Letter: Overall rankings belie local success

How do La Cañada schools perform relative to other schools in California? Near the top? Absolutely! How do California schools perform relative to East Coast schools? Near the top? Unfortunately not; we are quite a ways down in the rankings. How does the U.S. educational system compare to education in other developed countries? Sad to say, but we are in the bottom half.

If this is satisfactory, by all means pay the parcel tax so that our board of education and the teachers union can continue doing what they are doing.

If this is not satisfactory, and you believe that changes must be made in the educational program, that teachers should be compensated not on seniority and how many degrees they have obtained, but on ability to teach, then you must vote no on the parcel tax That would be a wake-up call for the board of education and the teachers union. Throwing money at education is not the answer.

Erik B. Fiske
La Cañada Flintridge