DeVos looks to mend fences
VP’s vote broke tie after 2 GOP senators defected
WASHINGTON — On her first day on the job, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos plunged into her initial assignment: mending fences with her opponents following a bruising confirmation battle.
Parents across the country looked for clues as to whether she will fulfill their hopes or reinforce their fears.
Addressing several hundred Education Department staff members, DeVos, a wealthy Republican donor and school choice champion, vowed to work with everyone, including her critics, in ensuring the best education in the nation’s schools.
“I am committed to working with everyone and anyone — from every corner of the country, from every walk of life, from every background and with those who supported my nomination and those who did not — to protect, strengthen and create new worldclass education opportunities for America’s students,” DeVos said.
DeVos secured confirmation in the Senate on Tuesday by the slimmest possible margin. Vice President Mike Pence had to cast a historic tie-breaking vote after two Republican senators opposed her, concerned that she would not support traditional public schools.
DeVos views on LBGT rights, students’ special needs and sexual assault have also fueled opposition.
Many remain to be convinced.
Jessica Helton, a mother of three young children from the Cincinnati suburb of Mariemont, said she worries that there will be reduced support for and access to services like the specialized reading help her daughter gets in kindergarten and the weekly speech therapy provided at a public school for her 4-year-old son.
“My fear is that schools who are no longer forced to provide these services won’t, and either they won’t have the funding to pay for it or they’ll decide to use the funds for other projects or for other needs,” she said.