Los Angeles Teachers

Parents and PTA members who feel that children may be suffering in the cross-fire between labor and management are right. I am certain that the loss of a holiday music program presents a minor hardship for some students, but real, enduring hardships are placed on teachers everyday: Teachers don’t have enough materials for a class set, there is a constant threat of gang violence, and budget cuts have increased the student-teacher ratio, making it nearly impossible to teach or learn.

As I see it, part of school site decision-making involves garnishing the support of teachers, administrators and parents, and if we are to make improvements in an educational system that has become entrenched in bureaucracy, parents should have no choice but to fully support teachers in their struggle to hold on to financial gains made after a strike settlement three years ago.

In a society where a starting teacher earns less than a Mercedes-Benz mechanic, parents should be searching for ways to privately fund school programs and create business-industry partnerships benefiting education, rather than complaining that teachers are temporarily not performing their adjunct duties.

JORY SCHULMAN

Los Angeles