To the editor:

Thank you for Peter Kinder's words on school choice in his Sunday column. I can attest to the fact that, in all too many instances, the St. Louis public schools are an educational wasteland. The protection of incompetent teachers and administrators is rampant. Extremely abusive individuals work directly with children. I worked in the system for 8 1/2 years and feel fortunate to have escaped with my life. Many of the buildings are war zones.

I also know many dedicated individuals who are working against overwhelming odds to teach the children of St. Louis. Many of their efforts are frustrated by the administration and teachers union. The St. Louis schools are a major contributing factor to the loss of population in St. Louis. In fact, most of the stable neighborhoods remaining in St. Louis have strong Roman Catholic or Lutheran schools or both.

Kinder hit the nail on the head. He should keep doing what he can to make the schools of St. Louis accountable for the taxpayers' money. The future of our nation and state depends on well-educated citizens, including those from St. Louis.

LEONARD J. COOK

St. Louis