In spite of the fact that the administrative staff for the Baltimore City Public Schools has been reduced significantly in recent years, it remains an easy target for people like Ben Shifrin, head of Jemicy School, a private school in Baltimore County ("City schools needs to re-examine spending," Jan. 31).
Acknowledging the wonderful work Jemicy does for its students with dyslexia and other learning differences, one wonders if a man who runs a school for privileged, overwhelmingly white children is best suited to help us understand the real challenges of managing an underfunded school system comprised significantly of children who live in poverty.
According to its website, Jemicy's tuition is in excess of $30,000. Its classes "are small, ranging from 2 to 12 students." Without ignoring the extra resources children with learning differences require, one can only dream of what Baltimore City's fiercely committed school teachers could do with that kind of money per student and class sizes that small.
Mr. Shifrin might consider venturing out of the green confines of Velvet Valley and actually visiting a public school in Baltimore City. Instead of seeing the "fat," he decries, he might leave wondering that so much is being done with so little.
Joe Rubino, Baltimore