Pottstown School Board opposes Trump nominee

POTTSTOWN >> The Pottstown School Board took the unusual step Monday night of passing a resolution opposing President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. Secretary of Education.

All board members present — except Kurt Heidel, who abstained — voted in favor of the motion to oppose Betsy DeVos. Board member Kim Stillwell was absent.

DeVos has come under partisan fire since she was nominated which critics arguing she was nominated not for her expertise in public education, which they argue is non-existent, but for the millions of dollars she has donated to Republican candidates over the years, as well as her advocacy for charter schools and school choice.

And those charges were repeated in the resolution the school board passed Monday night, calling DeVos “a large contributor to Republican political candidates, but otherwise lacking any credentials as an educator, any experience in the administration and management of public schools, and demonstrating a predisposition towards and long history of support for charter school and school voucher programs,” the resolution reads.

Those policy positions “by their very nature eviscerate free and appropriate public education, and enrich the coffers of private companies,” according to the resolution.

The resolution takes the further unusual step of noting the board’s position is being taken “in partnership with the Federation of Pottstown Teachers” in opposing DeVos.

Robert Decker, chairman of the math department at Pottstown High School and a spokesperson for the federation, said teachers plan to “wear red” on Wednesday as a further sign of protest at Trump’s nomination of DeVos to head the Education Department.

The resolution concludes by calling on the Senate to “stand firm by opposing this nominee until such time as the incoming President’s administration presents a vision and plan which supports and enhances public education in America.”

In the past two years, the school board and administration have become more active in broad political discussions, but usually at the state level and usually about matters of policy — particularly Pennsylvania’s system of funding public education, recognized as creating the nation’s largest gap between rich and poor districts.

However, this is the first time in recent memory that the board has voted to take a position not only on a national question, but also one that identifies an individual non-elected nominee rather than a policy position.

At least one member of the audience remarked afterward that school boards are supposed to be non-political bodies and he expressed concern that the resolution passed last night may signal a worrisome trend toward political involvement by the board.

A vote on DeVos’ nomination could come at any time, but Senate Democrats have delayed confirmation of several Trump cabinet picks so far.