HELP ME TO NOT BE RUDE! LETTER FROM MY KIDS' SCHOOL ABOUT FUNDING

[powergirl]

I got this email from my kids' school. They go to a Catholic School because the wingnuts around here (I live in Texas) have turned the public schools into bastions of Guns and Jesus freaks. Anyway, the email is copied below. And of course, these people who are so SHOCKED that the president has pledged ZERO FUNDING to leave children behind. They all voted for the bastard! Should I respond? How can I respond without being obnoxious. I have to deal with these people all the time b/c my kids school. Any advice would be appreciated.

Subject: Action Alert - NCLB Title II:D, Title IV, Title V:A

Dear Colleagues,

The time has come to convey to Congress how much our Catholic schools depend on continued funding for the following programs in No Child Left Behind:

Title II:D – Enhancing Education Through Technology
Title IV – Safe and Drug-Free Schools
Title V:A – Innovative Programs

Both Title II:D, and Title IV are ZERO FUNDED in the President's budget request, and Title V:A - Innovative Programs, which was initially cut to almost nothing last year but with your wonderful efforts was restored to $200 million, has been reduced to a proposed $100 million.

Currently, both houses of Congress have passed a budget resolution and are now working on the appropriations process within the respective appropriations subcommittees. It is critical that all members of Congress, and especially members of the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Subcommittees from both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, hear from their constituents and members of the education community that these programs are vital in continuing to educate all American students in both public and private schools.

Please contact your members of Congress by phone, fax, or email and communicate to them that these programs are effective and much-needed within our schools, and that the proposed reductions and eliminations would be harmful to the students who rely upon them. You can find contact information for all Representatives at www.house.gov and for all Senators at www.senate.gov . At this point in the appropriations process, it is especially important to focus on those members of the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittees. Those members, along with their states and districts, are listed below.

Additionally, you may refer to www.capenet.org for more information. CAPE has recently conducted a survey regarding the effectiveness of these programs in private schools, and those results and the accompanying report can be found there, as well - these reports will also be distributed to all Congressional offices to build support for the programs. Please do not hesitate to contact the USCCB Department of Education at the email addresses below or if you have any other questions.

Thank you once again for all of your support. Without your prompt and thorough attention last fall, Title V:A would not have survived, and we hope to achieve similar success this year as well.
:banghead:

[bryant69]

1. I wouldn't be rude

What i would do is rewrite the letter putting the Blame squarely on President Bush's Lap (where it belongs), send it to your Senators and then forward a copy to them, saying this is the letter I wrote - something like that.

And then go egg their houses.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[Jo March]

2. My house was egged on Sunday

but I promise that I had nothing to do with the email! I swear!

[LostinVA]

3. Tell them you've already done YOUR part:

You voted for Kerry (or whomever) and whatever local officials you voted for the past few years.

[Mugsy]

4. Hate to say this, but no public funds for private religious schools

I know this concerns your own kids, and why on Earth you would send them to a perochial school is beyond me, but the federal government has absolutely no business funding private church-based schools. This is the root of the "vouchers" problem as well.

When religious schools suddenly become beholden to the Feds purse-strings, they then have to "comply" with their rules/guidelines. If they don't like what the school is teaching, they can yank funding. So cirriculums will change.

On the flip side, I don't want my tax dollars funding "madrasas" or "Klan Elementary Church School".

Your kids' school is upset? Remind them of the upsides of not having to cow-tow to gov'ment interests. They shouldn't have been receiving federal funds in the first place.

[powergirl]

5. I agree with you - the school shouldn't get federal funds

The reason I send them there (like I said in the original message) is that the wingnuts took over the public schools where I live and textbooks are "screened" to make sure that teachings on evolution are treated the same as Creationism, etc. etc.

I agree the federal government shouldn't pay. I am opposed to vouchers. If the wingnuts would leave the public schools alone, I'd put my kids back in there. :(

[yankeedem]

6. Ask them where their "faith based initiative" funds

are, and suggest they use those.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. As the posts above have stated

if your kids are not in a public school, then they are not obligated to abide by NCLB regs.

I have read this note three times and it makes zero sense to me. Anything you do to help promote this school's political agenda wil NOT benefit your kids. They have an ulterior motive here and I suspect they are drumming up support for vouchers, which will literally save private education in this country. (And also be the death of public schools.)

Ask these school officials why they are so concerned about federal programs and regs that DO NOT AFFECT them. And let us know what they say.

[powergirl]

8. I asked them about it and they did admit they want vouchers

but expected me to believe that this note had NOTHING to do with that. Which of course is hogwash. I told them that private schools are private, hence no public support. Of course, I get blank stares. Luckily the staff and principal (who is a serious DEMOCRAT - but has to stay "in the closet" so she does not offend the wingnuts) are doing a great job with my kids.

I'll just ignore their plea. This so gets on my nerves. :mad:

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. Keep this in mind:

If that school accepts even a dime of federal funding, then they are obligated to abide by federal ADA regs, civil rights regs, etc. In other words, they may NOT discriminate against kids as many private schools do.

I used to teach in Catholic schools that refused ALL federal aid for this very reason.