In your Aug. 2 article "Teachers to get smaller bonuses," you stated that last year 72 percent of the state's public schools met the standards of the ABCs of Public Education testing and accountability program, making teachers eligible for bonuses up to $1,500.

On July 22, in your article "Tough test standards trip up schools," you stated that only 24 percent of the public schools in Wake County (even less in Durham County) passed the federal standards for the No Child Left Behind program and stated that the passing rates could drop even further in the fall when the reading scores for elementary and middle schools are released.

As I understand the NCLB program, the goal is having all students proficient in reading and math skills, and the current test level is 77.2 percent.

Obviously, the standards for these two programs are quite different. Why are taxpayers spending $94.3 million for teacher bonuses with the NCLB passing rates so low? Higher teacher pay does not make a better teacher. When I was in school, 77.2 percent was a "C," and the previous standard of 65 percent was a "D," hardly proficient.

It's time for a change. The North Carolina public schools are the state's largest "black hole." We as citizens should demand accountability!

John Starnes, Apex

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