Schools need more accountability, not more money

Reference: “State needs to invest in higher education,” by Sen. Paull Shin (Enterprise, Nov. 19)

Doesn’t that read: Taxpayers must pay more taxes for higher education?

You wrote: “The higher education budget must not take the hit when budget cuts are made.” Why not? When families must cut spending, surely Washington state government must cut spending, including education costs. Washington is the fifth highest taxed state in the union. More money is spent on education each year but the results show no improvement.

You wrote: “Right now too many students are falling through the cracks.”

Mr. Shin, D.C. Schools Chancellor, Korean-American Michelle Rhee, has the answer. Her students went from the 13th percentile on standardized national tests to the 90th percentile within two years’ time. “People say that kids are disadvantaged because they come from poor homes or whatever,” says Rhee. “But the bottom line is that, if kids have teachers with extraordinarily high expectations of them, if they work hard and do the right things, they can absolutely achieve at the highest levels.”

Rhee is right on. Students must want to learn and work hard with parents seeing to it that they do. If this is not done, then no amount of additional taxpayers’ money is going to help them achieve success.

Furthermore, Rhee is negotiating with the teachers’ union to do away with seniority and tenure in exchange for annual raises and other benefits, a policy that might lure young, high-achieving teachers, like those who come out of Teach for America. Mr. Shin, do you dare negotiate with WEA like she does?

The state budget deficit is over $5 billion now. Even though there’s 5 percent more money to spend in the next budget than in the current budget, it appears quite likely that the taxpayers are going to be hit up for more taxes. Mr. Shin, do you demand more taxes or less spending in state government? I ask that you spend less!

Peter Boonstra

Lynnwood