Betsy DeVos: Dangerous for Students and the Promise of Public Education
With no experience as an educator or elected official, and despite a decades-long record of undermining public schools by promoting taxpayer-funded vouchers for private and religious schools, lobbyist and Republican donor Betsy DeVos could become the next secretary of education.
The confirmation hearing for President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for education secretary is set for January 17 before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP).
“It’s hard to imagine a less qualified candidate for secretary of education than Betsy DeVos,” says Cheryl Lake, a third-grade teacher from Michigan, where DeVos is based and has funded privatization and online learning schemes as well as an effort against a Michigan bill to hold charter schools accountable to taxpayers.
“Her complete lack of public education experience alone is troubling,” says Lake, “but worse yet is her decades of work to undermine public education through for-profit charter school and voucher schemes.”
While seeking to lead the nation’s public education system, DeVos’ lack of experience and training in public schools has been a cause of great concern.
What she’s really done is use her wealth as a pay-to-play political donor, getting pro-corporate education policies passed in exchange for massive campaign contributions from the DeVos family” – Michigan Education Association President Steven Cook
“The chances children have for success should not depend on living in the right neighborhood or whether they can afford private school. Instead, her involvement in education has been advocating for school privatization and vouchers that run contrary to supporting public education,” says NEA President Lily Eskelsen García.
“We should be investing in smart strategies that we know help to improve the success of all our students, including creating more opportunities and equity for students, classes small enough for one-on-one attention, modern textbooks and a well-rounded curriculum for every student.”
According to a Washington Post analysis of Federal Election Commission records, the DeVos family, heirs to the Amway fortune, has given at least $20.2 million to Republican candidates at all levels over the years. DeVos and her husband Betsy DeVos: Dangerous for Students and the Promise of Public Education: