William Dunsmuir 
July 27, 1996 
William D. Dunsmuir Of Pennsauken, N.j., Died Saturday At Home.

Andrew Gorto 
July 25, 1996 
Andrew Frances Gorto, 77, Of Parrish Street, Dallas, Died Thursday In The 
Wilkes-barre General Hospital.

Sunday, July 28, 1996 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 





Ridge, Dole both share same unenlightened views on education &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 One aspect of the record of Pennsylvania's Gov. Tom Ridge that obviously
appealed to Bob Dole in considering Ridge as his possible running-mate is the
governor's views on public education. They virtually parallel Dole'sIn
expressing his concern for the quality of public education in the nation
today, Dole found only one culprit -- the teachers. He held them responsible
for virtually everything he said is wrong with public education -- from the
leaking roofs of school buildings to the flat college aptitude test scores of
the students. He was incensed that the teachers have a union, especially one
that has given more money to Democrat candidates than to Republicans. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Among the many factors that Dole overlooks, however, is that while teachers
unionized to protect themselves from being pawns of political patronage, the
teachers have nothing to say about those who are hired and fired, or about
their buildings and other facilities, and precious little in determining what
is taught and the means of teaching. All of these, including the negotiation
and administration of the contracts under which the teachers are employed, is
done by their school boards. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Of course, members of the school boards are elected by the voters of the
school district, and they include Republicans as well as Democrats and
Independents. Not only do the voters have a vital voice -- if they choose to
use it -- in how their schools operate, but they have the ultimate say. In a
telling sense, the caliber of the teaching staff and the effectiveness of
their schools, reflects the choices of the voters. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 However, instead of seeking means of encouraging the professional educators
rather than the politicians to determine the education plan and the means for
implementing it, both Dole and Ridge would incite voter unhappiness and use it
to break the teacher's organizations, regardless of what that would do to the
public school system. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The mechanism they would use to attack the public school teachers is the
public money that funds the public schools. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For one, both would use the voucher proposal to divert the already
inadequate funding from the public schools and give it instead to the private
schools, including religious schools. Both Dole and Ridge brush off the
constitutional issue of separation of church and state that is involved when
public money is allocated to religious organizations. Dole says he thinks the
U.S. Supreme Court would look favorably on the move -- and some observers of
the current court say that past comments by some of its members encourages
that view. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For a second mechanism, Dole adopted another Ridge proposal: giving
outright scholarship grants to low-income elementary and high school students
for use in paying tuition at private and religious schools. Dole estimated the
national cost of this at $2.5 billions. While he didn't say where he would get
that money, his advisers say it would come from existing appropriations for
other education programs. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 This cost would be in addition to other current proposals that would grant
substantial federal tax credits to families with children attending college.
Presumably that loss in federal revenue would also be deducted from the
existing inadequate federal appropriations for education programs. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 As a practical matter it seems likely that many low-income parents would
find the $1,000 proposed for elementary school children and the $1,500 for
high school students, too short of the tuition cost of many private and
religious schools for them to be able to make up the difference. They couldn't
afford the luxury of such a choice. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Still another means that reportedly is being developed by Gov. Ridge to
further cripple Pennsylvania's public school system was outlined by reporter
Heidi Russell last week in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Simply put, it will --
for the plan has already been adopted -- make it increasingly difficult if not
impossible, to accurately estimate comparable property values across the state
and thereby determine the fair distribution of state aid to the public school
districts, let alone to ensure reasonable accountability. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The move is said to be a prelude to the kind of so-called "tax reform" that
is being pushed by the Ridge Administration and which not only would shift the
tax burden from property to income, but would enhance his bid to adopt a
voucher system. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Regrettably, both the Dole and Ridge plans -- in their mutual effort to
smash the public school teacher organizations -- would do nothing to assure
continued, let alone better, education for either all children or for those
who, because they can least afford it, need it most. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But then, this attack on public education that both Dole and Ridge find so
mutually attractive, says a lot about both of them. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Tom Bigler is professor of communications at Wilkes University and a Times
Leader columnist. His column appears on Sunday and Wednesday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Ridge, Dole Both Share Same Unenlightened Views On Education 
One Aspect Of The Record Of Pennsylvania's Gov. Tom Ridge That Obviously 
Appealed To Bob Dole In Considering Ridge As His Possible Running-mate Is The 
Governor's Views On Public Education. They Virtually Parallel Dole's.

Ridge, Dole Both Share Same Unenlightened Views On Education One Aspect Of The Record Of Pennsylvania's Gov. Tom Ridge That Obviously Appealed To Bob Dole In Considering Ridge As His Possible Running-mate Is The Governor's Views On Public Education. They Virtually Parallel Dole's.