In Ralph Nichol's commentary, "Picking taxpayers' pockets is not way to fix education," he references a recent Washington Education Association report in which Washington is 42nd nationally in per student funding. The WEA has proposed a plan that would raise our state spending level to seventh.

Mr. Nichols writes that additional funding is not the answer, but the problem should be fixed instead. He goes on to say the taxpayers can't afford it, greater accountability is required, the WEA should work with the Legislature to fix it, there are too many "chiefs" in the system and there are too many non-academic demands on our teachers.

I suppose that if Washington schools were in the lowest quartile in achievement and in the highest quartile in funding, I might agree with Mr. Nichols. But the reverse is true. According to a recent report from the Pew Research Center, Washington students rank fourth in the nation in achievement. This from a system that is ranked 42nd in per-student spending. Looks to me like our teachers are doing a terrific job with only a minimum level of support from the rest of us.

But is fourth in the nation good enough? Compared with the rest of the world the U.S. is average or below in Math and Science (International Science Center, Boston College, Lynch School of Education). Comparing favorably with the rest of the U.S. is not enough in a worldwide economy. We must strive to be first in the world.

Are there some new ideas on organization and curriculum that might help? Of course, but the principal hurdle today is to get the funding up to a reasonable level. If we want our kids and grandkids to have high paying jobs at Washington's high-tech industries we will have to focus on how our students are doing, compared with the world. Right now they could do better and we could help get them get there not by attacking the system, but by adequately funding it.

Incidentally Mr. Nichols, in America it is "We the People" who are the government and we together decide what kind of a society we want to live in. We tax ourselves to improve the common good. Characterizing this process, as "Picking Taxpayers' Pockets" is not only incorrect from a Constitutional point of view; it is a cynical way to persuade citizens that they do not have to pay to improve the education of our kids.

If we all really enjoy our lives here in Washington state, the best in the nation, then let's get with it and get our education system up to World Class. This starts with World Class funding. We can't afford not to do it.

Tom Spohn

Burien