Letters to the Editor | May 16, 2024

A recent editorial focused primarily on the struggle between Mayor Cherelle L. Parker and City Council over Joyce Wilkerson’s appointment to the Board of Education. But a different question jumps out at me.

Why are the CEO and principal of the 641 K-8 students at the Global Leadership Charter School receiving almost a million dollars a year in salary and benefits combined? According to the editorial, Naomi Johnson Booker alone is receiving compensation of over $475,000, which is 40% more than the district superintendent’s salary of $340,000. And the principal is being paid more than the highest-paid district principals.

And yet, just 11% of Global Leadership’s third-grade students were proficient in reading and only 1% of all grades in math in 2021-22, representing a 12-point decline and a 10-point decline, respectively. Why are its leaders being rewarded so richly for such poor student performance?

So many of us education advocates have been trying to draw attention to the problem of charter school administrators in Philadelphia drawing inordinate levels of resources away from public school needs. We must address this issue. Perhaps the fact that the Board of Education once again denied Global Leadership’s request to open a high school, based on academic and operational concerns, is a sign that the bright light of truth is finally shining on the well-paid leaders of charter schools and their lack of academic success. Let’s hope that enlightenment continues.

Deanna Burney, Philadelphia

As part of its recent multimillion-dollar renovation, Longwood Gardens destroyed its beloved outdoor children’s garden, replacing it with adult-led “children’s programming.” This was a regrettable decision, as my children, and so many other area children, are devastated at the loss of one of their favorite local play areas.

The garden provided a beautiful, shaded area where children could splash in the fountain, navigate hedge mazes, or enjoy tea parties in intricate beehive chairs. Young families relaxed, socialized, and allowed their children to play freely with one another. The indoor children’s garden, while beautiful, is narrow and hard to navigate; its crowded confines prevent the joyous unencumbered play once offered by the outdoor garden. Thus, the outdoor garden served as a destination and meeting place for local families and was always one of the most popular destinations within Longwood.

For children in today’s world, there is an abundance of scheduled, adult-led children’s programming. What is missing is the type of unstructured, joyful outdoor childhood play that happened so naturally in the beautiful and pristine setting of the outdoor children’s garden. Our area’s children are heartbroken, and we have lost a treasured spot for play, splashing, and yearly passage of time pictures.

Carolyn Warner Ryan, Gettysburg, cwarner87@gmail.com

In deep conversations about legal strategy, lawyers, legal analysts, and laypeople ask a serious question: Will Donald Trump testify to defend himself in the business records/hush-money case? Most experts who weigh in opine that he shouldn’t because he’ll commit perjury. They say he’s too erratic and unpredictable, and that he can’t be trusted to help his own defense. Let’s stop for a moment: We might elect this guy to be our president?

Elliott Miller, Bala Cynwyd

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