Berk’s Legacy at Hamilton

I have known Jim Berk, the outgoing principal of the Hamilton High Schools Complex (Times, Sept. 3), for six years.

Jim has energy, vision and charisma. With his outstanding administrative skills, he was able to turn a school with a declining enrollment into one that now boasts a waiting list of 1,000 students and a national reputation for its outstanding programs. He wooed the private sector and raised millions of dollars for Hamilton.

Hamilton and its students were Jim’s top priority, and he wasn’t afraid to buck a system that is no longer working. Jim turned his school upside down and inside out and proved that under skilled leadership and without bureaucratic interference, there is hope for public education.

We will miss you Jim. You left us with a wonderful legacy and we won’t forget you.

LINDA ROSEN

Los Angeles