Dear Pleasant Ridge community,

We are responding today to two advocacy alerts requested by the National Education Association (NEA) and our parent PTA organization. Advocacy is a large part of PTA membership and we are proud to be a member of an organization that supports the education of ALL children. We are also proud to support our Saline Area Schools and our Pleasant Ridge family. We all need your help TODAY.

Public Schools are vital to the foundation of all children, regardless of zip code. 90% of American children attend public schools. Now the future of public education, and funding, are in jeopardy.

We join the NEA, National PTA and Michigan PTA in opposing the appointment of intended Secretary of Education pick Betsy DeVos. The NEA states: “DeVos has used her extraordinary wealth to undermine our public schools and, in so doing, has harmed our students. She and her family have spent millions to promote failed private school vouchers and unaccountable for-profit charter schools while working to destabilize and defund public education. This is a dangerous direction that will do nothing to help our most vulnerable students and will exacerbate glaring opportunity gaps.”

Betsy DeVos is a Michigander, so the Michigan PTA adds this additional commentary “Over the past 25 years, Michigan’s Public Education has been slowly and intentionally dismantled and sold to the highest bidder. This has resulted in the creation of significant inequalities and unnecessary obstacles including, but not limited to: 1) the proposal and defeat of a voucher system (twice), 2) charter school expansion with little accountability, and no transparency, 3) detrimental cuts in school funding, 4) bankrupting or near-bankrupt­ing school districts, 5) expansion of the Achievement Gap, 6) unpreparedness to enter career and lack of college readiness.”

We join these organizations in advocating for fiscal responsibility regarding public tax dollars for public education, providing “fair and equitable education for all students in this country, and assigning funds and programs to make public schools stronger and safer, rather than creating an unnecessary, ineffective, for-profit alternative that weakens the educational options for all.”

Please join us in filling out this form to auto send a letter to two elected Michigan representatives TODAY:

http://edadvocacy.nea.org/app/write-a-letter?2&engagementId=264253

If you would like additional details from each group, please read their full statements on the websites listed here:

National Education Association http://edadvocacy.nea.org/home

Michigan PTA http://www.michiganpta.org/page/USSecretaryofEd

Help us help our school and kids NOW. We need your help before or on 1/16.

Sincerely,

Pleasant Ridge Elementary PTA, Saline, Michigan

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