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Betsy De-Who?
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New Secretary of Education causes controversy in education community Sarah Plemmons Contributor
Betsy Volume 133 Issue 26
On Tuesday, Feb. 7, Betsy DeVos was controversially sworn in as the 11th Secretary of Education by Vice President Mike Pence in a tie-breaking vote of 51-to-50. President Donald Trump nominated DeVos for the position on Nov. 23, 2016. Her confirmation hearing was scheduled for Jan. 10, but a request from the Office of Government Ethics delayed it by a week for more time to review DeVos’ financial disclosures. During her hearing, senators, including Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts), asked questions about her family’s donations to the GOP and experience with student loan programs. “Senator, as a matter of fact, I do think there would be that possibility. I’ve worked very hard on behalf of parents and children for the last almost 30 years to be a voice for students and to empower parents to make decisions on behalf of their children, primarily lowincome children,” DeVos, in response to a question by Sen. Sanders as to whether she thought she would have been nominated without her family’s contribution, said. On the night of the final vote, Democrats and Republicans came out tied, leaving Pence to cast the final, decision-making vote. This was the first time that a tie was decided by a vice president on any vote since the George W. Bush administration. “The Senate is not evenly divided because the Republicans do have a 52-48 majority, but that means all it takes is a couple of defections from the Republican majority to make it even, which is what happened,” Anthony Nownes, UT political science professor, said. As Secretary of Education, DeVos will enforce education regulations as
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well as review old and propose new regulations. She is responsible for every school system in the United States, including K-12, universities, public and private schools. DeVos favors school choice, the ability for parents to send students to any public, private or charter school of their choosing. She also supports deregulation, private school ownership and the voucher system. Reaction to DeVos’ confirmation is mixed. While Democratic politicians and teachers’ unions are wrestling with her appointment, Republican politicians are more optimistic. “In our country we spend more per student than almost any nation but lag behind in results. Our education system has stagnated because there is not enough choice and not enough accountability,” Greg Butcher, president of UT College Republicans, said. “An infusion of choice and competition to our system will rattle the education establishment for the better, and I look forward to seeing what she accomplishes for our students across this great country.” The U.S. ranks 24th in science and reading and ranks 38th in mathematics, behind Lithuania and Slovakia, based on a 2015 Programme for International Student Assessment study. Democrats and teachers’ unions are less optimistic about the direction DeVos will take education. “What a lot of teachers and educators are upset about is she has no teaching experience, she has no education experience, her children did not attend public schools, she never attended public schools,” Feroza Freeland, president of UT College Democrats, said. “She really has no context, so she’s really unqualified on top of the fact that she supports school choice and divestment from public education.” See DEVOS on Page 3
Wednesday, February 22, 2017