DeVos and the Myth of School Choice

Trump & DeVos: Less Money, More Guns

President Donald Trump and his secretary of education, Betsy DeVos, have made privatizing public schools a centerpiece of their education platform. This priority is reflected in the first two budgets Trump proposed, both of which would shift billions in taxpayer dollars away from public schools to charter schools and vouchers.

While the president’s education agenda did not prevail in his first year in office, he’s trying a similar approach in is fiscal year 2019 budget, which seeks to cut the major education line items by $3.4 billion (14 percent). These cuts would pave the way for increased funding for school choice programs.

Meanwhile, Trump and DeVos both support arming teachers as a primary response to school shootings, such as the Valentine’s Day killing of 17 students at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL.

Missteps by Betsy DeVos

As compiled by the NEA, here are some of the misguided actions by DeVos in her first year-and-a-half as secretary of education.

• At her confirmation hearing, DeVos refused to say whether she would deny federal funds to private schools that discriminate against students based on sexuality, race or special needs.
• She praised Historically Black Colleges and Universities as “pioneers of school choice,” a remark that bears no relationship to the truth of their origins.
• She slashed loan forgiveness funds to students defrauded by for-profit colleges.

And who can forget the 2017 claim by DeVos that guns may have a place in school to fight off grizzly bears? Need we say more?