On November 23rd, 2016, President Donald Trump announced Betsy DeVos as his nominee for our new Secretary of Education. When watching her confirmation hearing on January 17th, I was appalled by some of her answers, or lack thereof. Some questions were answered with either ridiculous ideas, or just not really answered at all. I later learned that her family donates massive amounts of money to many of the Republican senators that will be voting on her confirmation. While this wasn't that surprising to me as this happens with both parties, it worried me because there will obviously be bias in this vote. In this situation, the nominee isn't even qualified.
Now, for a little background on her beliefs and experience. For years she has pushed to expand charter schools and taxpayer vouchers for private and religious schools. She has zero experience with public schools. She has never attended one, her children have never attended them, and she has not held a public office. She is in no way part of the "education establishment," and her proponents believe that this is a good thing. It is obvious to me that our education system needs reform, but she is not the right person for the job, and this is not the path we should be going down.
1. Her cringe-worthy comments about supporting the privatization of public schools.
"I look forward to working with you to talk about how to address the needs of all parents and all students." DeVos basically refused to promise that she wouldn't privatize public schools or cut money from education. When Senator Patty Murray stated, "I take that as not being willing to commit to not privatizing public schools or cutting money from education," DeVos responded, "I guess I wouldn't characterize it in that way."
2. She didn't really understand the federal Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
IDEA is a federal law that requires all public schools to provide disabled children with a "free appropriate public education." It also tells the states and other public groups how to provide students with various services. When asked if she thought that all public schools should be required to meet this law (public, public charter, or private), she said that the states should decide, even though this is a federal law. When the issue was brought up again by Senator Maggie Hassan, Hassan informed DeVos that since IDEA is a federal civil rights law, it must be followed. She, later on, believed that she may have confused IDEA with another law, but no one knows which.
3. She refuses to commit to enforcing the gainful employment regulations.
The gainful employment regulations exist to protect students and taxpayers from fraud by withholding federal student aid to career training programs that bury students in debt, with little opportunities to repay. DeVos says that she will "review" the rule to see if it is really doing what it is supposed to. This is especially relevant after the Trump University lawsuit for fraud.
4. She didn't know of the accountability debate about how to use test scores.
This age-old debate questions whether test scores should be used to measure student proficiency or student growth. Senator Al Franken was shocked when he had to correct her, as she confused the definition of proficiency with growth. Honestly, I was, too. I knew about this debate and the women in charge of our national education standards didn't.
5. The 13-year clerical error.
From 2001 to 2013, DeVos was listed in tax filings as the VP of the Edgar and Elsa Prince Foundation. This nonprofit group founded by her mother has donated to many controversial groups, including the anti-LGBTQ organizations Focus on the Family and Family Research Council. When asked about her role as VP, she insisted that it was a "clerical error," and that she has "never made decisions on her mother's behalf." She claimed to have no knowledge that her name was on these documents, and had nothing to do with the foundation. That's one heck of a 13-year clerical error. Side note: Focus on the Family received $5.1 million from the Prince Foundation, and they advocate conversion therapy. Enough said.
6. She made this huge error. Oops.
DeVos stated that student debt had increased 980% in the last eight years. Almost 1000%. Senator Al Franken quickly shut her down with the correct number of an 118% increase, which is still high but nowhere near what DeVos said. Lesson learned, don't state facts that aren't even correct. This mistake also highlights her lack of knowledge on educational policies and issues.
7. She "support[s] accountability."
When Senator Tim Kaine asked if she would support equal accountability to all schools that receive public funding, she just repeated the same answer: "I support accountability." Not equal accountability, just accountability. Senator Kaine believes that all schools funded by taxpayer money should be equally accountable. DeVos refused to agree.
8. She has no experience running or managing anything as large as the federal student loan program.
This program is a trillion dollar program, and she admitted that she has never been in charge of something that large or complex. She also has never had to take out a federal student loan for herself or for her children. That's a lot of money in the hands of someone who doesn't really know what she's doing.
9. She thinks guns should be allowed at schools in case of grizzly bear attacks. Wait... What?
I'm a supporter of our Second Amendment Rights to a certain extent, but guns should not be allowed anywhere near a school. DeVos stated that the local and state officials should decide the gun policies of the schools. She even brought up a rural school in Wyoming that has a bear fence. "I would imagine there's probably a gun in the school to protect from potential grizzlies." I'm sorry, what? That's your main concern? That's your reason to support the ban of gun-free school zones? The bottom line is that she would not oppose putting guns in our schools. I find that terrifying.
10. It was indicated that there would be a new approach to federal civil rights enforcement when it comes to sexual violence.
In 2011, a letter from the Office for Civil Rights told school officials that sexual assault should be considered a form of sexual harassment and that it goes against Title IX. Officials were to respond promptly to any reports of sexual violence, and only requires a "preponderance of the evidence" when determining if the act occurred. Senator Robert Casey grilled DeVos about her stance when it came to this letter, only to learn that she didn't want to agree to uphold the 2011 letter. She spewed out a few sentences about "working together to find some resolutions," and stated that "it would be premature" for her to commit to upholding the guidance found in the letter. "And so, if confirmed, I look forward to understanding the past actions and current situation better, and to ensuring that the intent of the law is actually carried out in a way that recognizes both the victim, the rights of the victims, as well as those who are accused." While it is good that she wants to spend time working on understanding sexual assault, revoking this policy could be a detrimental step backward for students.
