School failures aren't due to racism
The tone of Wiley A. Hall's recent commentary on the Baltimore City school system suggested a situation that is the result of racism toward inner-city schools ("School funding inequity most costly to children," Dec. 6).
Earlier, The Evening Sun published figures comparing how much state money was given to the city per child with state funding for county students.
City children received state funding far in excess of any other subdivision. The subdivisions then added money for each child from their tax base.
Once subdivisions added their funding, there was more money spent per child in the subdivisions than in the city, but the figures weren't dramatically different. There was between $6,000 to $7,000 spent per child in all the subdivisions and the city.
The obvious question is, if there was no desk and no book for Mr. Hall's child, how was the city school system allocating its money?
I don't believe test scores are influenced solely by the amount of money spent per child.
If a child finds drugs, violence and guns on the streets he passes, and sometimes in the schools themselves, if there is a breakdown of discipline, values and respect, if he or she comes home to an empty house because parents work or don't care, doesn't this have some impact on test scores?
In the school that Mr. Hall's child attended, how many class mothers helped out on a regular basis? It is amazing how the attitude in the classroom changes when mothers are present on a regular basis.
I remember as a child attending parochial school that money was an issue.
We didn't have any of the frills that school systems have today. I shared a class room with 70 other students. But we were disciplined and we learned, our families supported the school staff in their decisions, and it was a good experience for me.
We had plenty of homework that we did every night, and our parents saw to it that we did it.
I think it is unfortunate to look at every problem and immediately say it is a race issue, rather than look at other contributing causes. Such statements divide the population rather than bring people together to find solutions to common problems.
Carolyn Kleintank
Cockeysville
Educational needs
As the new year approaches, we should take time out to prepare seriously for our children's educational needs. Today, we tackle educational issues that were almost unheard of a generation ago. The reality of late 20th century American life is that many children grow up in single-parent households, in homes where both parents work and, all too often, in homes ravaged by drinking or drugs.
Are these kids doomed to fall irretrievably behind? Not as long as someone -- a parent, a teacher, a friend -- takes an interest in them.
Recent studies tracked young people who had overcome great odds. They all had one thing in common: a one-to-one connection with a caring adult.
Children cannot learn unless they have constructive relationships. We need members of our community (government, business and parents) to take an active personal interest in the lives of our children. I strongly believe that this kind of participation would foster a miraculous turnaround in our nation's educational system.
Anyone who doubts the national need for for caring adults to get involved should take a look at Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America, the oldest and largest mentoring organization in the United States.
Some 350,000 children are currently waiting to be matched with a big brother or big sister. This is a strong indication that parents, business and communities must become involved in making an investment in our children.
As children prepare for their holiday school break, let us make a pledge that when they return to school in 1995 we will become more involved in their lives.
Our children are our future, and our future will not improve without better schools. It's up to us to make them better. It's time for all of us to go back to school.
Kenneth N. Harris Sr.
Baltimore
School prayer
The issue of prayer in school is a waste of government's time and simply a show of force by the newly elected Republicans. Consider how much time and money will be spent debating this issue in Congress.
As a person who has been in school for the last 12 years, I can truthfully say that I can decide for myself whether I want to pray or have a moment of silence during my day. I don't need the government to decide for me.
School is a place for learning, not a place for forced contemplation or prayer. Those who feel the need to pray will find time to do so outside of school, where it should be done.
John Nesbitt
Baltimore
The writer is a senior in high school.
Minority deals
I found your Nov. 9 article, "17 Denny's franchises sold to black company," extremely interesting in light of the fact that Flagstar has portrayed itself as having made great strides in fulfilling its obligations to minorities, as indicated in the fair share agreement with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
While I wish for NDI Inc., the black-owned company out of Atlanta that received from Flagstar Inc. a total of 47 restaurants, a successful venture, I question the motive behind the decision to arrange for this particular company to receive 89 percent of the 53 restaurants guaranteed through the fair share agreement.
First, is it fair to assume that NDI Inc., which currently operates 23 Blockbuster video stores, is financially unable to pay the going rate to obtain a Denny's franchise?
Second, if the contract with NDI Inc. is negotiated under the NAACP fair share agreement, then it is assumed that Flagstar used part of the $224 million set-aside for the franchise development opportunities for minorities to finance this venture.
Third, if NDI Inc. had total sales of $25 million in fiscal year 1993, then is it fair to provide financial assistance to this company through the fair share agreement, when there exist other potential minorities with requisite experiences but lack of finances?
In other words, NDI Inc. could have afforded to pay the going rate to acquire the multiple Denny's franchises without having to use the NAACP fair share agreement.
Jerome Richardson, chairman of the board of Flagstar Corp., specifically stated in the NAACP agreement that "we are absolutely committed to giving minorities the opportunity to own their own businesses."
How can this statement be realized when Flagstar chooses a minority company that is already in business with more than $25 million in sales?
How is this helping minorities who are are presently not in business but have the desire and requisite experiences to operate a Denny's franchise and own their businesses?
I question the motive of Flagstar in awarding 47 of the 53 restaurants agreed to in the NAACP fair share agreement to one minority-owned company that apparently does not fall within the scope of the agreement.
This is not a reflection on NDI Inc., as I wish them well in this venture.
Herbert James
Baltimore
Dirtying up the bay
I enjoyed reading the story by Timothy Wheeler (Dec. 11) on the menace to the Chesapeake Bay from visiting ships discharging ballast water.
I find it almost beyond comprehension that officials in Maryland allow this practice to continue. The Chesapeake Bay is (or was ?) probably one of the most productive sources of seafood in the Western world, and a source of livelihood for shore families for generations.
In isolated places like Bermuda, the average citizen can more readily see the evidence of the disaster that results with the introduction of foreign life (animal, bird, plant, etc.) into an environmentally stable area. The island has, over time, had foreign bodies introduced with catastrophic results.
Certainly the experts must have been aware of the danger to the bay life for some time. Have these people been making a trade-off with tourism and freighter shipping trade?
Perhaps the new bay casino lobby can pay for the losses. Let's have this debate before Gov. William Donald Schaefer launches his new Baltimore Inner Harbor dock for cruise ships.
James M. Holway
Ellicott City