To the editor:

Wednesday morning’s paper carried Lawrence Superintendent Anthony Lewis’ comment that he would “not be recommending any administrative cuts,” thus publicly admitting what many of us suspected all along. What else could he do, being a charter member of APA (The Administrators Protective Association), which puts their own interests above all others.

Here’ something teachers have learned to their sorrow: Administrators cause more trouble than they are worth. Lawrence schools have long had a military style of administration, where orders come from above; teachers are informed of curriculum and policy decisions on a need to know basis. Teachers and parents are excluded from decisions, but sometimes are brought in for window dressing after decisions have been made. Take the “Futures Committee” as a recent example.

Teachers hope administrators will give them support and resources to do their jobs well. Absent that, teachers will settle for being left alone. What teachers get instead is interference, micromanagement and condescension. Schools would improve drastically if there were fewer administrators.

Cut the bureaucrats, support the teachers, save the schools.

Don Dorsey,

Lawrence