An Open Letter to President Obama

Dear President Obama,
I am writing to you today to ask that you issue an executive order preventing the Department of Defense Dependent Education Activity from being a part of the DoD civilian furloughs.
DoDEA provides for the educational needs of over 84,000 military dependents in 194 schools in 14 districts located in 12 foreign countries, seven states, Guam, and Puerto Rico. There are over 8,000 proud teachers that provide for these military dependents who will not be able to do our jobs effectively if we are forced into these furloughs. Asking these fine educators to give up 22 days of teaching over the next 5 months is asking our military children to give up their educations! These cuts that the sequester is requiring of DoDEA will have a direct negative impact on the military readiness of our forces world wide, as military parents will have to find ways to make up for the loss of academic excellence. I personally work with almost 700 students on Fort Jackson that will feel the impact of the sequester if DoDEA teachers are forced to have furloughs. The furloughs, no matter how they would go into effect would touch each and every one of our students. The furloughs if they go into action, will take supplies away from our students, as many of the teachers in DoDEA schools provide classroom supplies for their students. The furloughs will take away valuable planning and collaboration time from our teachers, to better prepare ourselves for teaching the best students in the world. Our military families sacrifice enough for our country without asking them to also sacrifice the education of their children! Please Mr. President act now to stop these furloughs on DoDEA personnel.
Protect the best students in the world, from the best families in the world, the military family from these terrible cuts! Stop DoDEA furloughs!

Sincerely,
P. Cleveland


If you would like to join me in writing to your Representatives and President Obama asking them to stop the furloughs for DoDEA personnel please click here, NEA has a formatted letter requesting that the DoDEA teachers be exempt from the furloughs. You do not need to be a member of NEA, a teacher, nor a member of the military to use this form. Please join me in standing up for our military dependents.

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