A few days ago, the House Subcommittee that controls federal education appropriations invited Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to testify about her budget proposals, which seek to eliminate 29 federal programs and turn their funding over to the state as a block grant. At the same time, she wants to slash the Department’s funding. And…of course, she wants $5 billion for vouchers for private and religious schools, which are both demonstrably unpopular and ineffective.
This video clip shows Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wisconsin) questioning DeVos about the federal Charter Schools Program. Rep. Pocan relied on a report from the Network for Public Education to the nearly $1 billion in federal funds wasted on charter schools that either never opened or closed not long after opening.
He asked DeVos direct questions, questions that required a yes or no.
She evaded, she ducked, she weaved, she obfuscated. She refused to answer yes or no.
She dismissed the NPE report, Asleep at the Wheel, as “propaganda” that had been “debunked.” This was a lie. The data in the report came from the U.S. Department of Education and from DeVos’s own reports to Congress.
Pocan exposes two facts about DeVos. One, she plays fast and loose with facts. Two, she refuses to answer questions that are uncomfortable for her. We already know that she, unlike previous secretaries of education, actively dislikes public education. I humbly suggest that her contempt for public schools makes her unfit to be Secretary of Education.
Rep. Mark Pocan Questions Betsy DeVos on the Charter Schools Program
Diane Ravitch's blog 
“I humbly suggest that her contempt for public schools makesp her unfit to be Secretary of Education.”
I agree and I would go further- I don’t know why public school students get stuck with political representatives who work against their schools.
DeVos advocates for vouchers and charters. Public school students should have an advocate at the US Department of Education. It isn’t fair to them that they don’t.
Ed reformers have no problem with their entire echo chamber all promoting vouchers and charters, to the exclusion of all other schools and students. They shouldn’t have any problem with public school supporters having advocates too.
I’m not even asking that ed reformers start supporting public school students- they’re ideologically opposed to the existence of our schools so therefore don’t lift a finger on behalf of our students- I get it. I’m simply saying that if DC is going to be wholly dominated by people who lobby for charters and vouchers public school students should have advocates in government too.
Government employees excluding our schools and students isn’t fair to the 90% of kids who attend public schools. They’re harmed by this. It needs to be remedied.
DeVos proposed block granting 40-some programs. The ONLY one ed reformers objected to was block grants of charter school funding. If policy harms public school kids they’re not interested- they only spring into action when a charter or private school voucher is threatened. They simply do not work on behalf of public school students. They do NOTHING for our kids, yet they dominate the federal government and about half the states. We should fix that. We’re getting ripped off.
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We just saw this same ed reform dynamic at play in Ohio. The echo chamber jammed thru a huge expansion of vouchers and NOT ONE of them even considered or looked into the effect of this on public schools or public school students.
They don’t care what happens to public school students. Our kids aren’t even considered in their privatization schemes. The one and only reason public school students were considered at all in Ohio is because 2300 public school leaders traveled to Columbus and demanded to be heard. They would have been completely excluded from education policy had they not done that.
No one in the statehouse was working for 90% of kids. They had no advocates. It was as if public school students don’t exist.
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DeVos actually goes further than being anti-public school. Incredibly, we’re now forced to pay government employees who are anti public school STUDENT.
DeVos smears public school students- depicting them all as drug-addicted low performers who are violent and only good for low level job training.
It’s freaking outrageous that the public is paying tens of millions in expenses for these folks. It benefits not a single public school student anywhere in the country.
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What exactly was DeVos referring to as the “debunked” report produced by someone that “had it in” for charter schools?
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She was referring to the Asleep at the Wheel, written by Carol Burris of the Network for Public Education, using publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education.
It was criticized by DeVos and rightwing flacks but never debunked.
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“It was criticized by DeVos and rightwing flacks but never debunked.”
Ol Bitsy DeVos wouldn’t begin to know how to debunk or refute a study like Carol’s. When one bases a report in verifiable facts the report cannot be debunked/refuted. I’d bet any amount of money that DeVos never read the report, just as she never read my book that I sent at the beginning of this Secretary’s travesty of administration. Did get a nice form letter back from her office though. Many others never acknowledged receiving the book.
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This fits a pattern we can all understand. She called this propaganda and said it was debunked. Sounds like Trump offering his version of why aid was held up only in Ukraine. Sounds like the republican defense of Trump during impeachment.
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In the beginning of the video, she was doing her little “I’m better and brighter than you” smirk and posturing. I actually felt great joy in watching her squirm as Rep. Pocan grilled her again and again asking that she answer a simple yes/no question.
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She always has that billionaire’s smirk.
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I’m not a violent person, but I’d love to see someone slap that smirk off her.
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Betsy has a trademark on her smirk
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As foul and vile as pay-to-play Betsy DeVoid is, we must not lose sight of the fact that Arne Dun-can’t was the gateway drug that led the nation down the path to DeVoid. They are two toxic pea pods that sprouted from the same mutant bush that was planted in the polluted soil of reform.
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I think anyone who follows this blog has never lost sight of this. Problem is, we’re about the only ones who pay attention.
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DeVos: “That has been a totally debunked report! It was nothing but propaganda by an individual who has an in for charter schools!”
Oh, the gall of she, the individual who has an in for charter schools.
But then, as Lt. Cmdr. Worf says: “I admire gall.”
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