Dear Senator Schumer

Dear Ms. Zirkelbach:

Thank you for contacting me to express your concern with school voucher programs. I agree that we must invest our resources towards improving the public education system for all American children.

Our children deserve an excellent education that can put them in a position to succeed in life, and I have been a consistent supporter of federal funding programs such as Title I, IDEA and Improving Teacher Funding. While these programs have an important impact, they could do more if they were fully funded. That is why I urged Chairman Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education to provide the highest possible funding for these programs for 2017.

Additionally, I was proud to vote for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) (S.1177), which was signed into law in the 114th Congress. This legislation authorized $1.65 billion for the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grant, which would support local public schools in creating well-rounded education programs, as well as building up schools’ digital capacity and infrastructure. Going forward, I will continue to be a strong supporter of our public education system.

Again, thank you for contacting me. Please keep in touch with your thoughts and opinions.
Sincerely,

Charles E. Schumer
United States Senator

Dear Senator Schumer,

Thank you for your response. I think I sent my initial correspondence in January. It is September. I know you have other things to do, but if you are going to take nine months to respond, then maybe do not bother.

Also, you may be proud of your vote for ESSA, but my goal is to make that something that you will have to explain and repent for with future generations of parents. You have also supported the gutting of FERPA while supporting the build up of schools’ digital capacity and infrastructure. Senator Schumer, you have been a party to opening the flood gates on the 21st century ‘rush’ for PII data.

Hopefully, we can keep our society free enough that history will teach the story of how politicians sold out our children to hedge fund billionaires and big data.

Kind regards,

Christine Zirkelbach