Many problems plague city schools

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Having had four students in Modesto schools over the years, I find the problems are many, from bloated management to incapable-of-thought principals and teachers. Stupid policies like "zero tolerance" suspend or expel students for the most idiotic reasons, i.e. wrestling during recess. That ensures student failure by removing teaching from their education two, three, four, five or six days at a time.

Elliott is the dumping ground for any student who might hurt the high school's academic standing. There the slower or non-cookie-cutter students, along with borderline special ed, get to mix with the thugs and gangsters. During registrations over four years, I heard administrators telling many parents, "missing five credits — go to Elliott."

Many counselors "help" plan students' schedules in April, then forget to set them up in August, screwing up the education plan, leaving the student with plan nothing but oops.

There needs to be no tenure and no administrative salary over $100,000 a year. While there are many good teachers, almost none are good administrators. They cannot serve three masters, only one — the students. Not the unions nor the political hacks. The new boards should begin to eliminate teacher administrators, period.

BILL McCARTHY
Modesto