Well, Betsy DeVos...
At the end of her first day in office as U.S. Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos tweeted: "Now where do I find the pencils? :)" Here’s a better question: Now where do we find the commitment to public education?
I’ve never seen anything like it. The Senate managed to barely squeak through her nomination with the closest Cabinet confirmation vote in history. Her qualifications? She’s been a big political donor and has worked for years to privatize education – and reduce accountability – in her home state of Michigan. Appalling.
But rest assured, as a Democratic leader on the House Education Committee I will fight relentlessly to protect public education for every student – not just the select few. I won’t allow gender discrimination in education, or allow DeVos to ignore the important Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Unlike DeVos, I’ll stand up for LGBTQ students and college affordability, and against guns in schools.
Unfortunately, the House is already starting to roll back the significant progress we made with the Every Student Succeeds Act – the replacement for No Child Left Behind. These attacks are moving us away from our goal of providing world-class public education – and I’ll be fighting back every step of the way.
I’ll be on the front lines of this fight for public education across Oregon and the country. You can count on it. Thank you for standing with me.
