LETTERS: COLUMNISTS ARE OK

To the editor:

I have been reading letters to the editor from some people who are unhappy with the selection of columnists you use. I am just thrilled with the people who contribute. I think Jay Eastlick, Walter Williams, Mona Charen and Cal Thomas are top-notch.

I especially appreciate Peter Kinder for the research he has done on outcomes-based education in Missouri. He has educated the public via the newspaper and made people aware of a plan that is otherwise not discussed. If it weren't for Kinder, few in Missouri would know what Senate Bill 380 and Gov. Carnahan had underhandedly thrust upon our schools.

I have learned that the Missouri program is patterned after the Kentucky Education Reform Act. Since KERA was instituted three years ago, public education has been going downhill. Donna Shedd of Kentucky states: "I pulled my three young children out of public school after the first round of KERA tests in the spring of 1992. The private school where my children are now enrolled had 172 new students this year, an increase of 28 percent. Private-school enrollment is up all over the state. Many new private schools have been formed since KERA. Our county has a homeschooler increase this year alone of 500, or 147 percent. According to the 1994 National Report Card, Kentucky leads the nation in declining public-school enrollment in 1994."

It sounds to me like the Missouri public-school system will be the loser if we follow in Kentucky's footsteps. We need to be informed and keep abreast of changes as they occur in Missouri. An excellent reference is "Not With My Child You Don't" by Robert Holland. You can obtain this book by calling 1-800-555-7606.

LINDA LAWRENCE

Jackson