Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, has many educators screaming foul.
Her nomination, said American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, “makes it loud and clear that her education policy will focus on privatizing, defunding and destroying public education in America.” A very severe indictment.
Why do educators think so? The conservative billionaire is a longtime backer of charter schools and vouchers for private and religious schools. The DeVos family — her father-in-law is co-founder of Amway, her brother founder of Blackwater, the mercenary security firm — has donated at least $200 million to right-wing causes.
Vouchers have been a pet project of some Kansas legislators. They also often are on the lips of those who donate millions to ultra-conservative organizations, i.e. the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, Americans for Prosperity, etc. In Allen County the greatest impact vouchers might have would be to financially entitle those who home-school their children.
Another consideration is movement of students from one district to another — USD 257’s is a wash with 54 going out, 54 coming in. Reality is the local district has at times suffered from far more taking exit than arriving, and if students were to leave because of dissatisfaction, vouchers would pave the avenue with greenbacks if they choose private education
Vouchers would be a one-two punch for public school aid in Kansas, first taking money away from the state pool, which would make it more difficult to fund local districts in any case and particularly if a new formula, assuming legislators and Gov. Sam Brownback can get together on one, replaces the block grant scheme.
However, the strong critical reaction that accompanied DeVos’ nomination may have been tinged a bit with hyperbole. During her confirmation hearing DeVos made reference to education decisions being local and state issues. Perhaps that precludes a significant federal role in changing funding schemes.
FOR ALLEN County districts vouchers would seem to have less impact than in many other places. We have private schools in southeast Kansas, parochial in one manner or another, but charter schools are seldom found where population isn’t dense and incomes tend toward the lower end.
Vouchers could come in play with home-schooled children, as aforementioned, and that would be the most painful burr under local districts’ saddles. In nearly any formula that can be conceived for distributing state aid enrollment is a factor; fewer kids, less state aid.
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— Bob Johnson
