Link Education Funds to Performance in School

* My opponent’s approach to solving problems in poor areas (“Empowerment Zone Would Tap Pacoima’s Community Spirit,” Aug. 2) fails to demand enough accountability and fails to call for the teaching of values in our schools.

The large grants should be used to fund contracts awarded on the basis of tough competitive bids, not on the basis of quotas.

More money for education is a good idea. However, it should be tied to demands for better performance from administrators, teachers, and students alike.

More police on the street must be accompanied by teaching respect for our laws and by teaching the penalties for breaking them.

The attempts to create more jobs must be joined by the teaching that work has dignity--even work at the lower end of the pay scale.

We must not repeat the mistakes of the past social programs that were well-intentioned failures.

GARY FORSCH

Sun Valley

Forsch is the Republican challenger to Rep. Howard Berman (D-Panorama City) in the 26th Congressional District.