I read with interest the article, "Four-year plan calls for major upgrades for schools" (Dec. 29) but especially the first sentence: "Dulaney High School is one of the top high schools in the state in terms of academics, but its decades-old water pipes aren't performing as well." It seems there is no air conditioning in addition to rusted sinks, cloudy windows and cracked tiles. It also seems that broken water pipes have caused considerable damage recently.
What I find interesting, though, is the fact that, despite these structural deficiencies, the school is still one of the best performing in the state. To me that points to the fact that, in Baltimore City, we don't need structural fixes as much as we need better trained and motivated teachers and more involved parents and guardians. In other words, I would make a case that more money should be dedicated to hiring better-trained teachers and instituting programs to get parents involved, including dedicated means to help them out of poverty. If the answer I am given is that there is a difference between capital and operating budgets, then my response is simple: Stop trying to blame the problems on old schools and start accepting the fact that new schools are not, and will never be, a panacea for better student performance.
Carol N. Shaw, Fork