Overcrowded School Options

The shocking contrast drawn between the work conditions of school administrators and teachers by teacher union President Wayne Johnson (California Commentary, April 16) is accurate, in my judgment. I, too, observe that school officials have large, lushly furnished, air-conditioned offices, free use of limousines and many entertainment and travel perquisites.

On the other hand, teachers face run-down, hot, poorly equipped, overcrowded classrooms. They get little protection against students who threaten them both emotionally and physically. There are no “extras” for teachers.

The public must demand an end to the disgraceful distinction between teachers and their bosses. New laws are needed to return the schools to parents. In this regard, parents should receive financial vouchers that they can redeem at schools of their choice for their children’s education (extra amounts would be provided students with exceptional learning abilities or problems).

The money that now goes to the bloated school bureaucracy then would be divided among individual schools or used to raise teachers’ salaries. The reputation of a school thus could be based on how much its students learn, and not on how much its administrators are paid.

The tragic irony of this situation is that the teachers’ union is as vigorously opposed to the voucher plan and parental choice as are school administrators (who have everything to lose). The union apparently has a vested interest in complaining about teachers’ salaries, but not in making it possible for parents to choose the schools their children will attend. Hence the need for direct action by the state Legislature to enact an educational voucher law.

PATRICK GROFF

Professor, School of Teacher Education

San Diego State University