Kudos to The Sun for supporting Dr. Andrés Alonso's efforts to fund repairs to the city schools' aging buildings ("A promising vision," Jan. 29). This would improve education, reverse the prime source of Baltimore's population decline (parents of school-age children leaving Baltimore for better-equipped county schools) and thus increase city revenues. Here are some ways to prevent potential waste:
Seek city and state-level funding. Then, divide the remainder of the $2.9 billion Dr. Alonso says will ultimately be required into eight or more groups of potential donors, such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Major League Baseball or NFL teams and players.
Hold public meetings to decide costs and leadership of any future Grand Prix race in Baltimore.
Require MayorStephanie Rawlings-Blaketo list the sources for her claim that the Grand Prix grossed $47 million, given that other reports suggest the figure may have been as little as $25 million, about the same as for any other holiday week-end. Let the mayor also provide what the city netted.
Hilda Coyne, BaltimoreCopyright © 2015, The Baltimore Sun