Schools In Baltimore

Judicial choice offers chance to unite the nation President Bush has a unique choice. He can be loyal to his conservative base by choosing a conservative judge or he can place the unity of the United States above the desires of his conservative base by choosing a more moderate person ("For Bush, court pick could make history," July 6). Many Republicans believe that the Democrats lost the election and should get over it; that those who lost are not entitled to anything, even though the country was split almost in half.

The number of elementary and middle schools in Maryland failing to meet state standards in math and reading decreased slightly this year, with troubled schools continuing to be concentrated in Baltimore City and Prince George's County, according to data released yesterday. Of the state's more than 1,000 elementary and middle schools, 173 were deemed "in need of improvement" - a drop from last year's 179 - in this annual reckoning of how well schools measure up on the Maryland School Assessment exams given every March.

Public schools, charter schools have same goal Last year, I was a guest at an event for an East Baltimore charter school that is trying to open this fall. I was invited because the charter school movement and programs such as Children's Scholarship Fund Baltimore, a school choice program, have always been mutually supportive. Our goals are the same: a quality education for our children. A speaker at the event said, "This charter school will be good for the students, the parents and even Baltimore City public schools.

The first time Brian Nichols heard the door of a holding cell lock behind him, he was about 11 years old. His uncle, James Dow, stood guard outside. Then a Baltimore corrections officer, Dow said, he shut Brian and two other young nephews in a city cell with an inmate who had agreed to tell them about prison. "I looked at it as part of their formal education," said Dow, now 63 and retired. "So they wouldn't want anything to do with prison." The inmate had just been beaten by another prisoner, and his face was covered with fresh wounds.

HERE'S A RIDDLE: When is a basketball tournament not a basketball tournament? Answer: When it comes with an academic and public service component. That's not a particularly funny joke, but, for Warren Hayman, the education of African-American high school athletes is no laughing matter. It's why Hayman, the co-chair of the annual Basketball Academy sessions going on this weekend at Morgan State, is determined to ensure that black student-athletes from the 20 boys and girls teams are as strong on the left of the hyphen as they are on the right.

I challenge anyone who thinks the state is spending enough money on Baltimore's schools to visit a school. The building will likely be deteriorating, with rotting windows, dysfunctional boilers and leaking roofs. Visit a school library. You're not likely to find a librarian, since few schools have one, but take a look at the books. See how many were published after, say, 1975. Visit a classroom. Talk to a teacher about the number of students in the classroom. Find out about the availability of textbooks and other learning resources.

Do you think the state is providing sufficient funding to the public schools in Baltimore and throughout the state? We are looking for 300 words or less; the deadline is Monday. Letters become the property of The Sun, which reserves the right to edit them. By submitting a letter, the author grants The Sun an irrevocable, non-exclusive right and license to use and republish the letter, in whole or in part, in all media and to authorize others to reprint it. Letters should include your name and address, along with a day and evening telephone number.

The Maryland Jesuits are considering opening a high school in Baltimore that would, for the first time, provide low-income students a Catholic college prep education combined with professional experience through a corporate work-study program. The Rev. William J. Watters, S.J., who is chairman of a committee conducting a feasibility study, said students would earn tuition money by working part time in professional offices ranging from law and investment firms to banks and hospitals. The purpose is to expose some of Baltimore's most disadvantaged students to a work environment that could help propel them to college and white-collar careers.

In Baltimore City 15-year-old charged in fatal shooting of man in front of store A 15-year-old West Baltimore boy was arrested last night in the shooting death May 9 of a man in the 500 block of N. Warwick Ave., city police reported. The youth, Nathaniel Sassafras, 15, was charged as an adult with first-degree murder and handgun offenses, said Detective Michael Baier. Sassafras, whose address was not released, is accused of shooting Jason Baughman, 22, of the 2400 block of Lauretta Ave. several times in front of a convenience store near the victim's home.