Re: “City school officials: Test scores to get worse before they get better,” Oct. 20-22 edition:

Fifty years ago, there was a disparity between districts in teacher credentials and the quality of the school building. Those inequalities have largely been eradicated, but the belief of that inequality still pervades the educational establishment.

The educational establishment still continues to waste taxpayers’ money by blaming poor inner city teachers and poor school buildings. Their opinion seems to be just spend a little more and the problem will be solved.

Richmond now spends almost twice the state average per student with the same poor results — failing test scores. Has the educational establishment been addressing the problem or only symptoms of the problem?

A problem cannot be solved until it has been separated from its symptoms. It would appear that the school administration has only addressed symptoms and not the problem.

Until the cultural mentality of the inner city student population has been shifted from a tight community holding a “PHD” philosophy of “pull him/her down,” to one of individual achievement — a middle class philosophy — the problem will continue to exist.

It’s not the teachers or buildings. It’s the culture and lack of student motivation that causes the failing test scores.

ERIC W. JOHNSON

Richmond