December 1, 2016 
PAGE Expresses Concerns with Nomination of Ms. Betsy DeVos
as US Secretary of Education

Yesterday, PAGE sent letters expressing our deep concerns regarding the nomination of Ms. Betsy DeVos as the Secretary of Education despite having no direct experience with public education as a student, employee, parent, or school board member. She is also a strong advocate for private school vouchers using critical public tax dollars. The full letter to Sen. David Purdue is included at the bottom of this e-mail.

Letters were sent to the following US Senators:

Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA)
Sen. David Perdue (R-GA)
Senate President Pro Tempore Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
Senate Minority Leader Elect Charles Schumer (D-NY)
Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-TX)
Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL)
What Can You Do?

Now is the time to contact Georgia's Senate delegation to share your concerns regarding the nomination of Ms. Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education. The most effective form of communicating with Senators while they are in session is by calling their Washington, D.C. office. We also recommend sending e-mails and/or letters to both Senators.

Senator Johnny Isakson
United States Senate
131 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-2602
E-mail

Senator David Perdue
United States Senate
383 Russel Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-3521
E-mail
November 30, 2016
 

The Honorable David Perdue
United States Senate
383 Russell Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

 
Dear Senator Perdue,

I hope you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.  Thank you for your thoughtful support of the recently-passed Every Student Succeeds Act.

As you know, with almost 93,000 members, PAGE is Georgia's largest educator organization, and we are now the second largest independent professional educator association in the nation.  We are a non-partisan organization unaffiliated with national teacher unions.

I am writing to share my organization's deep concerns regarding the nomination of Ms. Betsy DeVos as the Secretary of Education. Among many issues, two stand out above all others. Ms. DeVos has no direct experience with public education as a student, employee, parent, or school board member, and she is a strong advocate for private school vouchers funded through the use of public tax dollars. Voucher programs do not have a strong record of improving student achievement nationwide.  

I urge you to carefully consider the critical role of the Department of Education and federal funding for public education and whether Ms. DeVos is the person who can lead in this crucial area of need for Georgia and our nation.

I appreciate your support of students, educators, and public education in Georgia. Please continue to advocate for all Georgians and our public schools by promoting a Secretary of Education who supports the mission of public schools and has experience in improving them.

Sincerely,

 
Allene Magill, Ed.D
Executive Director
Professional Association of Georgia Educators

 
CC: Margaret Ciccarelli, PAGE Director of Legislative Affairs
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