Letter: Public schools offer exceptional benefits

It appears that Sen. Chuck Grassley and Sen. Joni Ernst will vote to confirm the nomination of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education. DeVos has become known for advocacy of her definition of school choice. Her brand of choice will result in less funding for public schools. Hers is not the only brand of choice that Americans have had.

I am writing to thank publicly the generations of Americans who came before me who chose to build a public school system from which many of us benefitted. I do not apologize for advocating for good pay for our public school teachers. I know the work that they do every day to ensure that students gain the reading, writing and math skills they will need to be successful participants in society.

I want to thank all of those who came before me to advocate for a school system that was strong, that was desegregated and that offered a place for those with disabilities.

These were also choices and a little girl from a small town in Iowa is eternally grateful for the choices those Americans made.

Carolyn L. Stucker

Springville