Public education is a Jewish value. Without public schools, the journey from the shtetls of Eastern Europe to success in America might have been impossible. As Jews, we further appreciate that a strong public education system not only can provide a path to financial success, but it is also the cornerstone of democracy. Collective bargaining provides us a voice to fight for our students. It is how we advocate for smaller class sizes, books and supplies for our students, and common preparation periods so teachers can work together to help our students. Of course, our strong support of public schools well predates our mass migration to America. Maimonides wrote that "any city that does not have a school in it shall be cut off until they find a teacher for the children." Bava Batra in the Talmud even weighs in on class size by stating, "The number of students for one teacher should be twenty-five." Today, unfortunate inequalities exist in our education system. The Jewish Council for Public Affairs reminded us that it is our responsibility to remedy these inequalities when it declared at its May 2012 conference in Detroit, "The fight for equal education opportunity... reflects] the values of the Jewish community." 1 am a teacher because of my Jewish values. Please help me continue to advocate for my students by voting YES on Proposal 2. - Debbie Rosenman 4th grade teacher, Troy Public Schools LIKE US ON FACEBOOK: FACEBOOK.COM/ PROTECTWORKINGFAMILIES FOLLOW US ON TWITTER TO SEE THE LATEST: @PROTECTMIJOBS VISIT WWW.PROTECTWORKINGFAMILIES.COM/JEWISH TO JOIN THE CAMPAIGN PAID FOR WITH REGULATED FUNDS BY PROTECT WORKING FAMILIES, P.O. BOX 1317, NOVI, MI 48376-1317