Betsy DeVos and the GOP's Plan to Destroy Public Schools

[Celerity]

“School choice” is a rhetorical dodge. It’s actually all about entrenching right-wing power, control, and Christian nationalism.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/betsy-devos-and-the-gops-plan-to-destroy-public-schools



“Republicans are trying to dismantle public education which educates 90% of American kids. That’s the end game, folks,” I recently tweeted upon hearing billionaire Betsy DeVos, Trump’s former Secretary of Education, admit: “I personally think the Department of Education”—which she used to run—“should not exist.” The comment shouldn’t surprise anyone who’s been following the GOP’s 70-year crusade to dismantle and privatize our public education system.

Link to tweet

After Brown v. Board of Education ruled that segregation was unconstitutional, white supremacy ignited the right-wing culture war that burns across the nation in 2022 with battles over textbooks, critical race theory, school boards, mask mandates, and diversity initiatives. But instead of deploying the overtly racist tactics of the mid-20th century, the GOP now filters its agenda through racially neutral Trojan Horse slogans such as “school choice” and “parental choice.” The latter helped Republican Glenn Youngkin win the governorship of Virginia, and suburban parents have been successfully weaponized by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ efforts to ban books, punish teachers, and help kids avoid “liberal indoctrination” by ignoring the existence of gay people.

DeVos was simply being true to form when she made her recent remarks at a Moms for Liberty summit, a training site for conservative activists to learn how to create majorities on local school boards. For years, she has zealously spent her millions on “education reform” and created the blueprint for Republican state legislatures. Specifically, she has been an evangelist for “school choice,” arguably the main policy focus of the 2020 Republican National Convention—which famously had no platform except to “enthusiastically endorse” Donald Trump.



School choice advocates like DeVos want to funnel public funds and resources to private schools and charter schools and away from public schools, which educate the majority of American children. Although Republicans claim their pursuit of “school choice” is to help the children, one should be wise enough to know by now that Republicans—who oppose the child tax credit, gun control, and food stamps—only care about the pre-born. Once you’re out of the womb, you have to pull yourself up from your bootstraps and run for your life to avoid mass shootings.




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[BigmanPigman]

1. The logo of the kids with raised hands

looks more like a Nazi salute to me.

[Ms. Toad]

2. Unfortunately, we have helped them in this destruction.

Far too many Democrats supported allowing parents to take public school vouchers to pay private school tuition.

From 2016: https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-08-23/surprise-democrats-also-support-school-vouchers

By 2019, a majority of Democrats supported universal vouchers: https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/19/08/ednext-poll-democrats-divided-over-school-choice

[BlueIdaho]

3. All this from a woman who never attended a public school.

Shameful hatchet job of public education.

[MyOwnPeace]

4. But, but, but......

tRump promised "Only the best!"

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

5. I attended Catholic school in kindergarten and first grade.

After that, public schools all the way.

When my older son was going into 7th grade I moved him from a very good public school to a private school because of issues with bullying. I often said that I'd have gotten a job cleaning houses to pay for that private school. I knew at least one other mother there who did exactly that.

I used to get somewhat shunned when I'd challenge moms in the parking lot of the private school who complained they shouldn't have to pay public school taxes. Nope, I'd say. We all need to pay them, whether or not we currently have children enrolled in public school And even if you have twenty children, there will come a time when you no longer have a kid in public school yourself. Or maybe you never had kids. Or you moved to a different state in retirement. You still have a societal obligation to support public schools.

I'm never going to have grandchildren, darn, but I am more than happy to continue paying taxes for public schools. Our children are collectively our future.

[jimfields33]

6. I went to Catholic school K-12

I do appreciate my parents sacrifice because I got a great education. Unfortunately Catholic schools have gotten expensive. So the enrollment is actually higher in public schools then the 60’s. I’m not sure why so many think vouchers will destroy public school. How many will use them? 10 percent? I don’t think public schools will close down for this.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

7. I haven't a clue how many might choose Catholic or other private schools,

but you need to understand the importance of public schools. I have no idea the percent.

I chose to send my sons to a secular private school. My older son was being bullied in the public school. Another mom called me up and said, "You told me that private school was a possibility for your son. Let me tell you what is going with my son." And she told me in great detail what her son was experiencing. She eventually transferred her son to another middle school in that school district. I was horrified, and I called a friend who had five children, attending something like four different private schools. I told her what was going on, and she thought a bit and suggested the private school I enrolled my son in.

I am so glad I had that choice. My son would not have survived public school. By the end of 8th grade I think he would have been suicidal. Instead, by the end of 8th grade he was doing things like science bowl, and going to National Science Bowl.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

8. k&r& bookmarked. Thanks for all the work to post this.

[Timeflyer]

9. Corporate charter schools suck your public school tax dollars

so they can buy complicit politicians with your dollars and promote their (often Christo-fascist) agendas and buy more complicit politicians. It's a circular grift.