A cool letter

One of my students sent the following letter to Florida Senator Atwater. Pretty cool.

Senator Atwater,
I know that you place a great deal of emphasis on quality education as you have your own children enrolled in St. Clare’s (of which I’m an alum). Education in today’s global economy should be considered vital and should be a top priority for all administrators and politicians. How else can Americans expect to compete with countries that have a higher emphasis on higher education? I believe that you along with the other Senators should hold your stance on your proposed budget cut for higher education as opposed to the much higher budget proposed by the House. Higher education is the foundation on which we (future generations) must rely on to build our lives higher and higher and should it be weakened in any substantial way, it is as if we “will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.” Matthew 7:26 As any sound Floridian knows, sand isn’t the foundation you’d want for your home, so why would you want to build your future with a weakened higher education system? I urge you not to agree to the budget cuts for higher education proposed by the House, for all future generations of Floridians who wish to pursue a quality education.

and the response

Thank you for your recent email expressing your concerns regarding the state budget and importance of adequate funding to our education system. I appreciate you taking the time to share your comments.

As a parent of four, I fundamentally believe it is the State of Florida’s paramount duty to provide an excellent school system and learning opportunities for our children. You have my assurance that I am going to do everything I can to hold education funding harmless from further cuts during this legislative session. I will continue to look at ways on how we can better support our schools including a review of potential new revenues and possible elimination of sales-tax exemptions.

I will be mindful of the important role these budget decisions play in our students’ academic future. Thank you for your commitment to better our education system. I appreciate the constant feedback as it is people like you that will shape the future of Florida for our children.



Jeff Atwater

brilliant.