The nomination of Betsy DeVos has been met with a great deal of opposition from critics of the Trump administration. While I am no fan of the President, and have major concerns with several of his high profile nominees, such as Scott Pruitt and Robert Lighthizer, Betsy DeVos is an excellent pick to run the Department of Education.
Mrs. DeVos has been a champion of the movement for greater choice in our public schools for decades, and has the right experience to make major improvements on our education system. Under our current education system, wealthier schools such as Carmel High School out perform poorer public schools such as George Washington High School on the west side of Indianapolis. Only 8% of Carmel High School Students receive free school lunch, compared to 76% of the students at George Washington. Carmel received an “A” rating from the State of Indiana for the 2015-2016 school year, and had a graduation rate of 97%.
This contrasts sharply with George Washington which received a “D” rating and had a graduation rate of only 55% for the same year. Mrs. DeVos sees the moral injustice of this, and believes that all students deserve a quality education that will allow them to go as far as their talents will take them.
During her tenure as the chair of the American Federation for Children, she worked to promote voucher systems and charter schools to give parents trapped in failing school districts more options for their children’s education. The AFC gave its highest rating to the program in Florida established in 2001. This program allows students whose parents make salaries up to 200% of the poverty line to apply for scholarships of up to $6000 to pay for them to go to private schools.
This program is very popular in Florida, and was used by 92,000 students in the 2015-2016 school year, which was a 17% increase from the year before. As Secretary of Education, Mrs. DeVos would work to see similar programs expanded across the country, while allowing states to work out the details. A similar program to the one in Florida here in Indiana might allow a student attending George Washington High School to get a scholarship to attend a nearby private school such as Brebeuf Jesuit Catholic High School, which received the same A rating as Carmel High School for the 2015-2016 school year, and had an identical graduation rate.
This competition among private schools and charter schools for students and funding will breed a better school environment and raise attainment standards for all students. This can only happen if we have a Secretary of Education who is willing to take power away from the Teacher’s Unions and give it back to parents and families. The senate should confirm Betsy DeVos to ensure that every child has an equal opportunity to get a quality education.
jusexton@umail.iu.edu
