Skip to main content

Letter to the Editor Regarding DeVos

***Update:  At the time this letter was read at Monday’s board meeting, the hearing regarding Betsy DeVos’ nomination as the secretary of education was still scheduled for Wednesday, January 11. Later that evening, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions postponed the hearing until January 17 at 5:00 PM.


This is a letter to the editor that I will submit for the January 12 edition of the Belleville-Area Independent

-----

To the Editor:

This week marks a defining moment for public education in the United States. On Wednesday, January 11, a hearing will have taken place regarding Betsy DeVos’ nomination  as the secretary of education.

During the past few board meetings, I have expressed my concerns publicly about Mrs. DeVos’ appointment to the top education post, and I reiterate those same concerns here. I have contacted Senator Stabenow and Peter’s offices, and they both have now expressed their concerns regarding this appointment and have vowed to vote against her nomination. I commend this move from our senators on behalf of the students in Michigan’s public schools.

In Michigan, DeVos has been an outspoken advocate for charter schools. As Stephen Henderson of the Detroit Free Press has written, she and other family members have given over $2 million to GLEP, the Great Lakes Education Project, a political action committee that promotes “school choice.” She is a member of the American Federation for Children as well as other organizations that encourage “choice” and “parental empowerment.” While these phrases sound good, they all operate under the guise of improving academic outcomes but are supported by incredibly troublesome records of achievement.

I encourage anyone wishing to learn more about Michigan’s lackluster results with charter schools to read “Michigan spends $1B on charterschools but fails to hold them accountable” from the Free Press. 

I am deeply troubled over the possibility of her appointment to this post for a myriad of reasons, including: her utter lack of experience in public schools, as she did not attend a public school, did not send her children to public schools, and has never worked in a public school; the DeVos family’s contributions to undermine increased charter school oversight, including lifting the cap on the number of charter schools in Michigan; and her involvement in the 2000 campaign to amend Michigan’s constitution to allow school vouchers, which is currently prevented by the Blaine amendment.

At the time this letter was submitted, the Office of Government Ethics, the department responsible for vetting cabinet nominees, has expressed concerns about DeVos and the seemingly rushed nomination process as well, noting that her ethics review was still incomplete.

I believe that the secretary of education should put research first, and he or she should represent the best interests of our public schools and not work to undermine them.

Sincerely,

Kevin English
Trustee, VBPS Board of Education

Resident, Sumpter Township

Comments

  1. I like your style, Mr. English, and even more, your substance.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Does anyone think DeVos as secretary of education is a good idea?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Handwritten Cue Cards in the 21st Century

I just stumbled upon this behind-the-scenes clip of Saturday Night Live's cue card process. This is intense writing. This is writing that is dependent upon trust and checks and balances. Over a short period of time, skits are written, drafted on cards, revised, and the cards revised over and over again. I also really love that SNL continues to use cue cards and not a teleprompter. Like Wally points out, technology can fail. Handwritten cue cards ensure the show goes on. Comedy is hard work. Writing is hard work. Changes are made up until the last minute to get things just right. This is a form of real-world writing.

Don't Be Misled by $778 At-Risk Payments

Governor Snyder recently proposed a $778 increase per economically disadvantaged pupil in Michigan. At first glance, this looks good. Who can argue with an announcement like this: An increase of $150 million, to a total of $529 million, to ensure that children in difficult financial situations are getting the help they need. All districts and public school academies will now be eligible to receive an additional $778 per pupil to assist at-risk students. After all, it's money for at-risk students . We instantly assume that the governor is proposing helping our neediest students, which should make us all jump for joy. And we know from the adequacy study done last year that our poorest students require greater funding (30% more!) to educate if we ever hope to close the achievement gap, not to mention their general recommendation of $8,667 per pupil as a foundation allowance (note that many districts in Michigan still receive far less than this). But the real problem of inequ

MCTE Musings

I always look forward to the last Friday in October. Since my junior year in college, I don't think I've missed a fall conference of the Michigan Council of Teachers of English--and I certainly don't plan on it any time soon. Just as I could feel the stress building this past week, I knew that MCTE, just like other quality days of professional development like summer institutes of the National Writing Project, would be a panacea for so many job-related frustrations and would provide answers for questions I've been wrestling with for months. Like always, I left with my head spinning--and that's a sign of quality professional development. You leave knowing that there's so much more to be accomplished. Your work, despite all the long hours and years of practice, is really only beginning to unfold in front of you. Yesterday, Penny Kittle spoke about how every student is on a personal learning journey, and I'm thinking about how my classroom reflects that. I&