On February 7th, 2017, Michigan billionaire Betsy DeVos was appointed as the Secretary of Education of the United States.
After a 50-50 split in the U.S. Senate that required a tie-breaking vote from VP Mike Pence, undeniably one of the most unqualified and unprepared cabinet members was put in charge of the lives and well-being of millions of children across the country.
Whether you are conservative or liberal, a Republican or a Democrat, or somewhere in between, I beg you to realize the situation that the country's youth have been put into because of this confirmation.
DeVos has now been put in charge of millions of children enrolled in schools across the country, whether they be public, private, charter, etc. She has been put in charge of a one trillion dollar loan portfolio as well as running a grant program that provides over 30 billion dollars in aid every year. She holds the future of America's generations in the palm of her hands.
DeVos has no experience in education. She holds no education degrees, she has never taught in a school, and she has never even sat on a school board.
DeVos has never attended a public school, along with her children. She has never even stepped foot in a public school classroom. She has no experience with pell grants or any form of federal financial aid, for she has never taken any loans out for herself or her children.
At her confirmation hearing, DeVos could not answer simple yes or no questions regarding equal federal funding between public, private, and charter K-12 schools. She refused to answer Senator Kaine when prompted again and again, "Is that a yes or no? Do you not want to answer my question?"
When asked about the debate between measuring students' success by observing growth or proficiency, DeVos stumbled over her words and confusing terms, displaying that she had little to no knowledge on the topic--a topic that is vital in the education system.
And what is possibly the most barring statement that was made during this hearing was a response to a question about making schools gun-free zones. DeVos responded that this issue should be the states' decision, for schools in varying states may deal with varying issues. Her response was reasonable until she went on to give the example of a school in Wyoming finding guns necessary due to "threat of possible grizzlies".
In a recent interview with Axios' Jonathan Swan, when asked about being Secretary of Education, DeVos said, "I literally had never given it a thought."
Not only is DeVos' lack of understanding of and experience in the education system a threat to students, teachers, and schools across the country, but DeVos' ideology behind public schools is extremely threatening.
DeVos has vocalised her strong advocacy for diverting government funding away from public schools and focus on giving more money to private and charter schools. She is in the chair of the American Federation for Children, which leads a tirade against public school education. This organization supports the expansion of private schools, charter schools, and magnet schools, all using government funds.
In her home state of Michigan, DeVos has fought for fewer regulations on private schools, and as a result, Michigan's private and charter school system is the least regulated in the country.
As a future educator, DeVos' confirmation has taken a drastic affect on me. I am outraged that my future occupation will be considered less important as a public school educator. I am becoming a teacher in hopes of educating children of every gender, race, religion, or income to the best of my ability. My goal is to make sure that every child knows that they can do anything.
Defunding of public schools means defunding of sports programs and arts programs. It means less pay for the public school teachers that are under-paid to begin with. It means less access to materials, time, and help to all students, no matter what their family income, race, or school district.
And at its worst, if public schools are defunded, the only children that will be getting an education are the ones that can afford it.
What happens to the 50.1 million students that are currently attending public school? What happens to public educators? What happens to underprivileged and disabled children?
Taking away the opportunity for every single child in the United States to be able to attend school and receive an education is the biggest step back that this country could take. DeVos' confirmation has proven that America's education system is a system that fails to support and protect its children.
Every child deserves a chance, and Betsy DeVos is taking away that chance.
My heart aches for my fellow college students pursuing careers in education. My heart aches for the children that are still enrolled in public education. My heart aches for the incredible teachers and administrators working in education, who have truly given their lives to the American youth.
I speak on behalf of myself, a future educator produced from the system that is public education, every child in public education, and every educator working in education to ensure the success of every student when I saw that Betsy DeVos has a lot to prove over the next few years. The work that she does over her term will lay the foundation for education for our children and our grandchildren.
DeVos is the last thing that America's education system needs because she wants to make education a privilege.
In America, education has always been a right. And I will continue to pursue my dream to become a teacher and fight to make sure that every child has the equal opportunity to a free and quality education.
