Shortages at Libraries

Re “Learning to Get By,” May 10.

Thank you for drawing attention to yet another of the Los Angeles Unified School District’s critical shortages, library books. It is appalling that public school students in Los Angeles should have access to less than one-third the number of books per capita as the national average (18 to 5).

A society that devalues its schools is doomed to high crime, class division, racial unrest and ignorance. I doubt throwing more tax dollars at the problem is the answer, although if it were I would be in favor of it. I also suspect that a large part of the problem rests with a bloated school administration.

Until we can bring our schools up to the standards of the rest of the country (at the very least!) we should all be ashamed.

DAN WITT, Studio City

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“Learning to Get By” made me ask myself, how come the lottery is not paying for these needed books? Tom Becker has a great tool to help schools, a pen and paper. Mr. Becker, if you want to help schools, why don’t you write about why the lottery money is not paying for these books?

DARREN GOODMAN, Van Nuys

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Library books per pupil in public schools:

National: 18

LAUSD: 5

Lemay St. Elementary: 3

Sources: LAUSD and Lemay St. Elementary