Don't blame schools for all of society's ills; Remarks about seniority, pensions discriminatory Milwaukee School Board member John Gardner's endorsement of school choice impedes his ability to function as a public school advocate. Joe Williams' Feb. 25 article about the Milwaukee teachers union proposal for seniority revisions in contract negotiations included Gardner's negative responses. Referring to seniority as a generational issue, he complains that members of the MTEA's executive committee "aren't interested in teaching but are interested in their pension benefits." His impudent and discriminatory comments criticize teachers' interests in retirement pensions at being at odds with their responsibilities in a classroom. Huh? That's as ignorant as alleging that older employed parents aren't interested in the education of their children because they are interested in their family income and pensions. Of course Gardner wouldn't be caught dead imparting his ageist remarks in the board rooms of his executive school choice pals. Complaining that the CEO and officers aren't interested in the company's performance but are interested in their "golden parachutes" would get him kicked out on the seat of his pants. Gardner's undertakings reflect his negative intentions to polarize and malign MPS teachers by any means, a routine perpetuated by many of his school choice colleagues. Daniel Pryzbyla Milwaukee; Paper doesn't give credit due MTEA leadership For too long the Journal Sentinel has been accusing the executive board of the Milwaukee Teachers' Education Association of standing in the way of educational reform within the Milwaukee Public Schools. The Journal Sentinel refuses to credit MTEA leadership even though, under the current executive board, the MTEA and MPS have embarked upon a variety of cutting-edge educational initiatives, including a university program designed to educate and train teachers for an urban school system; a program to help struggling teachers improve their skills or, absent improvement, help them exit the school system; a mentor program designed to assist and retain new teachers; and a host of innovative school initiatives that operate under procedures beyond the scope of the collective bargaining agreement. When the current MTEA leadership authorizes its bargaining team to explore alternatives to seniority in teacher placement, the Journal Sentinel again fails to give credit where it is due, and rather attributes this bold initiative to some phantom group of "progressives" within the MTEA. I would submit that the progressive movement within the MTEA is the vast majority of its current executive board and has been for the past five years. Bob Lehmann MTEA vice president Sussex; Parent involvement will improve performance I'm writing in response to the Feb. 26 article "MPS has trouble spots but isn't in crisis, Brown says." The negative way in which this article was written is discouraging. For example, saying more than 3 in 10 third-graders scored below state standards in reading tests means that about 7 in 10 students scored above! I'm tired of hearing about how Milwaukee Public Schools are failing and that MPS is responsible. Poor test scores, low reading levels, high dropout rates and below-average writing skills will not improve by strengthening the curriculum or Gov. Tommy Thompson taking over. There is only one thing that will improve students' performance: parent involvement. Do people honestly think that children will excel in school when there is one teacher to teach 30 children? Do people think it is the schools' responsibility to teach children everything they need to know? How much can students be expected to learn by spending one hour in each subject a day with no carry-over at home? I've sat in my son's middle school classroom when 75% of class time was spent attempting to discipline the students yelling, nagging and threatening them leaving 15 to 20 minutes of teaching time. I am involved in the Parent Club at my daughter's elementary school. Typically, zero to three parents show up for our meetings. The teachers tell me that a very small percentage of parents come for teacher conferences. Don't parents want to know whom their child is spending seven hours a day with? These teachers are trying! But many children show up unprepared to learn and respect their teachers so they can teach. Parents, let's make our children's education a priority so they do, too. Kathleen Stadler Milwaukee