The Plight of L.A. Teachers--and Students

In her column (“L.A. Schools’ Problems Deeper Than State Pockets,” July 11) Sandy Banks really got it right in her analysis of the cart-before-the-horse situation concerning public schools. It seems that everyone in power jumps to blame teachers, staff and parents for all that’s wrong with the schools. As she says, the powers-that-be fail to take into consideration the inadequate conditions under which teachers and students work; they especially fail to comprehend the very harsh lives of present-day students in big cities--particularly Los Angeles. The “urban poor” are no myth. In large portions of the city, they are chiefly Third World immigrants with severe language barriers, living on very low incomes in gang areas. As one who has dealt with them for years, I know.

The true reason for the increasingly severe problems of urban schools lies at the feet of the leaders of both [political] parties (and those who elected them) in their rush to abandon the poor, in their apparent attitude that helping others is not chic in today’s prosperous society. Instead of a war on poverty as in the ‘60s, there is now a war against the poor. In the meantime, our society is becoming increasingly polarized, and urban students are among those at the bottom. Hooray to Sandy Banks for pointing out the truth.

BETTY KNIGHT

Studio City