L.A. School Board

I am disgusted with the results of the LAUSD and applaud every effort to improve our school system. However, blaming the principals and administrative staff for educational failures is an ineffective exercise in scratching the surface of serious problems (March 10).

If principals are to be held ultimately responsible for the success of their schools, then they must hold control of their staff. The time for the tenure protection of teachers has long passed. It now serves to protect inefficient, lazy, bad teachers and serves to the detriment of our children, and to the decline of morale among the many dedicated, caring teachers.

It is unfair to demand that principals achieve a higher level of performance while tying their hands.

ESTHER YOUTAN, Tarzana

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Re the editorial, “Shootout at L.A. Corral,” on the Los Angeles school district, March 8:

Congratulations! Once again The Times has applied the most effective tool of all for exposing fools: their own words. I watched with glee while the same technique did away with Sam Yorty in the 1970s.

JUNE DUFF, Eagle Rock