Protect public education

Secretary of Education: Betsy DeVos

Betsy DeVos was confirmed as Secretary of Education on Feb7, 2017.

She and her family who have been "allied with Charles and David Koch for years"₇ are major donors to the Republican party and other rightwing organizations. A strong advocate of school vouchers, DeVos "is a religious conservative who has pushed for years to breach the wall between church and state on education, among other issues."⁷

Betsy DeVos's family

DeVos "stands at the intersection of two family fortunes that helped to build the Christian right." ² Her father's fortune contributed to the creation of the Family Research Council and her father-in-law is the co-founder of Amway, which has also been funding conservative causes and the religious right since the 1970s. DeVos' brother Erik Prince is founder of the military contractor Blackwater.

The voucher system

"[Vouchers] originally came into fashion among Southern conservatives seeking to support segregation in schools. But activists soon grasped that vouchers could be useful in a general assault on public education." ²

What organizations have come out against DeVos?

• American Federation of Teachers (AFT). "An affiliate of the AFL-CIO, was founded in 1916 and today represents 1.6 million members in more than 3,000 local affiliates nationwide."
• National Education Association (NEA). "The nation's largest professional employee organization, is committed to advancing the cause of public education. NEA's 3 million members work at every level of education."

Education Policy Events

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