USA TODAY International Edition
Nominee DeVos outlines vision for Department of Education
Voucher advocate pledges to push for public schools
Stepping before a U. S. Senate committee for the first time as President- elect Donald Trump’s pick to head the U. S. Department of Education, Betsy DeVos of Michigan on Tuesday addressed her advocacy of school choice and vouchers head- on, saying the nation needs to shift from “what the system thinks is best for kids to what moms and dads want, expect and deserve.”
In an opening statement to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, DeVos, a former state Republican chairman and a GOP donor who along with her family has given millions to Republican candidates and causes over the years, credited her mother — a public school teacher — with instilling a lifelong interest in education but said families must be given alternatives to failing schools.
“The vast majority of students in this country will continue to attend public schools,” DeVos said in prepared remarks for the committee released before the hearing began at 5 p. m. “If confirmed, I will be a strong advocate for great public schools. But if a school is troubled, or unsafe, or not a good fit for a child … we should support a parent’s right to enroll their child in a high quality alternative.”
DeVos’ confirmation hearing came in a rare evening session for the committee a week after it initially had been scheduled and three days before Trump’s inauguration at the U. S. Capitol. Democrats, teachers’ unions and others have loudly denounced DeVos’ nomination, arguing that her vocal support of vouchers and school choice programs could undermine public schools.
“Betsy DeVos is a billionaire who has spent her career & fortune rigging the system to priva- tize and defund public ed,” Randi Weingarten, head of the 1.6- million- member American Federation of Teachers union in a tweet earlier Tuesday. In her statement to the committee, DeVos also said she believes that changes in higher education may be called for as well, saying, “For too long, a college degree has been pushed as the only avenue for a better life.”
“The old and expensive brick-mortar-and- ivy model is not the only one that will lead to a prosperous future,” she said. “Craftsmanship is not a fallback — but a noble pursuit.”
She was introduced to the committee by former senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut. Before that, the committee’s chairman, Sen. Lamar Alexander, R- Tenn., opened the hearing with a strong endorsement, saying, “Betsy DeVos in my opinion is on our children’s side … I believe she’s in the mainstream of public opinion and her critics are not.” He went onto say she has fought to help low- income parents have choice in education options and that 73% of Americans support school choice.
Alexander said the committee could vote on DeVos’ nomination as early as next Tuesday, after which it would be sent to the floor of the Senate for final confirmation. Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the top Democrat on the committee, complained that the hearing should have been delayed until the Office of Government Ethics sent a letter on DeVos and any agreements she will make to ensure there are no conflicts of interest.
“Leading this agency is a big job, an important job,” said Murray, adding that DeVos has complicated financial relationships and should release tax returns, though it is not required of nominees. “You need to make it clear how you will avoid conflicts of interest.”
The daughter of a west Michigan auto supplier and the wife of Amway heir and former head Dick DeVos, Betsy DeVos, if confirmed, as widely expected by the Republican- led Senate, will take over an agency with a $ 200 billion- a- year budget which oversees education programing and federal funding for low- income and special needs students, and has been at times targeted by Republicans for elimination.
DeVos — who with her husband also has spent more than $ 100 million in philanthropic pursuits — told committee members that schools in the U. S. are “blessed beyond measure with educators who pour themselves into students.” But she also praised educators outside the public sphere.
While Democrats have little chance of blocking DeVos’ nomination, they were expected to put up strong resistance in the hearing, highlighting her lack of government experience.
“If a school is troubled, or unsafe, or not a good fit … we should support a parent’s right to enroll their child in a high quality alternative.” Betsy DeVos