Some lessons for Supt. Brewer

Re “Brewer is given no honeymoon,” Nov. 15

So, Los Angeles school Supt. David L. Brewer thinks that a 3% teacher raise is reasonable. This from a man who makes more in benefits than most teachers make in salary. Those benefits include a $3,000 monthly housing allowance, a car, $45,000 yearly expense account and 20% more in salary than outgoing Supt. Roy Romer.

Teachers, we have been insulted!

VENIDA KORDA

Van Nuys

The writer is Valley West chapter chairman of United Teachers Los Angeles.

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I’m a math teacher in the L.A. Unified School District who would like to propose an idea to my new boss. Supt. Brewer, please consider using some of your $300,000 annual base salary (as opposed to your separate expense account) to pay for your personal expenses. Then, consider donating that $45,000 in unused expense account money to the district’s teacher hiring division to contract a new teacher for an entire year.

If you were to act on this suggestion, what a great signal you’d be sending. You’d be showing everyone that you truly intend to cut the fat from the district’s bloated administrative bureaucracy while beefing up the depleted ranks of the folks who actually deliver instruction to the hundreds of thousands of district students.

And you would be signaling your worthy intentions by utilizing one of the most effective management techniques ever devised -- leading by example.

KAREN AMSTERDAM

Los Angeles

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Once again, Brewer is perpetuating his foot-in-the-mouth disease. First it was promising to remove bad teachers, which he then had to back away from. Now he wants to increase the number of days each year that take teachers out of the classroom to receive training, thereby depriving the students of teachers they need. And he is “looking forward to working with the children.” Give me a break.

If Brewer wants to understand the problems, he should consider sitting down with the teachers and hearing their complaints. If he did, he might be surprised to learn what they think about some of the programs that are forced down their throats.

CHUCK PAIONI

Granada Hills