Betsy DeVos was confirmed. Before getting into the nitty-gritty details it is important to truly take that gut-wrenching fact in. It was not a victory for Republicans, nor was it a loss for Democrats. This vote truly led to the ultimate defeat for the millions of young Americans whose school funding will be affected; for the average school teacher who empowers so many children to do great things everyday; or even for the recent college graduate who is about to be crushed by hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of debt in a matter of months. Those people were not thought of when Mike Pence broke the tie on the Senate floor the day DeVos was voted into her position.
What does this really mean for all those groups of people I mentioned and education in the states as a whole? It may be too soon to tell. One thing is for absolute certain: we will have a Secretary of Education who has very little experience in public education, if any. That can only mean one of two things: the public education system will become far more futile than it is now, or she will take counsel from politicians on both sides to ensure a better system for all children. I want to believe DeVos would do what is in the best interest of all children, but there are several red flags that lead me to believe otherwise.
1. Supports charter and voucher schools
DeVos has not only publicly said she supports the expansion of charter schools in the U.S., but has also been an advocate for “school choice” and charter schools, working on the outside of political structures to change Michigan’s education system.
2. Has never known anyone who has taken out loans for higher education
As a wealthy member of society for most of DeVos’s life, she and none of her children ever had to take out loans to afford a college education. This is a big problem if she will be in charge of creating plans and policies to make higher education more affordable to the average American.
3. Neither she nor any of her children received a public education
Almost on the same thread as the previous thought, DeVos could not possibly know how to fix the public education system because she has never even seen a classroom in action in public inner city schools.
4. Has never worked in the education system in any capacity
Public, private, charter, voucher schools. You name it, she has never worked or managed it.
5. Wants to spend more money on alternative education options
DeVos has already shared some of her plans toward using more funding toward virtual school options as an alternative for lower income communities.
There is one thing I know for sure. DeVos has a lot to learn if this is the main goal she plans to accomplish. These lower income areas can barely afford textbooks for their classrooms, what makes her think they can afford computers to “go to school”? Try again Ms. DeVos. Try again.