The National Education Association, the largest teacher union with 2.2 million members, doesn't like tax-funded vouchers (but for a different reason than many of us in the Separation Aliance oppose them).

They distribute a brochure, "Why Public Schools?" that states, "In 1990s America, some Americans are challenging what they term the 'public school monopoly.' They are pushing proposals that would privatize the basic structure of American education. No serious critics of public education advocate the abolition of all public schools. They seek instead a system of education where public tax dollars for education go to individual parents, not public schools." (emphasis added) On Friday, Nov. 22, we plan to present the NEA with a list of TWO THOUSAND serious critics who wish to end government schooling. We will formally and politely request that they drop or change the sentence beginning "No serious critics..."

Right now, we have 1,671 signers of the Proclamation. You can help us get to 2,000 in the next few weeks:

1. Make sure your name is listed either in the 1,600 below or on the back of Marshall's cover letter. If not, sign it (again, if necessary) and mail or fax it to us.
2. Photocopy page 9, our new "One Page Proclamation" and mail or fax it to ten friends. Ask them to send it on to others, too.

One more thing: Every time a current or former "public school" person signs the Proclamation, it is a major repudiation of the current coercion-based system. If you have ever taught in a government-run school, or been on a school board, worked for a school district, or taught education in a university, then you qualify as a "School Sakharov." Please let us know. We will be preparing a special document to honor all our School Sakharovs, so make sure your name is there! (Our currently known School Sakharovs are underlined in the list below.)

This article is copyrighted by the Alliance for the Separation of School & State. Permission is granted to freely distribute this article as long as this copyright notice is included in its entirety.

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