LETTER: Money and education

Victor Joecks’ Feb. 8 column on school spending reminded me of when I lived in New Hampshire 30-plus years ago. School advocates bemoaned the fact that our schools were inferior to those next door in Massachusetts because we spent less per student and paid our teachers less. There was only silence when it was pointed out that New Hampshire students were out-performing their Massachusetts counterparts on College Boards every year.

We could improve performance by doing away with social promotion. A child should master the essential skills of one grade before moving forward. The prospect of not being promoted should motivate a significant number of students to put forth the effort to learn. The additional state money suggested by the governor should be used to offer summer school to allow students a second opportunity to master the skills to move forward. Teachers who work summer school would, of course, be paid extra, but the choice of teachers to serve in summer school should be based on performance metrics, not longevity.