of programs will not only impact kids and families during the school day, but also before and after school. Every site proposed for closure and re-purposing houses at least one out-of-school-time program that provides critical services to the school community. If the schools are closed, where will kids who rely on out-of-school-time programming go?

Especially with the recent rise in youth violence, we need these programs, which provide a safe and enriching place, more than ever. And our families need the support of after-school programs as many parents find themselves working longer hours or juggling several jobs to make ends meet.

While budgets need to be balanced, we must preserve the safety-net of programs like after-school services that foster healthy communities.

-- Danielle Baer, Seattle

Save the Center

Seattle Public Schools plans to close or move the Center School to Rainier Beach High School, despite a growing number of families in North Seattle. Why don't they expand schools where there is demand, instead of forcing students into empty seats?

The loss of this school will leave a hole in neighborhoods that badly need a high school. Do they really want more parents screaming to get their children into Ballard High School? The elementary schools are overflowing now and the pressure will grow with the students.

The Center School is a hidden jewel in the district and its location at the Seattle Center is what makes it unique. Students work closely with arts organizations like the Seattle Repertory Theatre and parents are highly involved. Why not expand upon this success and make the school a citywide magnet program?

We are in tough times but the school district needs to make smart decisions. They shouldn't kill the Center School. They should keep it right where it is.

-- Georgi Krom, Seattle

Don't take away the APP

For many years, Seattle has given gifted kids an opportunity to shine by providing the Accelerated Progress Program (APP). It would serve Seattle well to keep this program ["Which schools are on chief's list -- and which are not," News, Dec. 10].

However, new Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson and the School Board have cited the APP as elitist and racist, and thereby is targeted to be dismantled. This act is purely political.

The APP has served the needs of students who are academically highly gifted of all races. APP is an all-city draw for gifted Seattle kids from first to 12th grades (regardless of race or family income) who can do well on the entrance test and can perform at a significantly accelerated learning pace and learn at a significantly advanced level of complexity and depth.

Many public programs in the Seattle school system require tryouts to prove ability for admittance.

Higher-learning institutions, colleges and universities require testing based upon academic ability for admittance.

Thereby, what is wrong with having the APP available for all kids in first to 12th grades who require testing based upon academic ability for admittance?

Please do not allow the School Board to destroy APP. For many years, it has helped so many highly gifted kids from so many walks of life. By destroying APP, you will deprive America's future of the best it has to offer academically.

Taking away APP deprives gifted kids of Seattle an accelerated learning pace in classes that provide an advanced level of complexity and depth.

-- Jeff Tanner, Seattle

A university is for education

"Sarkisian to earn $1.85M per year" was first to catch my eye on the front-page banner of The Seattle Times on Sunday, Dec. 7. In the Opinion section, a headline read "Make higher education a priority" [David S. Broder column, Dec. 7], which explained the cheers President-elect Barack Obama receives when advocating for affordable and accessible college education for American young people.

So I ask the University of Washington, which is it? Education or football? The UW is ostensibly experiencing a budget crisis and is proposing 20 percent cuts, which will affect class availability, class size and most certainly the cost of tuition.

Meanwhile, the university will make its football coach the highest paid state employee at $1.85 million per year. This is a gross misappropriation of dollars.

How about $500,000 per year? That's not a bad deal for a football coach -- or anyone. That leaves $1.35 million to help alleviate the UW budget crisis and places proper priority on spending. And revenue from football will still flow.

-- Dave Thornsburg, Seattle

Time to make extraordinary changes

You seem to uncritically accept a seven-period day as a welcome reform ["Solid education funding begins with a clear vision," editorial, Dec. 7]. Schools have experimented with four, five, six and hybrid periods.

Requiring seven periods is not a compelling idea; it is just rearranges the deck chairs on the Titanic. If we want to save real money and have real reform in education, we must reduce the number of school districts in Washington state from 295 to a much smaller number.

We must move away from a top-heavy, administrative-driven education system to a teacher-operated, student-centered system. We must stop the constant introduction of new educational theories. We must allow teacher-operated charter schools. We must demand that principals teach at least one class (a strange European concept.)

We must establish alternatives to the existing system for becoming a teacher. We have an extraordinary opportunity to make some extraordinary changes. Carpe diem.

-- James Behrend, Bainbridge Island

Stick with what works

Pay raises for experience run only for about the first 14 years of a teacher's career, usually ending when a teacher is about 36 years old ["Solid education funding begins with a clear vision," editorial, Dec. 7]. Those "seniority" raises amount to a little more than a cost-of-living raise.

There is plenty of research indicating that experience brings many advantages in classroom management and teaching skills that would validate the basis for longevity-pay increments.

Merit-pay raises usually do not appeal to teachers because the basis for assessing merit can be seriously flawed. Outcomes of standardized testing might be used as a basis for determining merit; using test scores, teachers working with lower-achieving students would be eliminated. Administrators have biases, such as favoring teachers they have hired. And some teachers are more self-promoting.

Teachers believe that each colleague has a distinctive role to play in creating a successful experience for their students. It is hard to see how to sort the equivalency of one contribution with other contributions. What teachers usually fear about merit pay is that it would be hard to determine a professionally acceptable basis to award that merit designation.

-- Mary Johnson, Seattle

We live in a material world

Somehow, our legislators seem to have drunk the Kool-Aid that suggests that our educational problems are directly related to more money.

President-elect Barack Obama stated it quite clearly while in Seattle: "No amount of money can buy achievement."

There just might be enough money already in the educational pot to educate those children who "want" an education. Our problems have much more to do with the "concept" that we can "entice" children to want to learn instead of having parents and other adults make this a mandate. Schools cannot compete with Disney and the iPod.

As a former school-board member, I can tell you that there isn't any clambering by the population for "better education." Better football coaches for sure, but not better education.

This new program looks much more like an enhancement of the juvenile social halls that we call high schools than it does of better education.

The current five-period day funded by the state will allow a serious student to meet the entrance requirements of the most competitive colleges.

Students and taxpayers should expect that high schools "graduate" either a vocationally competent, or academically qualified student. Leave entertainment and "exercise of the physically fit" up to others.

-- Charles Hoff, Kent

Dig into your own pockets

The Huskies want to raid taxpayers to pay for their stadium ["Cougar fans nip at request for Husky Stadium funds," News, Dec. 2]. A group of smart Cougars starts asking why? The publicity embarrasses the Huskies, so state Sen. Ed Murray, D-Seattle, whose district includes the University of Washington, tells them twice in the public hearing they should be "ashamed of themselves." A wealthy Husky alum, who appears to have enough money to pay for the entire stadium himself, calls them "fools."

Huskies are using public ridicule in an attempt to embarrass and silence these Cougars so they will quit asking smart questions. In the past, football stadiums have been paid for by donor contributions and user fees. The Cougars are simply pointing out that once taxpayers fund one college football stadium, we had better be prepared to pay for similar football stadiums for other universities in the state as well.

But the bigger issue here does not have a voice. When the state voted and approved public funding for the new Seahawks stadium, taxpayers were promised that these funds would also address the severe shortage of youth soccer, baseball and other play fields. To date, $14 million has been allocated to address this issue, less than 5 percent of the total spending. Now that $150 million is left over, instead of allocating the remaining funding to keep the commitment that we made to our youth, the Huskies are stepping in and trying to take a portion of it. Based on this fact, who should really be "ashamed of themselves"?

-- Mark Ufkes, Seattle

Courtney Blethen / The Seattle Times

Pathfinder K-8 School would move to Arbor Heights Elementary under the current Seattle Public Schools closure plan

Don't judge a school
based on its building

Editor, The Times:

Don't jump on board with the Seattle school district's proposals just yet ["School closures: the march continues," Times, editorial, Dec. 1].

You describe Lowell Elementary as "bursting at the seams" as if this were a bad thing. Think of it instead as needed revenue from more than 500 Washington state student allocations. Lowell has the largest enrollment of any elementary school because it is successful -- a fact we should celebrate rather than decimate. It removes over 100 students from the crowded Northeast region. And the APP [Accelerated Progress Program] can't expand once divided into two south-end schools. They will be over capacity on the first day of school.

Our students have never perceived a school that is "decrepit," as the superintendent alleges. (Other buildings in the district are in worse condition with smaller enrollments.) There is too much quality learning there to notice.

Empty seats exist in newly rebuilt schools not because there are no children nearby to fill them, but because the district made the false assumption that a good building means a good education. It's the program inside the building that draws families and teaches students. This is proven at Lowell every day.

Don't risk the integrity of a great program like APP. The district recommends moving whole programs to new buildings -- NOVA, Summit, Pathfinder, etc. Why single Lowell out to be split in half?

-- Janet Pelz, Seattle

Where's the logic?

I am appalled at The Seattle Times' endorsement on school closures. You don't even mention the closure of the Arbor Heights Program.

Why is Arbor Heights closing? Low enrollment? No. My friend is on the waiting list. Low test scores? No. Arbor Heights is not at step four or five, which would put it in trouble with No Child Left Behind.

Does it meet any of the criteria put forth by the district to justify closures? Not one.

Arbor Heights is closing simply because the building is big enough for the Pathfinder Program. The word "eviction" comes to mind. The Seattle School District is evicting 303 Arbor Heights students and bussing them north into five to six schools. Then they are bussing 400 Pathfinder students south -- to save money? No. Bussing is expensive. Pathfinder is not a reference school, so the 160 kids who live within walking distance of the school don't get priority to go to Pathfinder.

What's more, the school district won't hold a public hearing at Arbor Heights because the building isn't closing. They don't want to hear from us and you don't want to write about us.

-- Chris Conley, Seattle

Time for a game
of musical classrooms

Unfortunately, creating great educational outcomes and environments isn't as easy as "just do it."

The Times editorial cited the proposal to move the Accelerated Progress Program to two underfilled schools designated as failing to make "adequate yearly progress" under No Child Left Behind, and currently attended by mostly minority kids.

Superintendent John Stanford moved APP out of a similar co-location arrangement with a general-education population because he said it created a palpable sense of "haves and have-nots" that was detrimental to the self-esteem of the K-5 kids. An expert review of the APP program, paid for by the district last year, advised against co-locating the program with students of a different socioeconomic group because of the likelihood of divisiveness between the two programs. This is exactly what the district is now proposing with respect to APP.

How will moving the APP program into these schools improve the educational performance of the existing student populations, who will be in separate classrooms? The last time the district closed schools, 21 percent of the impacted students left the district. Is that good for the overall health of the school system?

Tearing apart existing programs and simply shifting students around to fill spaces without the support of data to show how it will work educationally is not a recipe for the long-term health of the district (fiscally or otherwise).

-- Shannon Phillips, Seattle

Jump in and help

We now have a new president calling for public education to take a harder look at charter schools and merit pay to improve student learning in our schools ["Obama vows swift action on economy," Times, Politics, Nov. 23]. I teach these children. I get up every single morning thinking about, working for and feeling the needs of my class deeply as I teach the curriculum demanded of me.

I, like most teachers, put in an average of 10 to 12 hours each workday and most weekends. Yet, each year more is asked of us. Teachers don't need charter schools or incentive pay to work any harder. It is not just a matter of curriculum. Japan, China, Belgium, France, Germany and so many more countries have higher achievement because they treasure learning as a nation, and look at and respect teachers as a valuable tool in life. The U.S., on the other hand, has an underfunded and punitive program called No Child Left Behind. We have done this to ourselves.

We value 30-second commercials, the quick fix, the fast car, sharp clothes and short articles to read. Great books, well-crafted plays or movies and in-depth public discussion of issues are poorly read and attended, at best. We don't seek to embrace the challenge of a deeper meaning or question why. It takes too much time and effort.

Now our economy is in the tank and politics are more divided than ever.

Our businesses and government don't inspire the hard-work ethic; it is an "I got mine, what-are-you-looking-at society." I want to hear and see the public, businesses, newspapers, governors, mayors and our president encourage greater pride in student learning. Start reminding everyone on the TV, newspapers, public discussion, on fancy company letters, how important it is to be with your child.

Our parents need to set higher expectations for learning. We cannot be satisfied allowing TV, cellphones or CDs to be the best way for kids to spend so much of their free time anymore. The very people who are critical of public schools are too silent, except at election time, or when a house sale or major business deal has school as part of its sales pitch.

The public-school system is good when everyone is behind it all the time.

Right now, people are only behind school when it is convenient. If these places we call schools are so important at election time, then why are the classrooms and their teachers rarely visited or asked for input, except by parents. Stop blaming the teachers and start asking what are you doing? Jump in.

-- Jim Thompson, Kent

We need fresh thinking

Here are some suggestions on how to handle the budget crisis in higher education.

Cut art history, philosophy, American studies, music therapy, communications, dance, English literature, Latin, film, religion, psychology, sociology, etc. Those subjects can be taught in private, religious, arts and philosophical schools. Most people with those degrees don't get a job in their field of study anyway. Instead, they could forgo college and get a head start on their careers.

Also, cut sports.

Let's give our students real opportunity. Higher education needs to adapt to the challenges we face: energy independence, global warming and world poverty. To do this, bolster the sciences, medicine, law, business,
education and engineering. This will also help us to be more competitive against strong emerging markets around the world.

The world needs technological breakthroughs. Change is difficult, but hope lies in the courage to make necessary changes in the face of adversity. We need fresh thinking and bold action.

-- Kevin Wright, Shoreline

Taxing is not the only way

Why is it our politicians feel the need to cut essential programs to force tax increases instead of looking at innovative approaches to funding increases ["Gregoire looking at massive state budget cuts," Politics, Nov. 30]. Not all funding has to come from taxes.

How about advertising naming rights for schools, gyms and all athletic stadiums at each school that has them? Sell advertising billboards along the fences and walls of these same stadiums, like they do at Safeco or Qwest Field. Open up schools to advertising in creative ways, such as school clothes sponsored by various companies.

Eliminate school-operated lunchrooms and sell food-court rights to serve students. You can do this by setting reasonable health standards and fixed costs that vendors will meet if given enough school access for volume sales.

Increase the number of vending machines and charge more, providing a product line approved by the School Board. How about eliminating books and going to online materials that students can access from home? Kids don't take books home anyway because there aren't enough for each student, so they leave them in school and share them. Most of today's kids are more savvy at the Internet anyway.

Rent out school facilities on weekends or at nights when possible to organizations and groups that will pay for usage. Do a transportation study and provide passes and maximize usage of mass-transit buses for high-school students instead of providing school buses for routes that are well-serviced. There is no need to add thousands of dollars of cost to students and families, just start thinking more creatively.

-- Art Francis, Issaquah

Now is the time to increase funding

Washington state's constitution specifically outlines its paramount duty is to fund public education. With the knowledge that voters overwhelmingly passed Initiative 732 and Initiative 728, it is extremely disconcerting that The Seattle Times would propose that we cut teacher pay and increase class size ["In tough times, suspend education initiatives," editorial Nov. 26].

How many times do we need to list the cold hard facts: Washington state is 47th in the nation for class sizes, teacher pay is the lowest on the West Coast and far below the national average, and over the years many research reports and think tanks have said smaller classes and higher teacher salaries improve the quality of education.

The answer is quite simple: Even in hard economic times, we need to be working on improving teaching and learning in our state, and the baseline is class size and teacher pay.

As a teacher gains experience, just like a doctor or lawyer, he/she is also learning. Problems or challenges become easier to anticipate. There are more tools in his/her tool belt to assess learning and reteach, modify or increase instruction in particular skill sets. This information can then be passed to newer colleagues entering the field.

What is happening in education is a type of brain drain. Because of the high stress, huge workload and extremely low pay, teachers leave their field, their passion, to keep their families functioning. It is easy to criticize teachers and believe the myth that they are greedy and lazy. But there are few other professional and governmental jobs where pay is not guaranteed and workload continually increases without compensation.

Because we have a system that encourages a revolving-door type scenario, stability and knowledge are lost.

People also criticize the public-school system for students who fall through the cracks. There is always this wonderment of why someone could not learn to read by the time he/she gets to high school. The basic answer is quite simple: The larger the crowd, the easier it is to hide. When education is cut, supplementary services are cut. Even when learning issues are discovered, there could be very few options or tools available to the students, parents and teachers. When class sizes are smaller, it is easier to identify learning issues, and have the time to individually address the situation. Behaviors or attendance issues are dealt with at a faster rate. There is more time for a teacher to communicate with parents. There is nowhere for a student to hide.

Everyone wants to keep his piece of the pie when cuts have to be made. It is up the people and lawmakers to make these decisions. Budget items need to be prioritized. Washington state started this list a long time ago. The citizens and lawmakers understood the necessity of having a well-educated population. So they put it in the state constitution. It is our paramount duty to fund public education.

In the last few years, there has been some movement forward. We need to remain firm in our beliefs and not try and solve the budget problem with what seems to be a quick and easy fix. Education money needs to remain and continually be increased, even in hard economic times.

-- Melissa Metzger, Seattle

Way too late

Children are our most important responsibility. They are the future. The knowledge required for Seattle (and our nation) to thrive in the global economy is already jeopardized by our broken education system.

The two initiatives you recommend suspending (better pay for teachers and reducing class sizes) are too little and very late, but at least they begin to tackle education problems. Our future is worth a lot more than the $1.45 billion you claim can be saved.

Shame on you and shame on us if we continue to relegate children and their education to the "good times." We are surrounded with the results of such "good-time" thinking: rundown school buildings, students who can't pass basic tests, teachers on food stamps and classrooms without text books.

-- Loretta Jancoski, Issaquah

Education is more important

The problems that face our society can never be fixed as long as we continue to value entertainment over education.

Instead of trying to lure another mediocre NBA franchise to Seattle, let's focus our efforts on keeping schools from closing and paying teachers a yearly salary that is more per year than what they owe for student loans.

Instead of shifting the 1 percent hotel tax (which is currently paying off the convention center) to generate $75 million in order to upgrade KeyArena, why don't we shift it to generate $75 million for education?

Or better yet, If Steve Balmer and his apostles of American capitalism really want to do something of value for their local community and region, they should take the $150 million that they have pledged to upgrade KeyArena, and use it to upgrade the educational system. Maybe then they would see some quality returns on their investment in the long run.

It's worth a shot considering we already have a pretty good idea about the kind of returns a middling professional sports franchise yields.

-- Ryan Malone, Duvall

Not in Washington

I'm getting really tired of the pattern in your lead editorials lately. Where are your values? Where is your pride?

Sure we have an economic downturn, but draconian cuts to education make no sense ["Initiative-backed education initiatives should be suspended in these tough times," Editorial, Nov. 25]. Cutting education is no way to fix the economy.

When the chips are down in your family do you just take the kids out of college? Do you stop feeding the baby? Sell your daughter to the highest bidder? And all in the name of protecting your 401(k) so that you can take that world cruise during your retirement? I think Washington state's values are a little beyond that.

Why is it that if the economy isn't roaring the public should expect "class sizes will balloon" and "teachers will be very unhappy?" And funding for schools "should be considered good-time proposals"?

In this string of "everything-should-be-cut" editorials, the only thing that seems sacred is the pocketbooks of rich business owners.

"No new taxes." That may be the values system of the President George W. Bush Republicans, but it's not part of our values here in Washington.

-- Isabel D'Ambrosia, Seattle

At least maintain

As a senior in high school, I am deep within the process of applying to college and concerned to hear about the large budget cuts our local universities are anticipating ["20 percent cuts may be ahead for colleges, universities as bottom falls out of budget," News, Nov. 23].

A number as high as 20 percent for a budget cut is shocking, and I'm worried to know that our struggling economy has already had such a real, tangible effect on universities that I may one day attend.

I'm also worried about the enrollment cuts threatened by community colleges, as my older brother is currently attempting to transfer to a local community college.

If we can't foster the resources for higher education, we should at least maintain them. Our economy would benefit from improved higher education in the long run, and cutting the budgets and/or enrollment of our universities is shortsighted at best.

-- Lisa Jaech, Seattle

Get in the spirit

Editor, The Times:

The likelihood that our higher-education system will not escape serious funding reductions should not necessarily result in reductions in enrollment and class offerings ["20% cuts may be ahead for state colleges, universities as bottom falls out of budget," News, Nov. 23]. This may be just the opportunity needed to call about the nascent volunteer spirit in our citizenry that President-elect Barack Obama's election has evoked.

There are likely many former faculty members living near colleges at which they once taught that would, if invited, come back to teach on a part-time, unpaid basis. Although still physically and intellectually active, they've hit the state's mandatory retirement age of 70. They would neither need nor expect a salary since most will have an adequate retirement income. And my guess is that they would enjoy the challenge of re-engaging with students even if for the short-term -- until we work our way out of the financial predicament.

Similarly, there are probably many exceptional people who have retired from professional careers who could be recruited to teach in their disciplines.

Given the increasing demand for classroom seats, the colleges and universities of this state need to maintain an open-door policy. Those filled seats represent the human capital on which the state's future clearly depends.

-- Dick Nelson, Seattle

This won't help

As a senior in high school, I am in the thick of applying to colleges and universities and anxiously awaiting their decisions. Nick Perry's Nov. 23 story about the proposed tuition increases and budget cuts was alarming for me and was cause for concern on a local and national level.

The cuts would lead to fewer faculty and resources, a tuition increase and lower acceptance rates. The combination of an all-time high in enrollment and applications as well as a decrease in funding leads to a truly awful mix.

I was in complete agreement with University of Washington director of state relations, Randy Hodgins, when he was paraphrased saying, "higher-education officials need to explain to the public the opportunities that might be lost should higher education languish."

It is counterproductive to reduce educational opportunities for state residents. This is a national problem. The California state university system faces budget cuts and a need to reduce enrollment by a total of 10,000 students statewide. It will be damaging to close doors on many people's shots at higher education.

-- Emuna David, Seattle

Keep it accessible

That's it, rob the future taxpayers to pay for the current government's incompetence. Sunday's front-page story about 20 percent cuts to higher education was alarming ["20% cuts may be ahead for state colleges, universities as bottom falls out of budget," Nov. 23].

Without the next generation of well-paid, taxpaying citizens, the current generation is in big trouble when it comes time for those Social Security checks to show up in the mailbox.

Budget cuts in the area of education seem to undermine the sustainability of this state's economy. In the job market, a college education isn't a golden ticket to getting a job that will pay a mortgage, buy a used car and keep one's family fed and clothed. It's a requirement. Undermining young people's ability to compete in future job markets by making education inaccessible flies in the face of logic.

Education should be this state's No. 1 priority. It is the only way we are going to ensure economic sustainability. Otherwise, let's just ship jobs out now to other countries in the world that make education a priority. While we're at it, let's turn all the universities into soup kitchens because that's the only way our parents are going to eat without our future tax dollars to help them when they can't work anymore.

-- Justin Craig, Seattle

Cut Emmert's pay

Concerning University of Washington President Mark Emmert announcing that he will forgo a raise in his very substantial annual compensation of $905,000, let us consider what could happen if he took a significant pay cut, rather than freezing his salary ["UW, WSU presidents' salaries affected by budget crunch," News, Nov. 21].

Perhaps he will reconsider and instead voluntarily reduce his salary to only $205,000 -- still a substantial level of pay, more than 10 times above the minimum wage. What could be done with the $700,000 saved?

Assuming professors make $70,000, Emmert's pay cut could fund 10 professors. If we assume that a support person makes $40,000 per year, then Emmert's $700,000 pay cut could save 17 positions. And if we consider how many minimum-wage positions could be saved with a $700,000 pay cut, Emmert could save 41 people from the unemployment lines. Even the poverty of a minimum-wage job is better than no job at all.

What will Emmert say to the families affected by the looming layoffs?

-- Jim Thomas, Seattle

Question his priorities
Given the University of Washington's massive budget shortfalls, I'm appalled that UW President Mark Emmert thinks he's doing us a service by waiving an increase in his $905,000 salary.

If you add up the combined amount made by our state's governor, attorney general, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, auditor and insurance commissioner, it still doesn't equal Emmert's total. I know that Emmert has raised a lot of money and that his salary and the $700,000 made by his WSU [Washington State University] counterpart Elson Floyd (before a $100,000 voluntary pay cut), are set by the Board of Regents. But given that Emmert's salary equals almost a tenth of the $10 million cuts that will otherwise require laying off professors, turning away students or cutting key services, it's unseemly, to the say the least. If Emmert requires that amount to stay, then I'd question his priorities.

I have a proposal: I'd like to cap Washington state higher-education salaries so that no one makes more than our governor, who currently earns $166,891, and somehow manages to make ends meet.

Given that this couldn't go through instantly, I'd like to challenge Emmert, Floyd and every other employee of our higher-education system who makes more than that amount to donate the excess back, at least for this time of crisis.

Yes, Emmert would have to live on that $166,891 pittance, plus major benefits and $340,000 a year from serving on corporate boards.

Our system's football coaches and senior vice presidents might have to live more modestly as well. But it would make a significant difference in the lives of the faculty, staff and students who'd otherwise be laid off or excluded. And imagine the example it would set in reminding us all that education should be about learning and service, not greed.

-- Paul Loeb, Seattle

King County's getting there

Keith Ervin's story in the Nov. 22 Seattle Times about the King County budget process is a great example of how government should work. My hat goes off to King County Council budget chair Larry Phillips and the budget committee for taking King County Executive Ron Sims' "slash and burn" budget and creating a compromise that recognizes government's responsibility to protect the public interest in circumstances where we cannot protect ourselves.

This budget is still far from perfect but at least there is a glimmer of social responsibility with this relatively modest, responsible expenditure that provides the most basic support for those families and individuals who have nowhere else to turn.

-- Dan Labriola, Seattle

Move it along, Olympia

Finally suggestions to close the $5 billion state budget gap ["Legislature, governor must find $5 billion in spending cuts without raising taxes," editorial, Nov. 23]. I believe one of the biggest failings of any government -- federal, state and local -- is the lack of explaining exactly where and how tax dollars are spent. There never seems to be an annual accounting to the public of how their tax dollars are allocated.

But Sunday's editorial succinctly outlined reasonable options to solve our budget crisis. Although these ideas will be challenged by various constituencies, I hope the Legislature moves forward with these suggestions.

-- Jane Ramsay, Bellevue

School's not just a day care

Your [Sunday editorial on the state budget] revealed the editorial board's collective misunderstanding of modern public education with just two words: "nonteaching days." This was how you justified cutting math and science learning-improvement days to your readers.

Your deliberate parenthetical inclusion of this comment implies that taxpayers get less value for their money when students aren't in the classroom. If you expect day care only, this would be true.

I'm not a science teacher, and I don't know how those days have been used, but your justification for the cuts was poor and uninformed. And unfortunately, you are perpetuating a popular misconception that serves as one of the bigger hurdles in American education.

Many other countries, at least the ones that are the object of our envy because of their public schools, give their teachers significantly more time to meet with parents and students (customer service), grade assignments (performance assessment), collaborate with colleagues (strategic planning) and plan, review and revise curriculum (research and development).

None of this can be done when there are 34 students to supervise in the classroom.

Trying to get students engaged in a lesson is important (sales), but your editorial board should stop feeding the myth that this alone will give us a good product.

-- Stephen Nolet, Suquamish

Penalty for nonsense

The Bob Condotta and Bud Withers story about Husky and Cougar stadium fundraising, combined with the nice Rich Boudet illustration, represents a good start in the discussion ["Banking on wins, losing on losses," Sports, Nov. 21].

But it would be more appropriate if the Husky purple piggy bank shown in the illustration had $150 million sticking out of it, since this is the amount the University of Washington wants in tax dollars for their stadium. And the small pile of Cougar coins should be in a tin cup, since it is clear that the Cougars are getting pressure from UW not to disrupt the Husky tax-dollar stadium-funding plan.

It is ironic that, during a recession, the Pac-10 Cougars are planning to pay for their stadium improvements through alumni and student support, with no tax dollars, while during the same recession, the Pac-10 Huskies, with a $2.6 billion endowment, and the highest-paid university president in the U.S., are asking the state Legislature to pay for their stadium.

Someone needs to call a penalty on this nonsense.

-- Mark Ufkes, White Center

No wonder

As a taxpayer in the state of Washington and as an American who was understands higher education from both a public- and private-system perspective in this state, I am outraged, appalled and disappointed with the news that the chief administrators of the University of Washington and Washington State University are being paid six- and seven-figure compensatory salaries ["Emmert, Elson earn their pay," editorial, Nov. 18].

The front-page story indicating a "$ 600 million cutback" systemwide only exacerbates with highlight this grievous situation ["Higher ed prepares to cut $600 million," Nov. 19].

Why are public tax dollars authorized to pay public employees compensation on this scale? This is wrong and should cause every citizen in this state to sit up and take notice. I fail to see how a college or university president deserves this kind of money, in comparison with the city manager of Tacoma, for example, who is responsible for a population center of over 200,000 thousand with an annual salary of about $180,000.

In the prevailing economic crisis both statewide and nationally, it is clear that there are people and agencies who need to be replaced. The State Board for Higher Education should be held accountable, including the Legislature and governor, for support of these perks at the expense of each and every citizen. No wonder we are in a mess.

There are educators, students, staff and citizens of this state who will be required to sacrifice again and regardless of other contributing circumstances in our local and national economy, these "private-sector salaries" aren't helping the situation. It seems to reflect the greed and excessive nature of the market.

The argument that we need to pay this scale of salary to attract "qualified leaders" is nothing more than fluff and nonsense. There are people more than qualified to lead our state institutions of higher learning who don't require or could even accept this unjustified payment for services rendered.

I trust someone might investigate further into the process by which taxpayer dollars are used to underwrite such a travesty, when so many folks are suffering and can't even make it with two incomes, much less one.

-- Troy Jella, Seattle

We can't afford this

Do the people of Washington state need to pay nearly $1 million annually to retain great people to lead our universities? Of course not.

A truly great leader would not extort an exorbitant salary from the citizenry -- a real leader would accept a decent salary sufficient to support his or her family as a supplement to the great opportunity to lead.

Let's drop the notion that public institutions need to pay extortionate salaries "to compete with the private sector." We can't afford this foolishness any longer. And we don't need leaders who think they should earn a fortune on the backs of the people.

-- Greg Bartholomew, Seattle

The past is calling

I am pleased that President-elect Barack Obama is about to become our president. He gave an incredible acceptance speech, and John McCain delivered a very gracious concession speech.

History often echoes the past into the present: 1942 was a particularly bleak year for the allies. It looked like Germany, Japan and Italy were going to conquer everybody, and plunge the world into darkness; 66 years ago, in Nov. 1942, Bernard Montgomery chased Erwin Rommel out of Africa for Britain's first victory of the war.

Winston Churchill then addressed the British people on the radio:

He said, "Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."

Obama is brand new to leadership, but his speech had echoes of the same fire and the same challenge to the spirit of his people: Yes, we can.

-- Gary Paine, Seattle

Make this your first order

Leonard Pitts Jr.'s excellent column stated that President-elect Barack Obama's children will not attend public schools in Washington, D.C., because of the terrible quality of those schools ["Why the Obamas are unlikely to put daughters in public school," syndicated column, Nov. 16]. He criticized the teachers-union fight against Michelle Rhee, the schools' chief who is trying to improve quality by rewarding good teachers and firing bad ones.

But he did not follow his argument to its logical conclusion: If Obama recognizes that the schools in D.C. are not fit for his own children, he should fight by the side of educators like Rhee even if it means giving up the union's massive campaign contributions.

If he were truly committed to improving quality for all children -- and not just to saving his own as former President Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton did before him -- he would stand up to the unions.

And the best way to do this is to fight for a law to end closed-shop unions in government, thereby forcing them to earn credibility and membership, and enact policies that support good employees and reject bad ones. This would truly be an "alternative universe" to what exists today in public education.

-- Deborah Johnson, DuPont

What were you thinking?

Who thought this would be a good idea to discuss sex in the school paper, anonymously or otherwise ["Puyallup students sue over sex story" News, Nov. 13]? Is this teacher still working there? Was a retraction printed in the "JagWire" apologizing for naming the students?

I think the teacher deserves to be fired and the students suspended for their misconduct. I also think the girls who were interviewed and named should have known better than to openly discuss their sex-lives if they weren't prepared for the reactions of their peers.

-- Karla Sewell, Lake Stevens

We can grow into them

I recognize that the dream of having 80 percent of minority low-income students go to college seems impossible, but at least someone here still believes in them ["Gates Foundation turns attention to higher education," News, Nov. 12].

As a Millennial Gates Scholar applicant in 2006, I know they don't just give this money away; there is an extensive application process. I didn't receive the scholarship, but I was encouraged to see that someone understands that current rates are "unacceptable."

Being a Latino who grew up in our state's education system, I would never have thought of going to college had it not been for effective teachers who saw my potential. It is time to begin to load our schools with those kinds of teachers.

Doesn't it mean anything when one of our state's largest employers is doing something so unbelievable in order to help our nation's education system? Could it be that our nation is no longer equipping students to fill those jobs at companies like Boeing and Microsoft?

I suggest that all philanthropies follow the example of the world's largest and begin to invest in our future. This dream for the Gates Foundation might seem far-fetched to many but dreams come a size too big so that we may grow into them.

-- Zain Paloalto, Kirkland

College is not the answer

Education is a wonderful thing. It makes people more intelligent, cultured, cosmopolitan and liberal ["Gates Foundation turns attention to higher education," page one, Nov. 12]. It is not, however, an economic panacea. Only a minority of jobs in our economy require a college education. Having more educated people chasing those jobs will only serve to drive down their pay, which might be part of Bill Gates's plan. If he can hire cheap workers here, he won't have to get them in India.

The most reliable way to improve the economic condition of the non-college-educated is to raise minimum wages, encourage unionization and improve social services like public health care, child care and transportation. That's what they do in the civilized countries of "old" Europe, which have substantially less poverty and inequality than we do.

-- Chris Nielsen, Shoreline

State teacher salaries:
apples to oranges

The story "Teacher Pay competitive in many parts of the State" [News, Nov. 11] stated that by comparing wages of other professionals for a 10-month period with wages of teachers who work 10 months, one has an "apple-to-apple" comparison.

The problem with this comparison is that teachers work much longer than 40 hours a week. We have to be at school for 40 hours, but every teacher spends many hours after school preparing lessons, correcting homework and reading essays.

I am now retired, but I worked an average of 70 hours per week. During the summer I took continued-education classes to keep my certificate valid. Most people who work overtime get paid overtime -- not teachers.

If one wants to compare "apples to apples," the hours worked should become the base, not the months worked. Besides working more than 40 hours and having to take education classes during the summer, a teacher has to deal with 150 students every day. That also needs to be placed into the equation.

-- James Behrend, Bainbridge Island

Get it right

An error in The Times report on teacher salaries in Washington causes me to question its credibility and usefulness.

Teacher-librarians are not only certified teachers who instruct students, but are usually among the most educated teachers on any given campus, having often taught several years in the classroom before obtaining a specialized endorsement in library and information/media sciences. Thus, a teacher-librarian's salary comes from the same salary scale as other teachers (not as classified staff) and is based on number of years served and educational level.

Most public school districts in Washington employ at least one full-time teacher-librarian per school site.
The article's assumptions about teacher-librarians make the veracity of the remaining report highly suspect.

-- Lisa Carlson, Des Moines

Mark Harrison / The Seattle Times

High-school bands join the University of Washington band to practice for the halftime show on band day at Husky Stadium.

This could work

Editor, The Times:

UW [University of Washington] Regents recently announced approval for predevelopment expenses to renovate Husky Stadium ["Predevelopment of Husky Stadium plans approved," Sports, Oct. 16]. As an alumnus of UW as well as a football season-ticket holder, I would like to lay out a plan for the fans to pay $75 million of the renovation through issuance by the University of municipal revenue bonds.

This proposal would reduce the amount of funds the university would request from the state and allow the process to move forward. The university could issue the principal $75 million of 30-year municipal revenue bonds.

Interest would be paid by a $10 levy on each ticket sold to season-ticket holders as well as single-game tickets, with the levy on a graduated scale over the 30 years. Starting in 2010, based on average attendance this levy would cover the annual interest payments.

This levy rate would also create an annual excess in revenue collected that would go into a trust managed by the school. This trust would grow in excess of $75 million and pay off the principal of the bonds in year 30.

However, this trust would serve as its own insurance fund for the bonds, if attendance rates were to fall and thus the levy rate didn't cover the interest. This trust would serve as a subordinate tranche to cover annual interest shortfalls until attendance once again reached levels sufficient to cover annual payments.

As a season-ticket holder and fan who desperately wants the stadium renovated, I would be more than willing to do my part to pay for the renovation -- both through the levy as well as individually purchasing a portion of the bond issuance.

-- Jamie Cobb, Mill Creek

Go military instead

What makes college students think Uncle Sam should bail them out of debt? The government does not owe us a college education, but there is a government program, which has been in existence since 1944, to fund college costs. I'm referring to the GI Bill, which is perhaps the greatest social program our government ever sponsored.

Serve some time in the military and receive these benefits. The time in the service can be rewarding in itself -- for training, travel, experience and a sense of pride. The government funded about 75 percent of my college expenses for my service time, and I am forever grateful.

The opportunity is there for all to share.

-- Jack Ellison, Seattle

Start at the beginning

Bob Young reported on Sunday that Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, in response to recent teen deaths, is proposing a $9 million initiative to prevent youth violence ["Gang ties suspected in shootings near Garfield High School," News, Nov. 2].

Monday's Jerry Large column outlines the most effective place to invest that money ["Education gap starts early," staff columnist, Nov. 3]. Large states, ". . . although most of our children are born with incredible potential, far too many of them never see their promise fulfilled because unnurtured potential withers. If letting that happen to children isn't criminal, I don't know what is, especially since we know how to avoid it."

Investing in an organization such as Child Care Resources to assure that every child has a great start is an investment in our future. An initiative to simply assuage the immediate pain of a young life lost is shortsighted.

Research confirms a proven correlation between quality early-childhood education and decreased crime, incarceration and high-school dropout rates, ultimately saving $7 or more for every $1 invested.

Despite pending slashes in government budgets we must demand support of early learning to launch a child toward a more productive life.

Mayor Nickels, we'll help you effectively invest that $9 million and when you leave office, you can also leave a legacy.

-- Nanny and Ken Stephens, Seattle

Try something else

The Seattle School Board's silence on another recommendation from State Auditor Brian Sonntag to cut administrators at the headquarters is deafening ["Closing Seattle schools: bringing excellence to all," guest columnist, Nov. 3]. There is not one word about other things they could do to cut costs rather than just closing schools.

What is driving this issue is not just the budget problem. The district has not kept up with basic maintenance on its buildings, which was another recommendation from Sonntag.

This is occurring because the board and the district do not follow the OSPI's [Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction's] recommendation to use 4 percent of the general fund for maintenance.

Another thing the board (nor the district) hasn't actively done is make marketing efforts to get more kids in public schools. We have some great public schools and there's no reason to lose so many students to private schools. We need the dollars attached to each student that we lose when they go private.

I understand why the board wants to close schools but I would like to see more cost cutting elsewhere as a show of good faith to the public and the communities who will lose their schools.

-- Melissa Westbrook, Seattle

There's a difference

Over the past few days I've seen a lot of coverage about the rally we had on the WSU campus in response to the recent hate crimes in the Moscow and Pullman areas. I was happy to see a story on your Web site, and grateful for how many news sources discussed it before and after it happened ["WSU students wearing red to support gays," News, Oct. 28].

Unfortunately, most news sources said the rally was in support of gay students. That is not accurate. We were in support of GLBT [gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender] students. It may not seem like a big distinction to some, but for members of the queer community, it erases most of our identities.

Several of these attacks were directly related to someone's gender identity or expression; that is rendered invisible when you call us all "gay."

Gender identity and expression are very different from sexuality. We're not just gay -- we are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer.

I'd also like to mention many of us are allies [friends of the gay community], who have also been targeted this week. We're all working together to stop the hate, and we all deserve your respect and acknowledgment.

-- Meredith Williams, Pullman

So much for an education
As a senior in high school who may soon face the need for student loans, I am disgusted by the actions of Lehman Brothers Chief Executive Richard Fuld.

As reported recently ["Lehman exec defends big bonuses," Times, News, Oct. 7], Fuld accepted a five-year, $350 million compensation package, while allowing his company to go bankrupt, which then set off a series of other financial failures leading to the current economic crisis.

While big corporations waste billions daily, America's college students face the challenge of securing student loans in a down-turned economy.

Your front-page story ["Students feeling economy's crunch," News, Oct. 6) points out that student loans are increasingly difficult to secure, thanks to the credit crunch. It is unthinkable that prospective students can't get funding for college while corporate executives are earning obscene salaries.

Companies like Lehman Brothers or others looking for bailout do not deserve our money.

We, as a country, must not let high-ranking officials like Fuld waste enormous sums of money while students are being denied college loans.

The idea that I might not get loan money for my education while high-ranking officials use taxpayer money for spa treatments makes me sick.
-- Nick Crnko, Seattle

Give them support
I read "Seattle high-schoolers can now get failing grades" [News, Oct. 12] with dismay.

Neither teachers nor students should face more consequences for student failure. Both need support.

If one of the main purposes of the WASL [Washington Assessment of Student Learning] is to highlight those students who need additional assistance, then it is our obligation to provide it.

Let's put the money behind the test scores for teacher training and student support. Too many educators lay awake at night worried about their failing students, but have limited training on differentiating instruction to support them.

No student enters kindergarten labeled as lazy. That's what society calls a frustrated student who has given up after repeated failure only to adopt an attitude to cover the frustration.

Washington state has one of the most highly regarded K-12 reading models in the country. It was developed by the Curriculum and Instruction division of the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Since it is not mandated, few Washington state teachers even know of the plan. If the practices were followed, fewer students would be failing.

It is shameful to continue testing the victims when a powerful resource is so accessible.
-- Karolyn Backholm, Seattle

Let's talk about it
There is no question that mathematics education in the U.S. and in Washington state needs improving ["A formula for lifting Washington out of its math mess," guest commentary, Oct. 12]. There is also no question that a return to the good old days of teaching students skills minus an understanding of what those skills can be used for is not the remedy needed. The author cites impressive statistics, based on results of Advanced Placement (AP) tests. Yet voices from all over the world, including Singapore, are reporting more and more convincingly that gearing education to the passing of such tests fails the students in serious ways.

Why do we live in a society where so many enjoy doing Sudoko math puzzles without making the connection that the thinking required to work out the puzzle is a vital ingredient of mathematics?

Unlike Ted Nutting, few of us who favor mathematics-education reform would advocate discarding other people's ideas in favor of our own.

There is a large overlap between traditional mathematics teaching done well and reform mathematics teaching done well. What many of us, including [Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction ] Terry Bergeson are aiming for is incorporating the underlying tenets of the reform -- that is, engaging students in building their own understanding and formulating mathematical ideas clearly enough so that they can discuss them, to strengthen the teaching of mathematics.

Take a look at the work of the Washington State Education Coordinating Council, where administrators, higher-education faculty members, teachers, business stakeholders and Bergeson and her staff are working together to create a K-20 mathematics system that builds on the strengths of both traditional and reform mathematics teaching. The task is complex, challenging and at times frustrating. What makes it possible is the breadth of perspective and knowledge of the community working, and the respect with which we hold each other.

Progress is impeded by those who, like Nutting, allow the perception of their own infallibility to permit the unleashing of accusations and slurs, demonstrating a lack of respect essential for civil discourse.

Our schools can benefit from the rich collection of knowledge and research in Washington state, but we will not make any progress without a baseline of respect for all viewpoints regarding the learning of mathematics.
-- Virginia Warfield, Seattle

Where's the thinking?
Ted Nutting ["A formula for lifting Washington out of its math mess," Times, guest commentary, Oct. 12] is part of the group "Where's the Math?" The organization is well-intentioned, partially informed and very political. They believe the half century of work in math education that started when Sputnik went up was entirely misguided. They have convinced our Legislature to implement a 19th-century mathematics curriculum in our schools.

The old ways of teaching math were not perfectly effective.

Consider the nonsensical: "There are 125 sheep and 5 dogs in a flock. How old is the shepherd?" Then go to http://hub.mspnet.org/index.cfm/9217 to learn that:

"Researchers report that three out of four schoolchildren will produce a numerical answer to this problem. A transcript of a child solving this problem aloud reveals the kind of misinformed conception of mathematics that many children hold: 125+5=130 … this is too big, and 125-5=120 is still too big … while 125/5=25. That works! I think the shepherd is 25 years old. In this child's world, mathematics is seen as a set of rules -- a collection of procedures, actually -- that must first be memorized and then correctly applied to produce the answer."

This view only slightly overstates what "Where's the Math?" advocates. The WASL [Washington Assessment of Student Learning] combats it by having part of the problems involve picking out the right numbers to use -- just like in the real world.

We should ask "Where's the Math?" -- "Where's the thinking? "
-- Bill Marsh, Port Angeles

Let's get back to basics
Thank you for printing Ted Nutting's story about teaching math.

I retired from teaching elementary school 10 years ago. I returned to substitute two years ago because of financial necessity. It is hard to believe what has fallen by the wayside in order to teach to the WASL test. No longer are social studies, English grammar, spelling, penmanship or art taught in schools.

Instead, there are two hours a day spent "teaching reading" to kids who are reading Dr. Seuss books in third and fourth grades. Ninety minutes a day are spent teaching math to the tune of "Show your answer using words, pictures or numbers."

Sixth-graders are having trouble solving story-problem-style subtraction problems using work sheets similar to those we used to use in teaching second grade.

Perhaps I am too old-fashioned, but we used to be able to teach all of the above subjects and still have time for fun activities once in a while.

I guess we must have been fairly effective, as the old methods managed to educate the shakers and movers of the engineering, medical and rocket-science worlds.
-- Mac McMullen, Seattle

What can we do?
Ted Nutting's commentary on reform math in Sunday's paper struck a chord with our family.

We have found the same issues he discusses in Ballard relevant in Bothell/Northshore as well. So much so that we pulled our children out of school and are home-schooling them.

It has been heartbreaking to realize that our kids, at sixth, fifth and second grades are so demoralized about math that they already believe that they are not good at it.

This is despite the fact that they all test above grade-level. We are now using Saxon math at home and are slowly reclaiming their confidence. When shown standard algorithms for simple arithmetic, they become frustrated at having not been taught that in school. Instead, they explored multiple ways to do simple problems, with no clear method taught for solving basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

When I discussed this with the school's principal, she repeatedly assured me that reform math would be successful for them and that we just needed to trust they would "get it" at some point. We waited several years and watched our kids struggle until we felt we couldn't wait any longer.

I agree with Nutting that education leaders should focus on what works.

The question is, what happens to those kids who are at the age that they cannot wait a few more years to "get math"?
-- Linda Gorordo, Bothell

We can do better
I found the Ted Nutting "Math Mess" piece fascinating ["A formula for lifting Washington out of its math mess," Times, guest commentary, Oct. 12]. I hope members of the Board of Education will give feedback.
How can it be so difficult to find a good math curriculum? I graduated from Cleveland High School in 1962 then went on to receive a bachelor of science and master of science in engineering.

I conclude that good math teachers and straightforward curricula at Cleveland resulted in good math skills at that time, and would give good results today.

Yes, I understand 50 years later we would need additions because of personal computers, like some binary arithmetic.

I hope Nutting's arguments will be taken seriously.
-- Allen Gary Storaasli, Federal Way

Remove the heavy hands
Thanks to Ted Nutting for his comments on Washington state's math mess.

I didn't realize that the push for the less rigorous, often just plain silly math curricula was coming from Superintendent of Instruction Terry Bergeson at the state level; I am familiar with the issue from the Seattle Public Schools' perspective.

Reform math in the form of "everyday math" has become our elementary-school math curriculum despite the very vocal and widespread opposition of parents and teachers. Chief Academic Officer Carla Santorno allowed for a parent/teacher feedback period after proposing the curriculum, then proceeded to ignore the feedback, arriving at what was clearly her predetermined choice.

This heavy-handed approach is having a real impact on our kids.

There is no question that the curriculum is weak; anyone with common sense who takes the time to compare it to something like Singapore math grasps immediately how weak our approach is.

We love our elementary school, the teachers who do such a great job, and we love being part of the public-school system.

However, this math curriculum and the district's lack of responsiveness to teachers and parents on the issue is forcing us to seriously consider other options for our kids' education.
-- Robin Kelson, Seattle

Time for a change
Bravo to teacher Ted Nutting for exposing the sorry state of math in Washington state. Our two sons struggled with reform math in Seattle public high schools and required extensive outside tutoring. Yet, Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson stubbornly clings to reform math, wasting hundreds of millions of dollars on expensive WASL tests, summer classes and teacher-prep courses. She will never adopt an effective math curriculum, such as Singapore or Saxon, to give students the tools they need to succeed in math.

I hope the voters in Washington state add up the costs of reform math over the past decade and subtract Bergeson from her office in November.

Our students deserve better leadership in math education.
-- Georgi Krom, Seattle

Teach financial responsibility, parents
The supposedly touching story of student Lora Ladd's inability to repay her student loans speaks to too many of our young people today who take out loans at a time "when they've never needed to be financially responsible" ["With no way out of trouble, more students likely to default," page one, Oct. 6].

Are we failing our children by not teaching financial responsibility at a young age, so they don't get themselves into this predicament? Perhaps we are seeing the results in our current economic situation.

My suggestion to Ladd and other young adults is to stop whining, postpone college for a couple of years and get a full-time job, live frugally and open an interest-bearing savings account. When you have saved enough for tuition, go to college and work part-time. No student loans to default on or repay.

Many of us who were determined to go to college did it just this way.
-- Ruth Osborn, Bellevue

Subsidize U.S. higher education
To the letter writers who choose to blame the victims in the college-loan stories and tell highly-motivated achievers to "go cheap," I would like to point out that the current system of paying these loans back can pile penalties on top of interest rates that can be punitive. Having two children use loans as well as grants and mom-and-pop scholarships, I know the system.

Let's also recall that this wealthy, largest Western democracy puts the burden of higher education in the laps of the students and their families. I think if enough people here understood that in France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Sweden, Denmark and many other lands, meritocracy leads to nearly fully subsidized higher education. If more people knew this, would they not rise up and ask, "Why not here?"?

But we have known for years that the Western world has had universal health care for some time now, but not here. Why not? Docile acceptance of the status quo. If our system were proposed in other countries, would they not riot in the streets?

Meanwhile, we continue to elect President Bush and his ilk because we have been so dumbed down by the press and the oligarchs in control that we no longer recognize how to vote for our own economic interests.
-- Jack McClurg, Marysville

Scott Olson / The Associated Press

Sen. John McCain, foreground, and Sen. Barack Obama share a rare laugh during Tuesday night's town-hall debate in Nashville, Tenn.

Iraq is no success
Editor, The Times:
During Tuesday's debate, Sen. John McCain tried once again to pitch the Iraq war as a success story, asserting that victory -- a real "mission accomplished" -- is right around the bend ["Tension, but little venom," Times, page one, Oct. 8].

There is no victory cry that can be cobbled together on the backs of this war's human tallies: nearly 4,200 U.S. soldiers killed, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi deaths and humanitarian crises stemming from more than 2 million Iraqi refugees.

McCain uses "the surge" as justification for starting and continuing a war that has been wrong from the outset. The United States has dug its heels into Iraq, constructing the world's largest embassy in a country where our invasion and occupation has wreaked devastation and ruin. We are establishing permanent military bases against Iraqi requests, keeping U.S. military might on the watch and prowl over Mideast oil reserves.

McCain's position on Iraq does not signal good judgment, nor does his insistence that victory can yet be wrung from the Iraqi soil. It is representative of his penchant to march toward war, and his incomprehension about the desperate need for the United States to practice diplomacy rather than trumpeting the drumbeats and guns of war.
-- Nancy Dickeman, Seattle

Debate redundancy
What I saw Tuesday night was a repeat of the first debate.

It doesn't matter what the question was, the answer from either participant rambled on about this, that or the other thing.

Can we please have a debate? To debate means to argue, not continually give us your ideas on things. (Look up the meaning of the word "debate," if you don't believe me.) When will Sen. Barack Obama bring up the Keating 5? Is McCain blackmailing him or something?

It has been drilled into me that we use 25 percent of the world's oil, but only produce 3 percent. Got it. Tell me something new, or I'm sleeping through the entire next debate!
-- Steve Drake, Seattle

Bomb joke not funny, McCain
During Tuesday's presidential debate, Senator John McCain said he was "just joking" with one of his friends, when he sang "bomb, bomb Iran."

What a great joker!

Someone who thinks he is fit to be president is joking about bombing other countries? Wow!
I would have liked to have seen someone in the room ask him how he would feel if a politician from another country "joked" about bombing the United States.

I am pretty sure he would not like that joke at all and think that those people must be terrorists, according to his definition of terrorism.

This man shows anything but leadership qualities. He sounds and acts like a senile, old man, running around mumbling to himself and calling everyone else stupid.

I hope people of this country can wake up and see the evil they are facing before it is too late. They did not do that eight years ago, but, hopefully, they have learned by now.
-- Farokh Talebi, Kirkland

McCain's policies scary
Sen. John McCain and his logic (or lack thereof) scares me.

During the debate last night, he said that he wouldn't raise taxes for anyone, but he would lower taxes for some people. He even implied that he would lower taxes for as many people as Sen. Barack Obama will. But the money to run the country -- and, hopefully, to start paying off the national debt -- has to come from somewhere.

Under the tax plan McCain preaches, where will this money come from? If McCain doesn't plan to undo President Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy, we will lose even more revenue. This is not the way to handle the economic crisis.

Another thing he said that frightened me: He clearly stated that nuclear power is clean and safe. Excuse me, but does no one remember the Chernobyl disaster? I hope people don't buy into his unsupported lies.
Besides these twisted energy and economy policies, McCain said little about his own policies for the future, only saying what he has voted for or misquoting Obama. Sometimes, things he said about Obama were outright lies, with no more grounding in fact than the "safety" of nuclear reactors.

McCain is dangerous. I am grateful to all the war veterans, but that does not make someone suited for the presidency.
-- Kelsey Josund (age 15), Lake Forest Park

The candidates needed to heel
After watching the "town hall" debate and seeing the terse, frustrated look on moderator Tom Brokaw's face as he tried to make something meaningful of the evening, I couldn't help but think the debate commission should take a lesson from Larry and Kirby.

Kirby is a young, frisky golden retriever, and Larry is Kirby's owner. They are very loyal to each other. Rather than relying on an electric fence -- used in big areas where dogs spend a lot of time chasing deer or getting lost -- Larry gave Kirby an electric collar. It took a few times for the dog to realize that getting a little jolt meant stop and come back. Now all he has to do is hear the warning tone, and he gets the message and returns to base.

How much better the debate would have been if Brokaw could have had such a tool when the candidates wandered away from the question!
-- Bill Clapp, Seattle

College far from easy
As a current college student carrying some of the same burdens that were pointed out in your article "Young, educated, drowning in debt" [page one, Oct. 5], it was somewhat comforting to know there are other students struggling financially.

Finances should not play a leading role in determining ones future, and should not hold anyone back from reaching his or her full potential.

Let's not forget about other expenses such as health care, food and rent. Students today have too much to worry about, when the only thing that should be of any concern is getting an education.

I thank you for pointing out how tough it is today for college students. Instead of dreaming of buying a house one day, many students can only dream of the day when their student loans are paid in full.

When my parents finished college, they were able to settle in a small house. My mother was even able to stay home with my sister and me when we were young.

It's a shame that we have reached this point.

What are the best options available for students right now? There may not be one solution, but there may be ways of lessening the tremendous load we students carry, and I'm sure a lot of college students or college graduates would find any information you can provide very helpful. What can we all do to change the way education operates? What are some helpful tips on budgeting?
-- Kimberly Kish, Seattle

Student loans vs. work
Before retiring, for 45 years I operated a small Seattle manufacturing company.

In the 1960s and 1970s, every summer we employed three to four part-time college students. Some of them started to look for summer jobs as early as January. Since the end of the 1980s, we have received not a single application for summer work.

It is very likely that availability of student loans changed a useful tradition.
-- Vigo Rauda, Seattle

Colleges have a spending problem
The student-loan industry lies at a crossroads. Sinking profits from weakening credit and securities markets have led many major, private student-loan lenders to be more judicious with their resources. This has shifted a greater burden onto public lenders like Sallie Mae, which is already overburdened with existing federally backed loans.

While the cost of attending college is undoubtedly high, and students are suffering a growing debt burden, the student-loan "crisis" may not be the catastrophe the industry is portraying.

The real cause of the growing cost of education is the growing addiction to spending in colleges nationwide. Higher education has a spending problem, and it is trying pass its own excesses on to the government and taxpayers.

The need for a bailout of student-loan companies may be overstated, despite the recent difficulties. Total borrowing through private student-loan companies grew by almost 900 percent over the past 10 years.

It is easy to attempt to solve a problem by throwing more money at it, but rarely is that the right solution.

Unfortunately, the government is taking just that approach: Under a new federal loan-stabilization program, the Department of Education has sent new funding to Sallie Mae in the form of a loan to provide up to $20 billion in new government-backed loans this year.
-- Matthew Glans, legislative specialist for The Heartland Institute, Chicago

College-tuition bubble growing
The high-tech and real-estate bubbles have burst. Are we finally going to see a bursting of the college-tuition bubble? ["Young, educated, drowning in debt," page one, Oct. 5.]

As reported at www.finaid.org, for the past 30 years, college-tuition expense has increased at twice the rate of general inflation. And, as The Times reports, the government winds up paying off the loans of 20 percent to 50 percent of students in some colleges.

So the government encourages higher tuition expenses by disguising the inability of students and families to pay. Colleges are not forced (like every other business on the planet) to control their costs and provide value for dollar charged. And students are forced to take on more and more debt to chase a secure future. Sounds like a bubble to me.

The government should get out of the student-loan business, or at least not agree to subsidize ever-increasing amounts of tuition and student debt. Then colleges would have to rein in their out-of-control spending, and students and families wouldn't have to mortgage their futures.
-- Bill Dougherty, Bothell

Student chose to go into debt
Pertaining to graduates drowning in debt, it was Tyson Hunter's choice to go to Brown University where the tuition is astronomically high. He could have done several things to not have debt.

My family was living from paycheck to paycheck, so I knew in the eighth grade that if college were to be in my future, I would have to pay for it.

In high school, I worked part-time during the school year and double-full-time during the summer (days and evenings) at anything I could get. I studied really hard and took Advanced Placement exams. As a senior, I began taking courses in a local junior college in the evening. Before I graduated, I got a partial (one-third) scholarship to a major private school, but I did not accept it because I did not want to accrue the debt of the other two-thirds.

I worked another year after high school and took more junior-college courses. I got accepted to a good state university. I sold my junk car in my freshman year to cut expenses. I worked 20 hours a week in the evenings, and I got into two internships. I graduated when I was 23, with no debt.

I worked for two years double-full-time, by day in my profession, and in the evenings as a bartender. I saved enough to go full-time to a state university for graduate school. I completed graduate school in two years, while working as a part-time bartender at night and a part-time barista in the early morning. I left graduate school with no debt, and with money to spare.

At 26, I got a great job with some cash in my pocket to buy a cheap, new mini car and a down payment for a one-bedroom condominium.
-- Jeff Tanner, Seattle

Do something, Sallie Mae
A young man being in hock until his 50s to get an "education" is, indeed, indentured servitude, thanks to Sallie Mae and educational institutions in collusion via exorbitant pricing and unlimited credit.

Does this situation sound similar to Fannie Mae? Is there going to be a credit bubble regarding student loans? Some of these loans are now on the magnitude of a home loan. That much debt to finance an education is socially irresponsible.

I am not blaming the young man for trying to better himself, but these educational institutions and the government should start looking at the bigger picture to see if this is really "an investment in the future" or if they are just lining their own pockets.

This type of lending creates a domino effect in markets that will fall out of control, leading to a government bailout. There are other things the government could do, like interest-free loans, loan caps and larger grants that would lower prices in these businesses umm I mean, educational institutions that also have lost sight of their purpose.

English writer H.G. Wells said civilization is in a race between education and catastrophe. Let's not help catastrophe along with an overly expensive educational system and excessive lending (at a profit) to finance it.
-- Anthony Badon, Seattle

John Lok / The Seattle Times

Alan Collinge, left, founder of studentloanjustice.org, and Lora Ladd, a young woman who has some outstanding school debt, photographed in front of the Federal Building in downtown Seattle.

Consumerism put students in debt
Editor, The Times:
College-debt burdens, such as those described in The Seattle Times on Oct. 5 ["Young, educated, drowning in debt," page one], compromise the quality of life for our families, young people and future generations.

And for what? For the privilege of sacrificing our world's young people — our beloved, our future — on the altar of consumerism that the college experience has become.

It would be too easy to say that the army of young people who leave college with a crushing debt burden -- and only maybe a degree -- should have been more responsible. But we can't let institutions, or ourselves, off the hook so easily. We parents have indulged ourselves and our young people in a credit-fueled consumer theology that fails to distinguish between need and want.

Universities allow commercial interests to prey on financially naive populations through such means as student IDs (paid for by banks) that double as debit cards, turning on a predictable stream of spending, followed by overdraft fees for banks.

Our young people are our beloved and our future. Instead, we have been treating them like carrion, feeding them and future generations to the greedy vultures of instant gratification and short-term profits.
-- Liz Tidyman, Bellevue

Big loans aren't necessary
I do not have any sympathy for Tyson Hunter or others like him who chose to borrow big money to attend expensive private universities, especially to acquire a bachelor's degree.

It seems that, since his mom is so accommodating, he could have lived with her and attended the local community college and then transferred to one of our fine state schools to complete his degree. All of this could have been done for far, far less than that the $152,460 which he borrowed.

Yes, we all like to have the very best, but sometimes we have to adjust our sights to fit our incomes.

Further, putting this boohoo story on the front page makes no sense in this time when there are people who really have genuine hardships.
-- Karen Moore, Bellevue

Debt of the indebted is ours
I see in the today's news that Not only have people been buying houses they couldn't afford, but also buying education they couldn't afford.

Oh, well. I'm sure Sen. Barack Obama will figure out a way to redistribute the income of those of us not up to our eyeballs in debt, because we "pay as we go" to help these poor souls.
-- Gary McGavran, Bellevue

What empire?
In response to Lance Dickie's rumination on the waning American empire, ["As American empire wanes, the world shrugs its shoulders," editorial column, Oct. 2] consider this:

We are now paying for many decades of misplaced priorities in which a permanent war economy has trumped all concerns for domestic economic and social health. What would be on a domestic need-to-do wish list?

How about addressing education. Dickie reflects on the burgeoning global economy and the enormous political shifts contained therein. While we as a nation have been for many years inundated with the argument that education, science literacy and numeracy, along with refined technical skills are critical to a competent work force in an ever-evolving technological society, we have simultaneously witnessed a persistent erosion of vast swaths of public education.

In many communities, school facilities are inadequate and in some instances literally falling apart. This is a particular tragedy in many inner city schools where obtaining a decent education is becoming increasingly difficult if not impossible.

A full-scale commitment to reinvigorating public education could staunch the trends in illiteracy and innumeracy, and ensure that an educated citizenry can meet the economic and political challenges of an interdependent global community.

Salvaging our decaying infrastructure, ensuring that all citizens are properly housed, creating a truly accessible and just system of health care and assisting ready and willing workers with adequate and dignified employment are but a few areas of domestic concern that must be addressed if this nation is to reclaim its legacy of hope.

The path we have been on has been abysmal and we are now reaping the bitter fruits of that folly. It is high time to claim a new ethos and direction for America.
-- Joe Martin, Seattle