House appropriators grilled Education Secretary Betsy DeVos at a contentious Feb. 27 hearing. The Trump/DeVos budget proposal for fiscal year 2021, released earlier this month, would slash education funding by $6.1 billion—8.4 percent—compared to the amount Congress provided this year, which included significant increases in key programs like Title I and IDEA. Other budget lowlights include cutting and replacing key education programs with a block grant, robbing public schools of resources with yet another voucher scheme, and ending public service loan forgiveness.
Tell your senators and representative to stand up for students and educators and reject these reprehensible proposals.
We need to oust this uncaring, unqualified and mean-spirited woman as soon as possible. It is horrifying to think her single minded intent is to dismantle our public education system and Republicans seem to be okay with it. Shame on them all!!!
In Oregon, republican legislators claim that they walked out again because they are concerned about legislation that adversely affects the working people. Since when has the republican party ever been concerned about working people or public education? One previous republican legislative walkout was in opposition to an education bill that provided more funding for public education across the state..
Isn’t it time Congress people, but mainly Republicans grew “a pair” and stood up the standards of our country, not to mention Democracy….instead being lobbyists for big corporations and insurance companies. Come on, Folks! Do something your grandchildren will be proud of instead lining you pockets with $$$ that you can’t take with you.
DeVos only cares about for profit schools because she has become a billionaire on the profits of her charters. Public funds should be only spent on public schools. If someone chooses to send children to a non-public they should bare the cost not the tax payers who are providing free public school education.
The trump administration and the GOP are systematically attacking the pillers of democracy. They are bent on creating a fascist state and are well on the way to succeeding. Education is the antidote. We must protect (and improve) our public education system. Vote out all Republicans.
DeVos is a rich crook. She destroyed Detroit’s Public Schools and has continued on her rich scandalous brigade to destroy all Public Schools. Having no clue about being poor and raised in poverty as I was, she and rich Trump are out of the loop and always will be. They know nothing about Education and the effect it has on communities. She is an embarrassment and Republicans are an embarrassment.
“Civilization is in a race between education and catastrophe. Let us learn the truth and spread it as far and wide as our circumstances allow. For the truth is the greatest weapon we have.” ― H. G. Wells
46
Betsy Devos represents a business that has amassed billions of dollars by promulgating a cult-like religion that worships individual wealth gain as the highest value and the true goal of the American way of life. It is an extreme form of free-enterprise that mixes greed and patriotism to idealize material success, and devil take the poor, the unloved, and the unlucky.
We as a nation and culture are now in a perfect storm of powerful institutions – mega-corporations, the US Senate, the presidency, the US Supreme Court, the Republican Party, and a large minority of the citizenry supporting free-enterprise with few if any restraints. If we allow this to continue we will shut the door on equal opportunity and fairness in economics, education, and justice. Will will be an authoritarian oligarchy.
If we want to keep and improve our democracy, we will have to fight for it, and that includes the public education system that makes it possible. It also suggests that Ms. Devos should be given something more helpful to do with her talents.
I strongly oppose Ms. Devos’ Budget Proposals. She lacks knowledge of public schools. She & President Trump want Profits for Charter School CEO’s, and they have set upon a course of action which will result in dismantling Public Education in the United States.
We have to fight for public education!
Our students want to learn.
The children are our future!
We must fund public education !
Senators and Representatives reject DeVos budget proposals!
Yes, we must fun public education and reject the reductions proposed by DeVos!
I am a retired Special Education teacher as well as a regular classroom teacher. Not only do we need to spend more money on education, we need to spend more on other programs related to children. Betsy DeVos is a shameful example of a Secretary of Education. But then she fits right in with this administration. None of whom know or care about what they are doing unless it benefits them.
We all need to work very hard this year to get rid of them. So get out and campaign and vote in November.
I taught Physical Science full time at Capitol Hill High School in Oklahoma City in 2018-2019. This is a required course. There were 5 classes of students of 30 students each. There were 30 books for 150 students. Students secretly tore pages from the books so they could study.
What are you Senators and Representative going to do about this? Vos is doing nothing about these Public Schools. Hold her accountable. If you do not, YOU ARE A HOAX!
DeVos has no business heading the Education Dept. She is ruining our great public schools. She does not care about our children . Our schools are losing more money and it hurts all our children
Totally unqualified
Please help.
Yes! You are absolutely right! Thanks for your comment.
We need a new leader.
You are so right!
DeVos is barely qualified to be a dog marshall
Apparently the only occupation that this administration is capable of is taking money from social programs and spending it for ridiculous reasons without ever balancing the damage that is taking place while placing us further in debt while enriching themselves. They are the most successful con-men on our planet.
Public education is so important and outperforms charter and private schools which are unable to do as much for so many.
Hope we all can make a change at the ballot box in November so we can change her also.
Secretary of Ignorance would be a more appropriate title!
The village idiot…She does not even have a clue.
She has no education degree. Her family donates to Trump, and she becomes the head of our Education Department. What a disgrace!
Our public schools are already hurting. Why must our public education system be mired with people that do not have the best aspirations for our children . We value our children, and our future.
Undoubtedly the WORST secretary of education ever!! Needs to go along with the rest of the trump cult.
Undoubtedly!!!!!!!!
We get what we pay for and we NEED an educated population if we are going to compete globally in business and elsewhere. I strongly oppose Ms. Devos’ Budget Proposals.
Most people cannot afford a private education for their children.
Many children with disabilities require additional supports.
Private charter schools cannot replace education systems and school transportation.
Many children are on their own when going to school, they may not have a parent to advocate. Our job is to make sure they have every possible chance to become educated.
We cannot forsake our responsibility to America’s future generation of leaders.
We must fund and support public education.
I strongly oppose Ms. Devos’ Budget Proposals.
Having taught in Nebraska public
schools for over 38 years, I well know
the funding problems of public
schools. There is no way the state
should start funding private or charter
schools.
I also am a retired educator. It breaks my heart seeing how DeVoss is hurting our children. There are many good dedicated educators trying to help educate our children. We need people in office, who want to help children. Privatization of our education system will create a bigger divide of the haves and have nots. It will divide our country even worse.
We need to support public schools- public money is for public schools. Private schools are just that and should not be funded by stealing money from the schools that teach EVERYBODY regardless of zip code and potential barriers to learning. If you say we have failing “government” schools, then isn’t it up to the government to help us improve? we can only improve with smaller class sizes, competitive teacher wages, money for supplies and programs to meet individual student needs.
DeVos/Trump are so far removed from the classrooms of the public school where our larger world society is mimicked on a smaller scale. The goal is to work with a academics as well as learning to work together with respect and caring. Caring teachers and administrators have the children’s best interests at heart not profit. Public schools need more support and funds to succeed,
Keep funding for education at the current or improved rates. ‘This is vital to a healthy and informed society, To do the opposite is to perpetuate ignorance and irresponsibility.
Ever wonder what Betsy’s education as a child was? Her IEP must have been a long one.
As a Florida public school educator for 30 years, I know first hand how important good public schools are for society.
Many children do not have the luxury of a private education.
Many children do not have parents who can drive them to private/charter schools.
Many children are on their own when going to school.
Children want to learn.
Our job as adults is to make sure they have every possible chance to become educated.
We cannot forsake our responsibility to America’s youth.
We must fund and support public education.
Please support and fund our future.
The children we educate today will be the leaders of tomorrow.
I grew up and lived in Michigan in the Grand Rapids/Holland area so I have seen the De Vos and Princes effects on the politics of education and has not been pritty or good for the state of Michigan.
Betsy DeVos lives the life of a very wealthy woman and yet wants more money she would gain from private schools. By gaining control over these institutions she would also create the educational agenda. Having worked in many school systems over 32 years administrators as well as teachers have developed curriculums that meet the needs of students for the present and future. Please flood your school systems administration to support your needs and not DeVos’s wealth and control.
Educating our youth is the only way to prepare for America’s future. The fair funding of public schools is the only way to insure that the children of today become productive adults. We need high quality tech and trade schools along the Community Colleges to off set the high cost of a four year program.
Vouchers and Charter schools have been proven to be a drain on the fair funding for public schools. Cutting Title 1 harms the children most at risk.
The cost to incarcerate our young adults far exceeds the cost of a good education both in monetary and most importantly, the destruction of society.
Most people do not know that over time, ignorance is far more expensive than education.
There is not even enough “grilling” on questions about education to DeVos.
The mind of DeVos is a lovely thing to waste.
I COULD NOT HAVE SAID IT BETTER!!!
How can people like DeVos without an education background make decisions about the future of our children?! It is very easy for people who have been raised with a silver spoon in their mouths to make decisions about the needs of our children! Children who are not serviced accordingly end up cost our society a whole lot more than the services presently being cut! Do the math Mrs. DeVos!
No matter what I send my Republican Representative and Congress Persons, all I get in return are “Blah, blah, blah.” form letters. I will keep on writing, though. So far they can’t arrest me for that.
Due to their inability to defend this administration and a overwhelming lack of courage to do what is in the best interest of the American public, this is the sorry leadership we are temporarily burdened with.
I get the SAME RESPONSE from my Congressional Delegation, ALL REPUBS! I also, will NEVER give up, until they are ALL REMOVED from office!
I can relate. Persistence, and perseverance my friend.
As a retired teacher of 38 yrs., I strongly oppose Ms. Devos’ Budget Proposals. She is an ignorant woman, being tutored by an ignorant President, the adversaries of a strong Public Education system. They want Profits for Charter School CEO’s, and they have set upon a course of action which will result in dismantling Public Education in the United States.
I agree!
I agree with Claire. She provided a perfect summary of the situation!
Claire, you hit the nail on the head. As a Title I teacher for 23 years I have seen ups and downs. Devos does not care about public education. She does not care about our whole nation obviously, as children are our future. Not just some children, but ALL CHILDREN.
This is just another example of his gross misuse of power. VOTE!!!!
The Trump/DeVos team won’t be happy till they gut America of all it’s worth. Ruining our children’s future. This has to stop.
Kids need funding for our public schools.
DeVos should have NEVER been put in this position. This is the only criticism I have had of Pres. Trump’s decisions but she was a major mistake from day 1. I just retired after 51 years of teaching in public ed. and couldn”t find one reason to support this woman. She knew more about fly fishing than she did about education.
Diverting tax dollars to private charter schools should be illegal. Teachers who educate in areas that serve Title 1 children are already hampered by school needs that are not met. Corporations should be adopting public schools to assist with funds and supporting them for the public good.
Why do we always put our children last? The most important gift we can give our children is an appropriate education. Our president should have been embarrassed to talk about failing schools in the US. Our children are entitled to a free and appropriate education. We have failed them by not providing appropriate schools. I doubt many politicians have visited inner city schools. The environments in some schools are very inadequate (too hot in warm weather, too cold in winter, not enough school supplies, not all appropriate services provided, not enough staff to meet the needs of children to name a few). Instead of helping these schools, we cut funding and are now paying for vouchers so some children can attend for profit charter and private schools. I can guarantee that the most needy children will not receive vouchers or even be accepted to these schools. The most needy children will bring down the school’s scores. We continue to pad the pockets of the wealthy, such as the Koch brothers, at the sake of our children. We, as a country, should be embarrassed.
All children should be treated with respect and granted the same rights. No one should ever have their lunch taken form them and ever made to feel less than anything. They all have a great potential to be great, least help them where it is possible.
More money need to be added to education funding instead of cutting it. It is the United States of America duty to educate the children.
However, when you have the Secretary of Education who has no interest in Public Education, you can expect anything.
You are absolutely correct.
No accountability in these charters- an OUTRAGEOUS ABUSE of tax dollars!!!
I’ve seen these abuses first hand myself in Chicago.
Let us stand united.
No charter for profits!
We need accountability as we work with students. A loose system is harmful to educational stakeholders–teachers, administrators, students, and their families. Our students need and deserve to have highly qualified staff and schools.
This is absolutely unacceptable. Tax payers are the public, which are largely educated in public schools. The only reason some charters preform better is they can sort kids, i.e. pick and choose. Also, lack of accountability. Charter schools are not the answer. These are business designed to make money. Appropriately funding and supporting public schools is the only answer the best serves the public. How on earth does one justify Ms. Devos trying to dismantle the public school system, that she is supposed to be supporting!!?!?!
Rather than spending most of our tax dollars on defense, we should invest in education, health, and spending on quality of life items like our national parks and national libraries and museums with our taxpayer funds.
As a lifetime educator, I encourage every rational person to work tirelessly to remove Betsy Devos from her position as Education Secretary. She not only has NO experience with the public school system but is also a heartlesss human being.
Please reject the Trump/ DeVos budget proposal regarding education cuts!
Please make the education of our children a priority. Fully fund public schools so they can hire a full staff of educated professionals that have been trained on how to help students learn. Please don’t allow public money to find private or charter schools. Our children bare depending on you to ensure they have what they need to be successful.
This budget is even further proof that this Administration’s agenda is to dismantle public schools and hand it over to the for-profit sector. Our children are worth fighting for. Vouchers and charters that rob public tax dollars from our public schools will no longer be tolerated.
Yes. Let us stand strong, together.
Dump Drumpf
In my experience as a public school educator for over 30 years I was witness to increased class room student misbehavior, higher teacher to student ratios, and declining student achievement. My budget was cut every year while class sizes increased. Asking teachers to work harder for less budgetary support cost our district in Massachusetts many talented staff members over the years. And to take funding from the public school system, the backbone of education- the future of our country- and reassign it to charter and private sector institutions is cheating our citizenry! Better funding to our public school system should be a priority for the future of our country. Please override this proposal to cheat so many young people out of a fully funded public school education.
You’re so right, Ms. Olive. When politicians say that our education system should be run like a business, they forget a few inconvenient points:
1. businesses can choose the raw material they start with.
2. their bottom line is money, not children.
3. teachers’ salaries would bankrupt a company if they were paid for all the extra time they put in.
4. if a product is flawed, a manufacturer can throw it against the wall and break it to smithereens… you can’t do that with a kid!
We have a very good education system and the DeVos/Trump clown-car demolition derby keeps trying to wreck it.
Thank you for that concise statement regarding the difference between education and business.
Educating our youth is preparing America’s future. No one who truly loves our country would want to harm America’s future. Cutting Title 1 punished children for circumstances beyond there control.
Education is the cornerstone of our future in order for American students to be able to contribute toward the success of our country. This can not be accomplished through the voucher system, or alternative schools. American Public Schools are the only way to accomplish this. Cutting back on Public Education is not the answer. The private sector is not in the education business. Cutting edge teaching methods, and curriculum developed by educators is the only way to go. Keep America Great through public schools!
Money talks–that how she got her position because of the campaign money she contributed to Trumps campaign. She is not an educator and knows nothing about public schools and what they really offer our students. Her interest is vouchers and charter schools and let people choose-that would be discrimination and a long wait list at some schools and others would have little to nothing, Our public schools are not broken but they need funding to operate and improve the infrastructure for the 21st century. Now is the time to appoint a real educator to the position who knows the in’s and out’s of what real public schools need and how they should operate.
KEEP IT SIMPLE!
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE!!!!
Beautifully stated. Thank you.
Stand up for education. Our students are the future of tomorrow. A proposed $6.1 billion cut in education funding is shameful.
don’t take away education for everyone but the rich
No cuts to education funding! We must increase funding to education!