March 17, 1982

Although I have no problem with the general idea of "Chasing Teachers From the Profession" by Judy Solkovits (Commentary, Feb. 10), certain statements are misleading. Although starting teacher salaries are lower than painters' salaries, most painters do not have a 10-step salary schedule, and the average salary in Los Angeles is $24,650. I also suspect that most starting teachers do not support a family of four.

No one ever went into teaching for the money, just as no one goes into the ministry for the money. When I began teaching in 1953, my starting salary was $3,400. The second highest-paid person in my elementary school was the boiler operator. The principal made the most.