This is a response to Bonnie Dougherty’s letter about public schools needing competition.

As a high school teacher, I hear lots of business people talk about how if schools were run like a business, they would run a lot better. Here’s the problem with that. Most businesses have control over the raw material they get. If a textile mill gets a bad shipment of cotton, the manager returns it. Schools can’t reject students with language difficulties, learning disabilities, troubled home lives or even poor attitudes.

We must teach everyone. In a true competitive environment, that would change.

Janice Miller

Cramerton