WASHINGTON — Casting her as the “antithesis” to public education, House Democrats — joined by the leaders of the nation’s two largest teacher unions — on Tuesday called for the Senate to block the nomination of Betsy DeVos as President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for U.S. secretary of education.
The Democratic lawmakers also announced the formation of a new “public education” caucus that will, among other things, oppose DeVos’ confirmation as head of the U.S. Department of Education.
Members of the new caucus include Congresswoman Alma Adams, (D-N.C.), a recently retired Bennett College art professor, who said while it’s important to have a secretary of education that is committed to making sure all students have “high access to quality and public education,” that DeVos doesn’t fit the bill.
“Unfortunately, President-elect Trump’s nominee for secretary of education, Betsy DeVos, has a long history of undermining public schools,” Adams said. “Betsy DeVos has advocated on behalf of the privatization of Michigan’s schools and placing students at the mercy of for-profit education.
“She’s used her immense … wealth to lobby against transparency and accountability measures that would keep for-profit schools in check and safeguard taxpayer dollars,” Adams said.
Adams said while not much is known about DeVos’ ideas on higher education or for-profit colleges, “we do know that she has an extensive record of working to privatize public education.”
Borrowing a phrase that Trump used to describe the election process during his campaign, Adams said the nation’s public school students and teachers cannot afford to have a secretary of education that will “rig the system” against public education.
