Any overhaul must wrestle the school districts

I read with genuine interest Ruth Ann Dailey's May 19 column, "Property Taxes: A Trifecta of Failure," and Richard A. Wagner's June 5 letter, "Change the Law." Both offered valuable criticism and meaningful suggestions. Ms. Dailey's recommendation to collect and distribute revenues at a level higher than the school districts sounds like a good start. And Mr. Wagner's points -- consolidate the smaller districts, determine the average cost per student, fully fund public education at the state level and eliminate the school property tax -- provide a welcome elaboration on this subject.

However, it is important to recognize the obstacles in the way of Pennsylvania ever implementing such a plan: school districts and, more importantly, school boards.

Statistics for 2003 published by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics show that Pennsylvania's system of public education receives 53.8 percent of its funding at the local level (most other states' reliance on local funds hovers around 40 percent). And, as always, one need only look toward the funding to find the real control.

Local school districts and their boards enjoy far greater oversight than is truly necessary, and thus the recent rejection of a well-intentioned plan such as Act 72 is inevitable. School boards will do anything to maintain their current level of power -- even at the expense of their students and taxpayers.

One might ask if Ms. Dailey and Mr. Wagner's plans could work in the United States, but in fact a similar one has for over 45 years in one state. Hawaii's public education system has a single school district from which funds are collected and distributed equally. Perhaps Harrisburg should stop paying attention to the squabbles of local school boards and turn its gaze west ... way west.

BRIAN INDOVINA
Squirrel Hill
Editor's note: The writer is a rising senior at the College of William & Mary.

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Visitors impressed

We recently visited your city as participants in the National Senior Games. We had never been in Pittsburgh before. Somehow we expected belching smokestacks and growling Steelers fans (as Baltimore Ravens fans, we have quite a rivalry with you and we probably seem like growling Ravens fans).

Imagine our pleasure and surprise to find a beautiful, hilly, green city with very friendly people. We enjoyed the University of Pittsburgh campus as well as the Carnegie Mellon University campus where we found the local volunteers for the games to be attentive and helpful. The shuttles and buses were great, and most of the drivers were upbeat and informative -- even in near-90 degree heat.

We have told many of our friends about our pleasant visit and imagine you may have a few more visitors from the Baltimore area.

DEBBY MARINDIN
White Hall, Md.

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Against Wal-Mart

Communities First! is, of course, disappointed that the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation rejected our argument for legal standing regarding the proposed complex in Kilbuck Township ("Group Loses PennDOT Appeal to Block Wal-Mart Developer," June 18).

We feel that PennDOT Hearing Officer Andrew Cline based his decision on an extremely narrow definition of standing.

We understand that departmental regulations are designed to ensure that our state employees' time is spent performing their jobs -- not responding to frivolous legal claims filed by obstructionist groups.

However, the basis of our appeal is that PennDOT employees did not perform their jobs correctly. In fact, they made a serious error by approving an acutely flawed traffic plan.

We hired a prominent traffic consultant, who identified serious flaws in the Wal-Mart developer's traffic plan. Our traffic expert has had a long history of performing competent engineering work for PennDOT itself. Yet PennDOT staffers disregarded his analysis -- even though they have paid his firm hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years for his expertise on other PennDOT-related projects.

Despite the serious nature of our findings, Mr. Cline decided that Communities First! lacks a "sufficiently compelling interest" to warrant standing. This means that the merits of our case -- substantial safety issues for the thousands of residents who use Route 65 daily -- would never be addressed.

To deny us the right to challenge PennDOT's approval of the developer's traffic plan improperly immunizes the agency from public oversight! If we can't appeal the agency's decision, then who can?

While we thank Mr. Cline for his prompt reply to our appeal, after consultation with our attorney, we intend to appeal his ruling to the secretary of transportation in Harrisburg.

BOB KEIR
Co-Chairman
Communities First!
Avalon
Editor's note: The group has members from 14 municipalities along the Ohio River.

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Kennywood gouges

I work for a non-profit agency for mentally challenged adults, and I recently called Kennywood to inquire about tickets to the park. I was informed that admission was one price for all people.

We would be bringing to the park older folks in wheelchairs or others with physical limitations. These are people who deserve to come to the park for an entrance fee, but $28.95 is outrageous for them to enjoy only the surroundings. (Although afterwards they would tell their friends that, yes, indeed they went to Kennywood, with their faces lighting up all the while!)

Kennywood should rethink its policies when dealing with this population. I find this so shocking that I myself may not visit Kennywood this year and for years to come.

GREGORY P. BRUCE
Sheraden
Editor's note: The writer is a manager at Community Options, Inc.

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Help Weed and Seed

It is of great concern to hear of the potential loss of funding for the federal Weed and Seed program which benefits East Liberty, Garfield and other city of Pittsburgh East End neighborhoods ("Politics Blamed for Loss of Funds," June 14).

Presently, the East Liberty program is rated as one of the most successful in the country. Many programs are modeled after it.

It is estimated that crime has decreased 41 percent in the neighborhoods which have used Weed and Seed funding. Eliminating the program at this point is like fumbling the ball at the goal line. We urge all parties concerned to contact their local, state and national representatives to pressure the U.S. Justice Department to continue this program in the East End of Pittsburgh.

PAUL G. BRECHT
Executive Director for the Board of Directors
East Liberty Quarter Chamber of Commerce
East Liberty

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Don't let the fracas obscure the torture

The use of the term "gulag" in the annual report of Amnesty International produced a surge of undeserved criticism by the U.S. administration. It's unfortunate that one word could obscure the issues of U.S. torture, human rights abuses at Guantanamo in Cuba, Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and the rendition of U.S. prisoners to other countries where torture is permitted.

Evidence continues to mount that the United States operates a network of detention centers where people from Afghanistan to Iraq and beyond are secretly held, detained outside of any legal framework or transferred for interrogation to countries known to practice torture.

Amnesty International raised early concerns about abuses at Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib and "rendition" of prisoners to "torturing countries." More recently, there are reports that two Afghan prisoners, later deemed innocent, were beaten to death.

Amnesty International has an enviable record of impartiality when exposing human rights abuses wherever they occur. These reports are based on painstakingly gathered evidence from several sources (see amnesty.org). Local members of Amnesty International have written hundreds of letters to other countries decrying the exact tortures that the United States is now espousing. This includes many cases from Muslim countries in Africa and Asia.

Recent media coverage should not obscure the fact that torture, ill treatment and sexual humiliation occurred, further staining the United States' record and damaging our authority on human rights.

Amnesty International has called for the immediate creation of an independent commission and a special counsel to investigate all allegations of torture and ill treatment in U.S. detention facilities around the world. Our local group invites everyone to show support for all victims of torture on Sunday, June 26, U.N. International Day of Support for Victims of Torture.

For details about how to get involved, see our Web site at www.amnestypgh.org.

EVE WIDER
Coordinator
Pittsburgh Amnesty International Group 39
Squirrel Hill