Kathy Bushouse, The Sun-Sentinel

August 3, 2009

Kathy Bushouse
The Sun-Sentinel
200 East Las Olas Boulevard
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33301

RE: “The World Turned Upside Down” or why Johnny can’t read. A comment on your article about Broward teachers demanding a raise.

Ms. Bushouse,

The song mentioned above was the one played when Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown. I just had the distressing thought that the majority of people connected to the Broward County school system – teachers, students, administrators, “others” – don’t know who Cornwallis was or what happened at Yorktown. That’s a matter for a different discussion.

2 points stand out in your article. First, I must congratulate you for telling the story in a straightforward manner. There was no hint of sarcasm, no hint that your head was about to explode in rage, no stiletto of ridicule, no broadsword of indignation at what is patently absurd. I rather imagine that you had to be packed in ice after you finished writing it.

#1 – The Broward school system has 39,000 employees. Of that number “16,000 plus” are teachers. “16,000 plus” teachers need 23,000 “others” to help them teach? When the magic student teacher ratio is figured is it the number of students divided by 39,000 or by “16,000 plus”?

Why is it “16,000 plus”? Why would the number of teachers be an unknown? Count the number of paychecks payable to people who checked off “teacher” on their pay form. That’s the number of teachers in the system. You can pass this on to Superintendent Notter. Tell him to pass it on to the Chief Financial Officer.

#2 – One of the demands of the “16,000 plus” teachers is “deleting a requirement that teachers attend a back to school night”. Who writes their stuff? Mel Brooks? Is their bible [N.B. lower case “b”] “A Confederacy of Dunces”?

Why would a parent go to back to school night save for the fact that they can meet their children’s teachers? The cafeteria lady, the plumber, the diversity expert – Did I just say diversity expert? – the crossing guard, the benefits consultants, the curriculum experts are vitally important, I dare say extremely important, to the education of the children. That’s not who the parents want to see.





Your article is continued on Page6B. The story above it is titled “Missing man found buried in freezer”.

Can you get the police to go back to where the body was found? Maybe the common sense so profoundly missing in American public education is in there.

The world is turned upside down.





Kevin Smith