Betsy DeVos: Schools that don't reopen shouldn't get federal funds

[alp227]

Source: Axios

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos told "Fox News Sunday" that public schools that don't reopen in the fall should not get federal funds, and that the money should be redirected to families who can use it to find another option for their children.

Why it matters: The Trump administration is engaged in a full-court press to reopen schools this fall, despite warnings from some public health officials that the coronavirus outbreak is out of control in many states and that it will be difficult for many schools to reopen safely.

Grilled by Fox's Chris Wallace on what the administration is doing to make to make it safer or more feasible, DeVos repeatedly stressed that "kids cannot afford to not continue learning" and that she's not talking about places where the virus is "out of control."

"We're talking about the rule, not the exception. And where there are hot spots in the future and in the fall, of course that has to be dealt with differently," DeVos said.

Read more: https://www.axios.com/besty-devos-schools-reopen-federal-funds-2d6341f2-c490-4e36-b996-58cf23447087.html

[C_U_L8R]

1. DeVos has no plan or intention to protect our children

Last edited Sun Jul 12, 2020, 03:25 PM - Edit history (1)

Her ideological drive is worse than fascistic, it's ghoulish.

[safeinOhio]

30. It is called the

Anyway, Amway plan.
Take the money and run.

[Igel]

34. No, she doesn't.

Like with Abbott, it's not her concern.

It's delegated. Take Texas. Every school district has the same constraints. They're all required to reopen. Attendance will be taken, and after a grace period funding will depend on attendance, like it always has. Kids don't show up, no money for that kid.

Schools are required to reopen. My district said a few days ago what that means. Now they're working on the details. Teachers had input, and it shows; we didn't dictate, and it shows. At the same time, although I have classes in 5 or 6 weeks, I don't have a clue what that means.

The state defines what "showing up" means. For highschoolers in online courses, it means 240 minutes facetime/seat-time per day during school days. In person is just like last year. It's okay to mix online and in-class, alternate days or weeks.

I might be teaching an online class for 160 kids. I might be in the classroom for 80 of them and teach the other 80 online. I might be in-class just like last fall. My school has two options: You elect in-class or online for you kid. It's not mix or match, class by class. And if in-class, it's 5 days a week, not alternating days or weeks. Some districts are doing that, and that's ok.

Notice that deVos is happy with that arrangement. She says they have to reopen and teach the kids. She didn't say that every kid had to be in the classroom. She probably has the same kind of data Texas has.

Texas' data comes in two types. The first student engagement, very basic, crude data, that shows a large percentage of kids just weren't tuned in during April and May. And cross-tabbing it with student characteristics show that those not tuned in were ELs, disadvantaged, black/NA/Latino. The second looked at achievement for those students who were selected to use a particular set of tools as of 5/24. It broke the state into three unequally sized groups: Those zip codes with fairly low incomes, those with middle incomes, those with high incomes. The low income was 55% below what previous years' data said they should have learned. The summer slump happened in March. Middle income zip codes were something like 22% below.

The high-income zip codes were 5% above. They learned more than they would have in school.

When you hear "we can all do online learning! It's so much nicer and you learn so much more" you hear privilege and "everybody's just like me" talking.

It's lose-lose situation.

My district has 130 openings for teachers right now. Some of the jobs have been open for months. A lot of openings have appeared in the last month. And my district probably isn't that much of an outlier.

[C_U_L8R]

36. Thank you, Igel

[yardwork]

2. They've been trying to get rid of public schools. This is their big chance.

Disaster capitalism at it's finest.

[McKim]

25. Amen!!!!

Amen!!!! Betsy giving money left and right to homeschoolers. This is just like New Orleans where the hurricane gave the privatizes an opportunity to destroy public schools!

[cp]

3. Hey, here's an idea: tackle the pandemic and make schools safe

Freaking dolt, if you get the pandemic contained, schools and businesses can safely re-open. If you don't, we're shut down as a country. Or we die.

[NoMoreRepugs]

4. DipShit DeVos has no clue, no plan and for sure no moral compass.

[Ohiogal]

5. ANY excuse

To shower religion schools with taxpayer dollars.

I can’t wait until this loathsome creature gets the heave-ho.

[mitch96]

24. I was thinking is this push to open schools b/c private schools are not getting money if the

private schools are closed? I always try to find the money angle if I don't understand something..... Follow the money...
m

[SWBTATTReg]

6. Don't get too excited about her ignorant threat against our children and teachers ...

school funding (on the part of the feds) is anywhere from 2% to 8% (at the most), so not a big whooping amount and not an amount to put thousands and thousands in harms' way.

[essme]

8. Title I, and Priority money

are a very big deal for schools whose populations are primarily minority.

She is trying to capitalize on the pandemic to move that money to charter and private schools.

[SWBTATTReg]

13. Title I is (by one estimate) is $16 Billion for the entire Country, a tiny tiny drop in the bucket

(certainly well in reach of my 2%-8% range) and Priority money doesn't exceed maybe 2-3 times that amount, and by far most dollars are contributed by state and local taxing entities. I didn't say that these funds aren't important, I said that they are a small percentage of the overall dollar amounts raised at the state and local level and as a taxpayer, I'll be damned if I am going to let these idiots tell me how to spend our local monies.

[Docreed2003]

7. Yet another attempt by this evil woman

To divert funds from public education to he precious private Christian schools. Despicable.

[PSPS]

9. "find another option for their children" means divert taxpayer money to charter (for-profit) schools

[Tikki]

10. betsy, darlin' Maybe rich people, who can already afford to hire tutors, can use the money

you are going to send them for payments for a second yacht.


Tikki

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

11. The Plan: Stuff the schools. Trump claims credit, wins re-election. Lets the kids die.

Since everything Fat Donnie is doing is aimed at being re-elected (and avoiding prison), getting the schools open so the parents can be forced back to work by ending unemployment seems to be the goal. Then he can claim "a growth in the economy like no one has ever seen."

[McKim]

26. Remember How They Think

Remember how they think Darwinian. If more poor kids and families die then they won’t have the welfare burden to pay for!!!!! Also fewer Black and Brown people feeds White Supremacy. Opening schools is another way to get the job done for them! Think this is too over the edge?
Think about this old saying from the Bible: “By their fruits you shall know them.” In other words look at the end results of their actions and you will see them in the fullness of their “values”.

[yaesu]

12. a handful of tRumpsters will be happy to sacrifice their kids to their nazi idol

but the majority will be pissed, even an idiot politician like tRump should know never, ever mess with the kids.

[Kali]

14. vapid *super derogatory misogynist word*

[durablend]

18. Mhmm, same thought I had

Would be banned if I called her that.

Hopefully not banned for thinking it.

[fantase56]

33. my thoughts exactly...... nt

[eringer]

15. Go Ahead Betsy, I Dare You!

Have you ever heard of Federal Impact Aid grant funds? Yeah, that is what the Federal Government sends to local school systems to offset the cost of educating Military dependents. Don't give me that ,"but those monies won't be affected" line. That is a good portion of the money you are threatening to reallocate to some pre-pandemic magical wonderland where parents can find schools they can send their children to full-time like nothing has happened. Go ahead. Be honest for once. Tell the Military that you will not educate their children. Better yet, have your boss tell them.
Face it Betsy, the time for honoring yourself on Fox News Sunday is coming to an end.

[Bengus81]

16. Let's see..how about a no bid Fed contract worth BILLIONS for Amyway cleaning supplies for schools

Coming soon. Who'd a thunk it?

[paleotn]

17. Been down that road...

Founders were explicit on this. It's settled law, Betsy. The executive branch cannot withhold funding approved by Congress. More hollow threats by jackass menagerie.

[BlueMTexpat]

19. It is truly difficult to

decide which person to loathe most in the MisAdministration.

Every one is from the bottom of the barrel.

[LiberalFighter]

20. I have nothing good I want to say about her.

[Roy Rolling]

21. Donate Amway

Can’t her family just donate enough Amway to clean the schools?

[Politicub]

22. I can't wait to see her go. So sick of her crap.

She was not qualified for her important job and is using her role to line her filthy pockets.

All of this is at the expense of the future of the nation’s children.

[Yeehah]

23. REMEMBER THEIR NAMES

when the time for reckoning comes.

[patphil]

27. Betsy DeVos is dedicated to the destruction of the public school systems across the entire nation.

Of course she's going to be Trump's point person for the withholding of funds.
Its a lose/lose situation for public education.
Open the schools and risk the health of the children, teachers, administrators, custodians, and ultimately the kids parents, or keep them closed and lose money needed to support the school systems.
She doesn't care how many people are injured by her insistence on opening the schools, her goal is to destroy the schools and put it all in the hands of for-profit private schools.

Private schools are not directly controlled by the community as are public schools, and can adjust the content of the curriculum to suit their needs. It's a subtle form of managing the knowledge base of the next generation. Emphasize certain ideas, and de-emphasize others to mold the minds of the kids so they will have the desired understandings that will shape their adult experiences.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

28. Cruella DeVos needs to STFU

[SKKY]

29. With every word that comes out of her mouth, it is more and more evident...

...that she has not the first clue of what it's like to be an educator.

[area51]

31. It's Betsy DeVos that shouldn't be getting any federal money.

[Lucky Luciano]

32. She is a wannabe mass murderer.

[Kashkakat v.2.0]

35. THIS is about shrinking/drowning "govt" in the bathtub folks - and THIS is a great illustration of

why the mainstream repub party has been, and continue to be happy to go along with Trump shenanigans - its working for them. This is their once in a lifetime opportunity to defund public schools, and don't think they wont do it.

Whether the public schools are actually defunded, or whether reopenings result in massive nos of parents opting for private education - either way the far rw exxtremist will be happy.

[beachbumbob]

37. DeVos and trump making MORE democratic voters every day

some how they think GOP supporters don't have kids in school??

[Kablooie]

38. Instead of setting guidelines and financial help to get schools open, they threaten.

Any normal government would try to help communities open schools safely.
Trump's administration leaves it all to each district to handle alone and threatens them if they don't.

Evil is the word.
Pure evil.

[locks]

39. If I am ever positive for covid-19

I will ask my family to take me to DeVos' billion dollar mansion and I will run in as fast as possible and give her lots of hugs and kisses.

[BigmanPigman]

40. Teachers aren't going to show up Betsy...

why don't YOU go and teach every single day for one month...I dare you. In fact I would put money on it!

[usajumpedtheshark]

41. And still the gutless Republican senators watch from the peanut gallery while

tRump continues to demolish the country and fellow Americans.