Book Shortage at New School

Re “New Library’s Awkward Chapter,” Sept. 19:

You report the new Gratts Elementary School ran out of money and does not have enough classroom texts and library books to go around, citing a cost of $300,000 to fund a school library with enough books to give a ratio of 18 books per student.

While I agree that there should be enough textbooks in the school, the students might as well learn something else early on: The state does not have unlimited funds. So, while the state is currently forced to annually purchase billions of dollars worth of social services for illegal aliens, the Gratts Elementary School kids will have to tighten their academic belts to make do with the public library while it still exists.

The proponents of Prop. 187 argued that California should have the right to spend its tax dollars as it sees fit. The reported $83 million spent on prenatal care for illegal aliens in 1997 would buy a lot of school libraries.

GARY RUDNICK

Palm Desert

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* Heather Moore must echo thousands of teachers in California when she says, “Teaching is a challenge without books.”

When the Los Angeles Unified School District built this terrific new school with a budget of $13 million, it should have set aside the first million for library books and textbooks. Maybe they would have had to make do with a tent temporarily for part of the school, but at least they would have made sure that the purpose of the school (teaching children) was fulfilled.

MARY PURUCKER

Member, California Library

Services Board, Malibu

UC Chancellors

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* The University of California regents voted to give the UC chancellors a very large pay raise (Sept. 23). I would like to congratulate in particular the UC San Francisco chancellor, who will be the highest paid in the UC system, getting a $49,300 raise to a salary of $274,000 (which is an 18% pay raise).

While our top administrators continue to receive hefty pay raises (in addition to their benefits, which include free housing and automobiles), this has not been the case for UC student workers, graduate student teaching assistants, lecturers and staff. Most of these people will receive a “standard” 2% cost-of-living adjustment--if they receive any raise at all--on top of their already meager salaries and benefits.

So while I and other teaching assistants (many of whom live on an income near the federal poverty level) are faced with the real possibility of having to go on strike this fall to demand our rights to a contract that could include things like decent health care, health care for dependents and spouses, dental and vision coverage, a feasible workload and reasonable cost-of-living adjustments (to name a few of the problems), I am happy for our administrators, who will feel even less of a money crunch this year.

KAMI CHISHOLM, Chair

UC Student Assn.

Oakland