Readers of this blog know that Betsy DeVos decoded, against federal law and precedent, that CARES coronavirus funding should be divided among all students, rich, middle-income, and poor. She stuck to this decision even after her fellow Republican, Senator Lamar Alexander, pointed out that the money was for the neediest students, not all students. Betsy ignored him.
It’s heartening to see that Newsweek referred to this brazen action as “looting.”
If DeVos knew anything about the history of the federal role in education, she would know that the Elementary and a Secondary Education Act of 1965 was passed specifically to fund the schools of the poorest children.
While we chastise looting, let’s chastise billionaire Betsy for looting millions from poor kids in defiance of Congressional intent.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
So villainous and cruel! Right out of a movie, this bottle blonde infection who is stealing our tax dollars. But let’s not forget those in power in D.C. who say and do nothing, aiding and abetting her.
May she catch the virus on one of her 10 yachts, all of which are registered legally in the Caribbean so she can avoid paying taxes on them.
I am not for any protestors or non-protestors looting, but ideologically and philosophically, does looting’s horrible energy of violence equate to the intensity of the horrible energy of DeVos and others looting our tax coffers, looting the taxpayer and citizen, looting the middle and working classes? Looting quietly or loudly, looting is looting, no?
She makes Medusa look like Helen Hayes . . . .
Oh Robbie… you do have a way with words.
Thank you, Sue.
I’m angry . . . .
Betsy DeVos, like her boss Trump, is simply evil. Her heart is so dark that she cannot see the good that could be accomplished if only she would see the pain and suffering she is causing. The pain and suffering that will continue long after she is out of office because of the actions is taking now. What she is doing is a sin against humanity.
DeVos has got Apartheid in her DNA …
This whole administration is a reverse Robin Hood cabal. It gives tax breaks to the to the 1% and corporations while it ignores the common good, working families and the poor. Most of the members of the cabinet have no record of public service. They have only served themselves like Trump, DeVos and Mnuchin. With billions of dollars in COVID benefits going to unknown recipients, taxpayers that are paying the bill should have a right to know what people and companies received COVID relief dollars. At this point in time, Mnuchin is calling the information “proprietary.” The US Treasury is not Mnuchin’s private piggy bank. This administration does everything it can to block justice, transparency and accountability.https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/06/16/taxpayers-deserve-transparency-covid-relief-mnuchin-kudlow-column/3187342001/
You are correct.
The lack of transparency has many people wondering how much went to bail out the Trump Organization.
I posted this at https://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/Newsweek-Betsy-DeVos-Stea-in-Best_Web_OpEds-Diane-Ravitch_Funding-200619-799.html#comment766763
She simply prefers private schools and private school students to public school students.
People can read any of her speeches. She lays it right out there. She starts with a droning recitation about how all public schools and public school students are failing, and then goes on to promote private schools:
https://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/prepared-remarks-secretary-devos-house-appropriations-subcommittee-labor-health-and-human-services-education-and-related-agencies-0
It’s infected the whole US Department of Education. The only time they mention public school students is to 1. warn them against drug abuse or 2. address gun violence.
Apparently they all believe all public school students are drug-addicted and violent. They’re ideologically biased against our schools and students. They simply don’t serve them.
I think this is a real shame:
“WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced today more than $300 million in discretionary grant funds will be available for states to use to create adaptable, innovative learning opportunities for K-12 and postsecondary learners in response to the COVID-19 national emergency. The grants will be funded through the Education Stabilization Fund (ESF), authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, signed into law by President Donald J. Trump.
“If our ability to educate is limited to what takes place in any given physical building, we are never going to meet the unique needs of every student,” said Secretary DeVos. “The current disruption to the normal model is reaffirming something I have said for years: we must rethink education to better match the realities of the 21st century. This is the time for local education leaders to unleash their creativity and ingenuity, and I’m looking forward to seeing what they do to provide education freedom and economic opportunity for America’s students.”
None of this money is going to go to public schools or public school students. They’re excluded before they even apply.
DeVos and the rest of the ideologues she hires will make sure no public school student sees a dime of it. What a raw deal public school students get in this administration. Robbed.
DeVos like other members of Trump’s cabinet is fleecing the poor and working class to serve the agenda of billionaires and radical right wing.
the exact scenario stated here
Has the US Department of Education offered ANY practical assistance of any kind to public schools in this crisis?
It’s really incredible. What is the point of having a federal education agency if they can’t manage any kind of comprehensive, national assistance?
It’s like they all went home when the crisis hit and we haven’t heard from them since. I mean- something. Some indication that the lights are on and people are still employed there.
DeVos also keeps insisting that there are millions of public school parents who now want online schooling.
I do not know a single parent- not one- who wants school to stay online. It’s the opposite. They all saw online learning in action and they are specifically and vehemently rejecting it.
I know very few of these folks attended public schools themselves and none of them send their children to public schools, but where do they get these ideas about what public school parents “want”? How could they possibly know? They don’t know any of us. There hasn’t been a DeVos in a public school for 4 generations.
She is part of that Amway pyramid scam, what else would you expect.
It’s not just DeBos, it’s been the Republican game plan since the inauguration of Ronald Reagan. It just went into hyper-speed with the Bush tax cuts and Obama’s capitulation without a fight to repeal them. Now it’s just a fact of life.
The HEROES act, approved by House Republicans and likely to die there explicitly prevents DeVos from changing the priorities in the act and shifting money around.
“With respect to the allocation and award of funds under this title, The Secretary of Education is prohibited from—
(a) establishing a priority or preference not specified in this title; and (b) imposing limits on the use of such funds not specified in this title.
In other words, DeVos cannot privilege charter schools. In no time flat, Nina Rees complained there are “there are no safeguards for charter schools in this package.”
https://www.publiccharters.org/latest-news/2020/05/13/national-alliance-releases-statement-heroes-act-proposal-and-letter-house
The HEROES Act sends money to Governors, with some funds for statewide distribution, the rest for local districts and schools.
Here are a few of the provisions. I think it unlikely that Republicans in the Congress or Trump will approve the bill, or if so, on a schedule that is not timely for the opening of school.
–The Child Nutrition Programs —$3 billion in emergency financial relief to school meal providers and USDA’s Child and Adult Care Food Program.
–Institute for Museum and Library Services — $5 million in operating support and technology for costs and expenses associated with coronavirus.
–Government Accountability Office (GAO) — $30 million for oversight of federal coronavirus response and recovery efforts.
–Federal Communications Commission (FCC) — $5.5 billion with $1.5 billion for an Emergency Connectivity Fund offering expanded E-rate internet services and internet-connected devices to schools and libraries, including Wi-Fi hotspots and connected devices. Add $4 billion for a new Emergency Broadband Connectivity Fund to reimburse Internet service providers (ISPs) for providing low income households with monthly discounts and up to $100 for connected devices.
–Department of Education — $90 billion for a State Fiscal Stabilization Fund. This provides grants to Governors for statewide and local funding for elementary and secondary schools and public postsecondary institutions. Support for K-12 education includes
—-costs associated with making up instructional time, including teacher, school leader, and classified school employee personnel costs;
—-providing school-based supports for impacted students, families, and staff, including counseling, mental health services, family engagement efforts, and the coordination of physical health services;
—-costs associated with sanitation and cleaning for schools and school transportation;
—-professional development for school-based staff on trauma-informed care to restore the learning environment;
—-purchasing educational technology, including assistive technology, that aids in regular and substantive interactions between students and their classroom instructor;
—-coordination efforts between State educational agencies and public health departments for emergency planning, response, and recovery;
—-authorized activities under education statutes including ESEA, IDEA, McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, and the Perkins Act;
Click to access Heroes%20Act%20Summary.pdf
EVIL! PURE EVIL. She’s EVIL and so is that DUMP.