Clearly the recent vote by the Upper St. Clair School Board to phase out participation in the International Baccalaureate Organization has catalyzed an outpouring of commentary and emotion, both in our district and in the media. As members of the board who voted for the program's elimination, we felt it important to reiterate the rationale behind our individual decisions for our district and its students.

		William Sulkowski, D.M.D., is president, Mark Trombetta, M.D., is vice president and Daniel Iracki, M.D., is a member and chairman of the academics, arts and activities committee of the Upper St. Clair School Board.

First and foremost, we understand the passion and commitment to this program exhibited by its participants and their parents. Short of good health, nothing is more important for a child than a quality academic experience. Upper St. Clair has a rich tradition and outstanding reputation in providing that experience. As members of the board, we take great responsibility in protecting that tradition and reputation.

That said, it is important to emphasize that IB is not a popular or widely accepted educational program. Out of tens of thousands of school districts in the United States, only a handful has chosen to participate in all levels of the IB program. Out of 501 public school districts and hundreds of private schools in Pennsylvania, a mere 17 schools offer any portion of the IB curriculum. Locally, Mt. Lebanon and Pine-Richland considered and rejected the program.

It must be realized that IB is costly in several respects. The "hard" cost of the program is $85,355, which includes dues and fees the school district pays for its participation. Moreover, the "soft" costs are many, including high school IB classes with few students per teacher, extra teacher training, and transporting students to the streams school IB site. We have estimated the soft costs of the program at between $100,000 and $150,000, based on national averages and internal cost estimates. Thus, the overall cost is in the neighborhood of $200,000 annually.

An important point that is not recognized by IB supporters is that the program costs not only dollars, but opportunity. Resources devoted to the experimental IB program were taken from offerings in the traditional, rigorous, nationally recognized Advanced Placement (AP) program. Because of IB, Upper St. Clair can offer only 11 AP courses; fewer than Mt. Lebanon (15), Peters Township (16), and Radnor in Eastern Pennsylvania (19). USC offers no AP course in computer science, music, art or world languages. Now that the IB program has been eliminated, we will seek to invigorate, strengthen and expand our AP offerings.

Despite appearances, the beneficiaries of the IB program are few. Since Upper St. Clair's adoption of IB in 1998, less than 1 percent of students have graduated with IB diplomas. Only a slightly higher percentage of the student body participated in any IB course at all.

Many proponents have cited the need for international studies in today's global society. We agree. Yet IB is not the only source of such a perspective. We support using some of the funds saved from the IB program to broaden our nascent Asian Studies program. Today's technological world also demands students well educated in science and math. IB was weak in these critical subjects.

Those opposed to our decision have tried to portray it as a hasty one. Not true. The public meeting on Feb. 20 was the culmination of a long process. Dr. Trombetta and Mr. Bluey have been researching the IB program for many months. It was the subject of discussion during last year's election campaign.

As well, the popular Flight and Mosaic tracts were eliminated by a previous board with much less consideration. Many months prior to any political event, the board asked the administration to present detailed information about the IB curriculum, the performance of IB students on standardized tests, the numbers of professional and support personnel devoted to the program and the numbers of students enrolled in it.

We carefully considered all of the information presented by the administration and the public. The timing of the vote was necessary to allow schedule planning for the following year. Further delay would have prohibited proper scheduling for all students.

While we were disappointed by the manner in which some citizens opted to voice their concerns, we respect their opinions. Their anecdotal tributes, however, cannot overcome the fact that IB in USC is a high-cost, low-enrollment proposition. When you strip away the emotions, this is the essence of the issue and the basis for our decision.

Four candidates ran as a slate last November. We expressly promised USC voters to make decisions based on sound, rational analysis. We were elected by a large margin by voters exasperated by annual tax increases. True to our pledge, we have demanded and examined data about the IB program, reviewed it carefully over time, and made a rational cost-benefit analysis.

We are convinced that USC schools can take the most positive aspects of the IB experiment, incorporate them into existing programs, save taxpayer dollars, and improve educational quality.

If there is one thing everyone in this debate can agree upon, it is commitment to our children's education. We believe our process and our vote on IB is a tangible expression of our commitment to all students in the Upper St. Clair School District and to the taxpayers who fund its stellar system of education.