Last week the public school system was dealt a devastating blow when the U.S. Senate approved the nomination of Betsy DeVos to be secretary of education.
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Protesters briefly blocked education Secretary Betsy Devos as she tried to enter a public school on Friday morning. “We want her to go to pub schls”.
However, Democrats in the Senate are protesting her election, Senators such as Patty Murray, a Democrat from Washington ask, “Is this a knowledgeable candidate who understands the federal law?” She visited Howard University Thursday, along with Omarosa Manigault, an alumna of President Donald Trump’s reality show, the Apprentice, who is working on African-American issues at the White House.
Opponents argue that she has hollowed out the public schools in MI, but her supporters say that teachers’ unions are overreacting, and that the issue is all about school choice.
DeVos said in a statement that she respected peaceful protest but “I will not be deterred in executing the vital mission of the Department of Education”.
Charter school advocate Betsy DeVos won confirmation as education secretary Tuesday by the slimmest of margins, pushed to approval only by the historic tie-breaking vote of Vice President Mike Pence. She had in the past called them a “dead end” and has spent years promoting school vouchers and charter schools. She was met by a group of protesters and, first of all, her vehicle may or may not have run over the foot of one of those protesters.
Another demonstrator badgered Devos as she walked away with her security detail.
Members of the crowd held signs that said ‘Welcome to our public school. The Obama administration was micromanaging them to death and Congress intervened, but there is far more to do and she will likely help do it.
The AP said she faced fierce opposition during the confirmation process from teachers’ unions who fear that she intends to defund traditional state schools.
Innocent enough, right? Not if you’re aware of the fact that many schools are actually in desperate need of supplies, and that teachers actually fund these things out of their own pockets.
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“It seems to me that her being the secretary is going to undermine public education, because she’s pushing for profit charter schools and voucher schemes”, Sullivan said. She said she had a great visit with “incredible teachers” and “awesome students”.
