Valerie Strauss has created a useful guide to the major budget cuts in the U.S. Department of Education programs, in the budget proposed by the Trump administration.
A total of $10.6 billion will be cut from existing programs, with a share of those “savings” invested in school choice.
The rationale is given for each cut:
Here are some details that aren’t in the story. First is a list in the budget documents of proposed discretionary programs targeted for elimination, which the documents say will save $5.9 billion, and following that are the given justifications for each. They were targeted, the documents say, because they “achieved their original purpose, duplicate other programs, are narrowly focused, or are unable to demonstrate effectiveness.”
If failure to “demonstrate effectiveness” is reason for the cuts, then charters and vouchers should be on the list. Neither has demonstrated their superiority to public schools. Many evaluations show they duplicate services, create a dual system, add additional managers, and get the same or worse results as compared to public schools.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I am not a subscriber to the Washington Post.
Elsewhere I found this proposed budget item, and likely to be funded. “Trump is requesting “an additional $158 million for salaries and expenses in the Education Department.” A portion of this money will go for increased security for DeVos, who has contracted the U.S. Marshals Service instead of the DoE’s security team, “ An earlier estimate of this security detail was about $1 million per month.
Also of interest is the proposed level funding of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), indicating that the award of an honorary doctorate to DeVos by Bethune-Cookman University, plus that invitation to give the commencement address was a case of unproductive lobbying and what should be some institutional embarrassment (and not the first instance for leaders of HBCUs, who were insulted by Trump during a White House meet up).
http://www.thefader.com/2017/05/18/trump-education-budget-cuts-betsy-devos
So kids who attend public schools get absolutely nothing of value to improve their schools.
They should call that place the US Department of Charters and Vouchers.
Public school students need not apply.
Can’t wait until Monday when I get to watch DeVos and her huge staff launch their latest “public schools suck!” campaign.
Such a treat for public school parents- paying a group of federal employees to bash our schools. I wish they’d just leave public schools and students out of their political campaigns completely. Stop using our kids to push your agenda. You offer them nothing of value.
Are we still paying DeVos’ ridiculously excessive security costs? Can’t these billionaires cover their own costs? Why do I have to pay to back her anti-public school political campaigning? It’s bad enough I’m paying for a federal government that is actively opposed to the school my son attends. I also have to fund voucher campaigning?
It’s called taxation without representation. Last time I heard, that was written into the laws of the land. Too bad we can’t do anything about it. Too bad we can’t dump tons of education (tea) into the harbor as a show of protest.
DeVoodoo is the QUEEN of MEAN!
see this article:
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/how-america-turned-against-smart-kids/
I have supported increased funding and resources for our gifted/talented children for many years.
Diane, what do you think?
Charles,
The Trump administration will propose a dramatic reduction in funding programs for gifted children.
You speak in future tense. If that is so, then I am sorry. I think that the states should be supporting gifted/talented children, very few public schools have the resources or staff, to assist these special children in meeting their full potential. What a waste!
Reblogged this on TechEducator1 and commented:
This is a must read!
Can anyone figure out what this gibberish means?
“The district as a district to me is like an abstract concept,” Melvoin said. “These are schools that have children in them and teachers in them and they are all part of the LA ecosystem, so to protect the district at the expense of a parent’s right to choose or a kid’s right to a good education has never made sense to me.”
He’s aware that public schools also have children and teachers in them, correct?
Or does he think they’re empty buildings?
http://laschoolreport.com/respect-parents-choices-new-board-member-nick-melvoin-lays-out-his-priorities-for-los-angeles-schools/
He’s hoping they can all “coalesce” around his privatization vision. Not that it matters. They’re getting it anyway, like it or not.
Where did Melvoin go to school? The school of nowhere in particular?
LAUSD is in for a scary ride.
Oops…. he went to Harvard. Then according to Wikipedia: Melvoin –teaching in LAUSD-and more than half of the faculty lost their jobs in two rounds of layoffs due to budget cuts and LAUSD’s seniority-based layoff policy (often known as LIFO)
Is his switch to Charter preference an angry reaction to being laid off?
Well he’s got his wish now- Good luck to him. The UTLA is not going down without a fight.