January 26, 2017
 
North Shore Schools Board of Education
Antoinette Labbate, President
Sara Jones, Vice President
Dr. Herman Berliner, Trustee
Joanna Commander, Trustee
Lara Gonzalez, Trustee
Dave Ludmar, Trustee
Marianne M. Russo, Trustee
 
 
Dear Member of the North Shore Board of Education,
 
On behalf of North Shore Schools Federated Employees, I am writing to ask that you take a clear, unequivocal, public stand against Betsy DeVos.
 
In so doing, you would join a growing array of New York school boards that have taken leadership positions on this critical issue.  As of this morning, the list includes 17 districts in New York, among them seven districts on Long Island:

 
In this charged political climate, members of the community doubtless have strong disagreements about the direction of our national politics.  That volatility might tempt you, as a Board, to remain neutral.  But differing views about the recent election have no bearing on this simple truth:
 
Betsy DeVos is categorically unfit to serve as Education Secretary.


You are stewards of a public school district.  Betsy DeVos has dedicated her public life and her fortune to undermining public education.
 
You have engaged— through a series of conversations, committees and the issuance of a white paper on assessment— the controversies surrounding testing, growth and proficiency.  Betsy DeVos does not know what those words mean.
 
You have shouldered the charge to make our schools and our children safe.  Betsy DeVos is open to the proliferation of guns in schools. 
 
You have pursued your legal and ethical obligations to make our schools accessible, diverse and welcoming for all students.  Until her hearing, Betsy DeVos did not know that IDEA exists.
 
You and the Legislative Action Committee have voiced skepticism about Governor Cuomo’s expansion of charter schools in New York.  Betsy DeVos is an unwavering charter school advocate who refused, at her hearing, to even concede that all schools—public, charter, private—should be held equally accountable.
 
Betsy DeVos has no education degree.  She has never worked in a school.  She has never attended a public school.  Her children have never attended public schools.
 
I urge you to act immediately.  I ask that you demonstrate educational leadership to your communities; to your faculty and staff; to your colleagues on school boards across the state and the nation.
 
It is expected that the U.S. Senate will vote on the DeVos nomination on January 31.   
 
 
Sincerely,