Pinkerton on Vouchers, Education Reform

* Re “Only Vouchers Can Really Help Urban Schools,” Commentary, Sept. 5: James Pinkerton goes to great lengths to paint the specter of political leadership asleep at the wheel and the only way out is “vouchers.”

During the Carter administration the Republicans and conservative Democrats passed banking deregulation. The banking industry promptly went into the South American loan overhang. Rescheduling of the bad loans was the centerpiece of our South American policy for 10 years.

When Ronald Reagan was elected, one of the earliest changes was deregulation of the savings and loan industry. A very large disaster followed. I need not go into the details here. During the Reagan years the federal housing industry was handed over to the Republican outside consultants; some are still serving time.

School system budgets are one of the largest funds that have not been looted. “Vouchers” are the way to do it. Will you imagine with me what will happen when a school or a district is run by a million- dollar CEO and a board of directors that are beholden to stockholders who are looking at the bottom line? If it doesn’t go right--Chapter 11. The central agenda in the Republican revolution is “deregulate and loot.”

DAVID L. EASTMAN

Costa Mesa

* Pinkerton conveniently neglects (“$2.45 Billion to Teach Literacy Doesn’t Add Up,” Commentary, Sept. 1) that the public schools must accept any student who walks through the door, whereas parochial schools can pick and choose whom they accept.

That a parent cannot actively participate in his or her child’s education, does not want to or is too stoned to may exclude the child from Catholic school. When several of my 15- and 16-year-old students come to school day after day without paper, I cannot be blamed, nor can the teachers’ union be blamed. Where are the parents in those children’s lives who allow them to leave the house without being properly prepared to learn?

CAROL MAY

Los Angeles

* Reducing class size in our schools is one of the wisest moves of our state in decades! Thirty-three years of teaching in L.A. made me know that large classes were a major block to learning. I found that I could accomplish more in a school for delinquent boys who were very resistant to learning when class size was limited to 20 than I could in class of bright students in a regular school with a class of 35 to 40.

Saving money by having large classes is a false “saving” at any grade level. All concerned are getting a bad bargain: students, parents, taxpayers and teachers. Classes of 20 or fewer at all grade levels would see vast improvement in our schools.

WALT HOPMANS

Santa Barbara