Letters to the Editor

A principled raise

Superintendent's pay raise inappropriate

Editor, The Times:

Regarding the Seattle Public Schools board's 10 percent pay raise for its superintendent, Maria Goodloe-Johnson, I cannot believe that decision was made without public input, upon the board's approval with very little discussion, and despite the fact that this district has a desperate need for money and a history of mismanaging its funds ["Seattle schools chief awarded 10 percent pay raise," Times, Local News, July 10].

Right now, for example, there is a group of former teachers who carry on the function twice each year of testing elementary and secondary students for their qualification into advanced academic classes in the Seattle Public Schools. They do this for less than $14 an hour.

These are extremely important national tests, conducted by experienced teachers, often under very difficult conditions. All of the testers are accredited and many hold master's degrees, yet they cannot get an increase in their wages due to a plethora of excuses about how tight the budget is.

Is the School Board really "optimistic" about "the creation of several new positions" when it can't, or won't, fairly pay those people already working for the district? Paying adjudicators $14 an hour is pathetic, and an insult to the Advanced Placement programs in this district.

Let's take care of the programs and people already working here before we get excited about adding "100 new positions."

— Jill Vaughn, Seattle

Livable kudos

Let's not forget schools

I am delighted to see Seattle moving toward livable, walkable neighborhoods ["Growth can be an opportunity to create livable neighborhoods," guest commentary, July 8] as it plans for growth. I lived in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago for almost a decade without owning a car. I walked or took a bus, train or taxi everywhere. Dan Cantrell and Jessyn Farrell have created an extensive list of what makes a city livable and how we need to plan for growth, but they have forgotten one major element: schools.

My children attend a Seattle public school in the northeast cluster, where five of seven schools have added an additional kindergarten class for next year. As we grow, we need to have enough schools for the families who move here.

— Lauren McGuire, Seattle

Rossi and the GOP

A transparent candidacy?

Reporter David Postman's "Differing degrees of disclosure" [Local news July 10] and reporter Carol Ostrom's "Judge: Human Life must disclose donors" [Local News, July 10] speak to the core issue of transparency in government. Conservative Human Life refuses to disclose political contributors against the I-1000 initiative. Rossi has refused to disclose federal tax information in 2004 and 2008. Both conservative campaigns lack political transparency. Meanwhile, Gregoire is honored by "Governing" magazine for "one of the most open state governments in the country."

Further clouding the issue, Rossi listed his party as "GOP" instead of "Republican" on the 2008 ballot. The Seattle Times reported that Republican Secretary of State Sam Reed is opposed to the label of GOP ["GOP: New brand, same old style," Local News, June 11]. As of last count, there were more than 26 Republican candidates attempting to obscure who they really are to the voter.

Fooling the voter does not bode well for gubernatorial hopeful Rossi or other like-minded Republican candidates.

Have they learned nothing? Subterfuge has been the pattern these past eight years from the Republicans. Bush shrouded his government in secrecy. Eighty percent of the public now sees clearly the damage he has done to our country, the world and the economy. Transparency matters.

— Glenda Tecklenburg, Mill Creek

RIP, Budweiser

Beer buyout welcome

What's all this fuss about a Brazilian-Belgian brewer possibly buying out Anheuser-Busch ["Belgium, this Bud's for youM," guest commentary, July 11]? Busch's main product, Bud, and especially Bud Lite, are not beers, they are colored waters with alcohol.

Any takeover could only be an improvement!

— Martin Paup, Seattle