BOAST would benefit students of both public, private schools

While readers of this page have heard from both sides of the issue regarding the merits of the BOAST tax credit, it is important to clarify several facts about the proposal (“BOAST no boost to state public schools,” April 11). Like Pennsylvania’s program, the BOAST tax credit, which will be considered again in 2009, benefits students and teachers in both private and public schools.

The concept behind BOAST is simple: Increase the tax incentive — from the existing charitable deduction to a state income tax credit — for businesses that make a contribution to organizations that benefit students and teachers. For private school students, business donations would go to scholarship organizations. For public school students, business donations would go to after-school, arts, environmental, mentoring and other enrichment programs.

BOAST’s funding would come from state tax revenues, not money already dedicated to public schools. To oppose BOAST because the funding could theoretically be used for public schools would mean opposing state expenditures for anything other than public education. Without the existence of private schools, the state would have to spend an additional $1.5 billion in taxpayer dollars annually to educate the 136,000 Maryland students currently enrolled in them.

BOAST does not pit one system against the other. Instead, it encourages collaboration so that educational opportunities can be improved for all.

Mary Ellen Russell

Maryland Catholic Conference

Annapolis

Troubled youth need different school option

In reference to the April 22 article “Teachers demand suspension in face of violence in schools”: I strongly recommend that these confused and troubled students be admitted to a special classroom program along with school dropouts.

This would be expensive and require a considerable amount of time. Needed would be a facility such as the Charles H. Hickey Jr. School to house these youth in a boarding program. In the long run, the expense of educating all of our youth would be considerably cheaper than continuing to execute “business as usual” in a few modified versions.

What a blessing to humanity this would be, not only in Baltimore City, but across the nation, as all of our youth would be involved in pursuing their high school diplomas, with the more able ones going to college on scholarships, enlisting in the military or becoming engaged in a meaningful vocation. The success of such a program would also help to alleviate the shortage of qualified workers in this country. I have prepared a detailed operating procedure of this proposal and would be pleased to share it with any individual or organization who might be interested.

Quinton D. Thompson

Towson

State not to blame for parental neglect

I read the tragic story of Vernice Harris and her baby. Ms. Harris pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter of her daughter, Bryanna (“Prosecutors: Weak evidence causes plea deal in baby’s death,” April 23). This is the heartbreaking story of a mother who gave her daughter methadone to quiet her.

I also read the companion piece in which one of Ms. Harris’ friends said “nobody wanted to help” the mother of the baby. Too often the victim of the crime gets lost in sympathy for the oppressor. This mother might not have gotten all of the governmental resources she was entitled to, but that is no excuse for what she did to the baby. The child died from blunt force trauma to the stomach and a drug overdose. This mother put her child in harm’s way by the way she lived her life. Children do not ask to be born, but when they are, the parent has a responsibility, and that cannot be passed on to the government.

Joni L. Reynolds

Owings Mills

Baltimore readers deserve hockey coverage, too

Apparently, because Baltimore has no hockey team, there must be no interest here in the Stanley Cup playoffs — or so The Examiner believes. The Washington Capitals made the playoffs for the first time in a decade this year, and not a single word could be found following Games 6 and 7 of the first round. I was amazed at the number of people who watched all or some of the Capitals’ playoff games and knew the names of the players and their achievements considering the lack of coverage. But hockey fans are a resilient lot and will find sources to keep their love of the game alive despite what The Examiner provides, or more to the point, fails to provide.

Joseph Swiderski

Baltimore