SCHOOLS HEADED IN RIGHT DIRECTION

to the editor: while your article on mayoral control ("panel discusses the mayor's school agenda," april 2) did a good job detailing people's concerns about mayoral control of our schools, it lacked even a mention of the gains that have come as a result. the number of students graduating from high school has increased, the amount of money spent on each student has increased, regent's test scores for 4th graders have gone up, crime in schools has gone down and i believe high performing schools have more autonomy than ever. i believe these gains are most startling in the schools and neighborhoods where children have not traditionally received a quality education. some of the strongest advocates for mayoral control come from the churches and community organizations in these neighborhoods, where people feel like real meaningful change is happening. we, as a city, are finally making headway in providing a quality education for all our children, not just those lucky enough to attend our consistently high performing schools. i would hate to see us return to a system that was so unwieldy that even the nation's most talented educators (rudy crew, ramon cortines, joseph fernandez, etc.) eventually walked away. i hope this publication will provide a more balanced perspective for this most critical issue for the future of our city.

neeta vallab public school parent, south end avenue

letters have been edited for clarity, style and brevity.