Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 30, 1995 TAG: 9511300032
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
I question whether it's genuine ignorance on his part or a deliberate litany of half-truths that precipitated his statements. As a businessman, he must realize that with just a little research (one phone call to administrative offices of any one of the several local school districts, for example) he could have discovered how pupil-teacher ratios are determined. Every professional staff person (administrators, counselors, librarians) is factored into the formula, whether that person ever enters a classroom. Thus, the numbers quoted by Key do not reflect the number of pupils in a given class.
He stated that ``most people guess the numbers to be 25 to 30 pupils per class. The truth is it's half that, on average.'' The truth is he knows not of what he speaks! I taught mathematics at William Fleming High School for 22 years, and am now in my 10th year at Salem High School. I assure Key and all taxpayers of the Roanoke Valley that I've never had an average class size of 12.5 to 15 pupils. On the contrary, the average (mean) class size at Salem High School today is 20.3, the median number of students is 21, and most often it's 24. And those numbers are considered low by most standards. Key and others should also be aware that even these figures are distorted because they include 37 special-education classes with a mean average of 8.9 pupils, as well as a few other small classes such as advanced language classes.
I believe all school systems in the valley welcome visitors. I suggest that Key make an appointment to shadow a teacher in a school near him. I expect he's in store for a few surprises. Does he have the stamina necessary to keep up with an ``average'' teacher with his or her ``average'' load?
LOIS ANN COX
Mathematics teacher
Salem High School
ROANOKE
Social Security staff cares about clients
IN RESPONSE to Caldwell Blair's Nov. 17 letter to the editor, ``Pay, not service, is the bottom line'':
Blair implied that our staff chose not to work ``without a guarantee of being paid.'' This was absolutely incorrect. Our staff was ordered to leave the office. Except for a limited number, others were not allowed to remain, even if they volunteered to do so. Employees had no input as to whether they could remain at work.
The Social Security office staff strives to provide top-quality service to everyone doing business with us. We strive to do this, even though our staff has been reduced from 72 to 42 in the past several years. Our office receives positive comments on the courteous, professional service we offer. I assume Blair has had an unpleasant experience dealing with some federal office, possibly ours. For that, I apologize.
Often, the answers and/or decisions we give people aren't what they want to hear. We administer the laws and regulations established for our programs. Often, our services are judged by the answers we provide. Even though these are correct, it isn't what the person wants to hear. This is then interpreted as poor, uncaring service. We do care, and we do try to provide the best service possible.
FRED AYSCUE
District Manager
Social Security office
ROANOKE
Abortion: America's enemy within
I DON'T understand Ellen Goodman's Nov. 14 column (``Pro-life lawmakers aren't looking at all the pictures'') concerning partial-birth abortions.
Abortion has become the most popular surgical procedure ever demanded in the history of medical science. Every year, 1.6 million American lives are lost to abortion. That is easily compared to the 1.118 million American lives lost in all wars - from the Persian Gulf War back 215 years to the Revolutionary War. In many ways, abortion and those who support it are a greater danger to American life than any or all enemies this nation has ever faced; a near and present danger.
Partial-birth abortions are numbered at 495 annually. That's .03 percent of the total 1.6 million. I don't understand Goodman's column, nor do I know the God she calls upon in her summation. Is his commandment death?
MARSHALL R. TACKETT
BUCHANAN
by CNB