With No Light At End Of Tunnel, Storms Draining City Budgets 
Salt. Plows. Labor. As 
The Costs Keep Piling, Many 
City Officials Say They've 
Already Depleted Half Their 
Winter Finances

Ag's Office Says Charity Can't Begin At Home 
Contractor George Derr 
Does Not Want To Give Up His 
Plan To Sell Houses And Help 
The Needy

By CECE TODD; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Monday, January 17, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1 &amp; 16A QUICK WORDS: TL READERS GRADE
PUBLIC SCHOOLS, OFFER ADVICE 





Hire more teachers to reduce class sizes. Spend less money on teacher
salaries and athletics. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That's how The Times Leader's readers would improve Luzerne County's public
schools. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Thirty-nine readers responded to a survey as part of the newspaper's
four-day series "Grading Our Schools," published in December. The series did
not grade the schools; rather, it provided information for parents and the
public to use to evaluate their school districts. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Like the marks readers gave their school districts, response to The Times
Leader series was mixed. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A Wilkes-Barre cab driver said he created his own system for evaluating the
schools. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I drive a taxi. I use it to do my own informal survey of people 18 to 25,"
wrote J.H. Connell. "I have met a 1989 graduate of GAR who thought Virginia
was a tobacco company. A 1993 graduate of Meyers thought Harrisburg was a
state. I have also met several graduates who can't make change from a $10
bill." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A Dallas reader wrote, "Your articles used kid gloves. The proof of good
schools is the product. The turnout today -- poor, poor." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A Wyoming Valley West teacher thought the series bashed teachers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I felt that a response was necessary by me, a WVW teacher," the anonymous
letter said, "as I am sure that the majority of your responses will be of the
anti-teacher variety. After all that is why you wrote these articles. Isn't
it? Sell a few papers, rile up the public until the next teacher contract is
being negotiated." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Of 39 completed surveys, 18 contained negative comments toward teachers,
most often complaining that taxes and teacher salaries are too high. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But a Northwest Area graduate said the teachers are that district's major
strength. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The majority of the teachers care about the job they do and the students
they educate," college student Ann Marie Blasick wrote on her survey. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A Kingston reader cited "outrageous teacher salaries" as the biggest
problem in Wyoming Valley West and wrote, "The teachers' union will bury this
survey with mailing thousands of phony ballots." Just four teachers countywide
responded to the survey. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Those who complained about taxes and salaries most often gave their schools
Cs, Ds or Fs. The teachers graded their districts with As and Bs. Grades
ranged from As to Fs from parents who did not cite teacher salaries as a
problem. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A majority of readers -- 21 -- agreed or somewhat agreed that a tax
increase is warranted if the money is used to improve the quality of
education, while one response was neutral and 15 others disagreed or somewhat
disagreed. Those numbers do not reflect the total number of surveys returned,
because some readers did not answer all the questions. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Readers ranked hiring additional teachers to create smaller class sizes as
the most important area in which districts should spend more money, followed
by additional counselors and classroom supplies. Two people thought more money
should be spent on teacher salaries and athletics. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Thirteen people reported problems in obtaining information from the schools
or said parental involvement was not encouraged in their district. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Of Lake-Lehman school officials, parent Kathy Ford said they "listened, but
took no action." She said she is home-schooling her children now because of
"dissatisfaction with their public education and lack of willingness to have
parental involvement. ... Parents are ignored if you don't go along with the
teachers." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A reader who lives in the area served by Crestwood, but whose child attends
a private school, said Crestwood officials were not very receptive to
questions. "We were very disappointed in Crestwood. We should get more from
our taxes here in Mountaintop." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Twenty-two readers agreed or somewhat agreed that parents should have a
choice of where their kids go to school, regardless of where they live, while
11 disagreed or somewhat disagreed. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Twenty-three people said Luzerne County's public schools provide a good
range of classes and activities, while 11 said they do not. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A Wilkes-Barre parent said the public schools do not have the resources to
challenge the brighter student. "We need to be concerned about motivating and
challenging our brighter students -- the ones who really want to learn." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But another Wilkes-Barre parent, Bill Williams, said it's the slower
children who suffer. "The teachers only help the smart students. The slow ones
are left behind." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 James Sherry, a reader from the Wyoming Valley West district, gave the
public schools there an A. "They do the best they can with what they are
given," he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 He added, "When the people get a chance to vote approval or disapproval of
the budget, you will get a true assessment of how they feel about public
education ... People in the Wyoming Valley do not want to pay the cost of
education. I have to assume that education has a very low priority. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "... Until the people in all the school districts in the Wyoming Valley
have a voice in the budget process, you will never get an answer about the
caliber of the public schools."

Tl Readers Grade Public Schools, Offer Advice 
Thirty-nine Respondents To 
The Newspaper's Informal 
Education Survey Share What 
They Like And Don't Like About 
Their School Systems

Tl Readers Grade Public Schools, Offer Advice Thirty-nine Respondents To The Newspaper's Informal Education Survey Share What They Like And Don't Like About Their School Systems