Letters to the Editor

Jail effect

Another reason to end war

Editor, The Times:

Re: "Law-enforcement agencies cite a strong economy filled with high-paying jobs and potential candidates fighting the war in Iraq as reasons they are struggling to find new officers." ["Officer shortage kills jail-space deal," Local News, May 22.]

Yet another reason to end the Iraq war, or at least scale it down. Maybe the federal government should fund The Ridge jail.

— Sophia Jones, Snohomish

Horseman's Trail

Project needs full EIS study

As a concerned citizen and parent of a student at Picnic Point Elementary, I am writing to ask the Snohomish County government to insist on requiring a full environmental-impact statement for the project known as Horseman's Trail.

The EIS that has been requested will only look at the effect of grading. I believe that the county needs to be more proactive and see how the entire housing project will affect the surrounding areas such as the wetlands, old-growth trees and the salmon-bearing streams, not to mention how the streets will handle all the excess traffic.

— Gayle Anderson, Edmonds

Education success

Responsibility lies with the scholar

I must disagree with Steve Mullin's recent opinion that "The No. 1 factor in student learning is teacher quality." ["Spurring students to future success," guest commentary, May 22.]

My eighth-grade daughter has daily homework in every class, and she does it. She's successful on state assessments.

She's bused to a high school for advanced math with several other successful eighth-graders. They are joined by older students who are inattentive and don't do homework. Those students are not successful. How do we assess the quality of that teacher?

At a local middle school surrounded by expensive homes, students mostly do what teachers ask them to do, and they do well on state assessments.

At a local middle school surrounded by subsidized housing, students attend sporadically and seldom do homework; they struggle on state assessments. How do we assess the quality of those teachers?

Parents who insist and expect their children to do what is expected by the professionals we entrust them to will have successful children. Children who don't do what is expected in school will struggle.

The No. 1 factor in student learning was, is and will always be the effort of the scholar.

— David Stewart, Everett