WHAT THEY ARE SAYING – As Unions Grow Desperate, Reformers Continue To Tout DeVos (Vol. XVIII)

While teachers unions keep up w/ their false attacks and continue to mobilize their liberal activists, education reformers that support Betsy DeVos’ efforts to help every child learn in a quality school are still praising her as someone that can change America’s failing education status quo:

The Detroit News, Editorial: “The truth is that she would do a fine job leading the U.S. Department of Education, and would be good for America’s schoolchildren, no matter what sort of school they attend.”

• “The overheated rhetoric surrounding her nomination has been fueled by teachers unions who are quaking at the thought of having a school choice advocate in that role. DeVos has consistently stood up for poor families who have few education options.” 

• “DeVos has a strong record of working to make all schools more accountable. And her work with charter schools is relevant, since they are public schools.”

• “Rather than mounting a takeover of local public schools, DeVos would be a proponent of moving more control back to the states and minimizing the ineffective federal interference. That alone makes her an ideal candidate, given the failure of the federal government to move the education needle.”

Wall Street Journal, Editorial: “Teachers unions are still hoping to block Betsy DeVos’s nomination as Education Secretary on the Senate floor. And they’ve found some unlikely charter-school allies who hope to buy political protection by throwing Mrs. DeVos to the wolves. The union abetters are self-serving and short-sighted.” 

• “Mrs. DeVos understands the reform movement is stronger with more voices and varieties of competition, and it’s a shame Senators Murkowski and Collins and some charter supporters are falling for this false union front to defeat her.”

National Review, Editorial: “There is no shortage of problems to address when it comes to the American educational system, but the central and urgent problem is the spectacular expansion of the federal government’s role in local education decisions.”

• “Republicans have an opportunity to significantly advance the cause of educational freedom nationwide.”

Chicago Tribune, Editorial: “For many years we cheered Chicagoan Arne Duncan, President Barack Obama’s education secretary, as he tangled with teachers unions and other defenders of the public education industry’s status quo…we hear echoes of Duncan in what DeVos says.”

• “Duncan and DeVos. Different politics. But the same sense of urgency about this mission: Children can’t wait.”

• “High praise and a high bar for the next education secretary. We hope that’s Betsy DeVos.”

The Washington Examiner, Editorial: “(DeVos’) crime, from the left-wing point of view, is that she wants to press states to give students and their parents a say in how they’re taught at school.”

• “Families increasingly want more school choice. There’s a growing bipartisan movement for choice, and plenty of people have crossed the aisle to support DeVos.”

• “So it’s perfectly clear why Senate Democrats oppose DeVos; they and their party are in the pocket of teachers unions.”

• “As secretary of education, she won’t be beholden to defenders of the lackluster educational status quo. She won’t sacrifice children’s education so teachers unions can line their pocketbooks.” 

• “DeVos will work to get the federal government out of the way. She’ll push for decisions to be made at the most local level, to the students and parents who know what is best for themselves.”

The New York Post, Editorial: “Get past all the noise, and the opposition to Betsy DeVos, President Trump’s pick for the Education Department, is all about the teachers unions.” 

• “DeVos is an ardent supporter of school choice — public charter schools; voucher programs to help families choose qualified private or parochial schools when they think that’s best for their kids, and so on.”

• “By picking DeVos, Trump showed that he’s eager to ‘fight the power’ — for the good of America’s kids. That battle begins as soon as she’s confirmed.” 

Jonathan S. Tobin, National Review: “The American Education System Needs Her”

• “DeVos’s presence at the Department of Education could begin moving the school-choice movement from the margins of the public square to its center. And that is precisely why the forces that are most opposed to shaking up the public monopoly on education funding are so eager to defeat her.”

• “The act of opening up the education system to competition has the effect of forcing all schools to understand that their goal is to serve the best interests of children and families, not those of the people who work in the schools.”

• “What is most needed at Education is not another veteran of the system but a person like DeVos who has dedicated her life to trying to create more opportunities for children rather than support for the unions’ efforts to shut down competition and choice.” 

• “Giving DeVos a chance to serve will be the most effective response to a cynical liberal education establishment that — despite their supposed sympathy for the poor — continues to answer, ‘No.’”

Thomas Sowell, TownHall: “An opportunity has arisen — belatedly — that may not come again in this generation. That is an opportunity to greatly expand the kinds of schools that have successfully educated, to a high level, inner-city youngsters whom the great bulk of public schools fail to educate to even minimally adequate levels.”

• “What makes Mrs. DeVos seem so threatening to the teachers’ unions and their political allies? She has, for more than 20 years, been promoting programs, laws and policies that enable parents to choose which schools their children will attend — whether these are charter schools, voucher schools or parochial schools.”

• “Mrs. DeVos has shown for more than 20 years that she thinks schools exist to educate children.”

• “American education is at a crossroads. If the teachers’ unions and their allies can defeat the nomination of Mrs. DeVos…a historic opportunity will be lost, and may never come again in this generation.”

United States Senator Ben Sasse: “When you look across the country, education is a smorgasbord. It’s a mess. I think fundamentally a lot urban school districts in America present the great civil rights issue and challenge of our day.”

United States Senator Deb Fischer: “I do believe she has the ability and commitment to lead the department.”

• “She has also made a commitment to me in writing that she will work to protect all students, especially those with disabilities.”

United States Senator Roy Blunt: “DeVos understands that decisions about education need to be made much closer to where kids are.”

• “I look forward to working with her to find ways to get those decisions back to local school boards, and moms and dads.”

United States Senator Jerry Moran: “I now expect to support her nomination knowing that, as secretary of education, Ms. DeVos will be working to make certain that all Kansas students are better off and that educational decisions are made by those who understand the unique needs of Kansas kids: educators, administrators and parents at the local level.” 

United States Senator Pat Toomey: “Betsy DeVos has spent nearly three decades of her life, tens of millions of dollars and considerable personal energy toward one noble goal: ensuring that poor children trapped in failing schools have the same opportunities that wealthy and middle class kids already have.”

• “Because of Betsy’s work to expand charter schools, virtual schools, school choice, tuition tax credits and education savings accounts, hundreds of thousands of children who had been trapped in failing schools have been able to access a quality education.”

United States Senator David Perdue: “Parents, teachers, administrators, and students all know that one-size-fits-all Washington education standards are not working and it is time to return control back to states and communities. Betsy DeVos shares these same beliefs.”

• “She has championed school choice and, as evidenced by her years of involvement, will work tirelessly to improve our education system. I look forward to supporting Betsy DeVos’ nomination and working with her to help all students succeed.”

United States Senator Bob Corker: “During the many years I have known Betsy DeVos, I have seen firsthand the heart she has for students and the ideas she has for long overdue reforms.”

• “For decades, Betsy has passionately and effectively advocated for all children – regardless of gender, race or socioeconomic status – to have access to a quality education. She believes in empowering parents and has committed to working with states and local school districts to understand their specific needs.”

Ohio Governor John Kasich: “I believe Betsy DeVos has the potential to usher in an era of real and meaningful education reforms in our country.” 

Michigan Lt. Governor Brian Calley: “When it comes to experience in education, I don’t think that there can be any question that she has experience in education.” 

• “With Betsy DeVos, this is the type of person who expects accountability and when I looked at her written responses to IDEA, I know that she’s fully supportive and behind it.”

Former Arizona Governor Jan Brewer: “I think that the mothers and fathers across this country, they want accountability. But more than that, they want their kids to be successful. And Betsy cares about all kids. She’s got a tremendous history of being very, very supportive of school choice and vouchers and charters and magnet schools.”

Kevin Chavous, Democrat, Former Washington, D.C. City Councilor: “Look there are a couple of reasons why I think Betsy will be good: One is she cares for the kids, she believes in parent empowerment and she also believes in change.”

• “Keep in mind, that the way the status quo is operating, the politics of education suggest that anyone who’s talking about change in that position, (the teachers unions) are against.”

Dr. Anna Amato, President And CEO Of EdTech Central: “Those first courageous pioneers risked everything to create better opportunities for Detroit’s children. They are the unspoken heroes of the past 25 years, able to move forward because of the quiet, persistent and out-of-the-spotlight work of another hero – Betsy DeVos.”

• “As secretary of education, DeVos will always put the interests of children first. She will help raise the bar on education, give parents a larger voice in their child’s education and hold our K-12 schools accountable for doing a better job of preparing the next generation to succeed in the modern economy.” 

Ralph Reed, Founder & Chairman Of Faith And Freedom Coalition: “The biggest victims of the failures of traditional public education and the dominance of teacher’s unions over K-12 education policy are minority children trapped in failing public schools that are not safe and do not.”

• “The liberal smear campaign against Mrs. DeVos’ religious faith is despicable.

• “She is a convincing and passionate advocate for the cause of school choice and greater parental control over how and where their children are educated. In her worldview, education dollars should follow the student to the best available school whether it be a traditional public school, charter school or private school.”

Rabbi Eric “Yitz” Frank, Ohio Director For Agudath Israel Of America: “eVos has fought to empower parents to choose the best educational setting for their children.”

• “The daughter of a public school teacher, DeVos has dedicated the last three decades of her life to ensure all children have access to a high quality education. As secretary of education, DeVos pledged to allow educational decisions to be made by state and local educators and most importantly, by parents.”

Gerard Robinson, Fellow At American Enterprise Institute: ““Senators opposing [Ms. DeVos’] nomination are doing so because they are wedded to defenders of the status quo, namely union bosses and bureaucrats.”

Eric Peterson, Policy Analyst At Americans For Prosperity: “What DeVos knows best is that she can’t possibly know what’s best for every state, every school, and every student in every circumstance.”

• “That knowledge is only known locally, by students, parents, and teachers far removed the bureaucratic nightmare that is Washington D.C.”

• “Doubling down on the failed policies of the past will not help improve education outcomes and turnaround our nation’s decreasing educational competitiveness. It’s time to stop the insanity.”

Jennifer Horn, Former Chairman Of New Hampshire Republican State Committee: “By any objective measure, Betsy DeVos is one of the most accomplished and successful education reformers in our nation.”

• “DeVos believes passionately that all children deserve access to great schools regardless of their race, income or zip codes.”

• “Betsy DeVos has fought to ensure that underprivileged kids are not forgotten by our education system.”

• “The U.S. Senate should ignore the dishonest smear campaign against Mrs. DeVos and put the interests of school children above the demands of the union bosses who have created the education mess in America.”

Doug Thaman, Executive Director Of Missouri Charter Public School Association: “Charter public schools and district public schools are models. Neither is an end-all solution, and it’s critical that the US Secretary of Education supports and protects all options, thereby allowing every state to determine the best pathways for the implementation of public education for their citizens.”

Paul Brown, St. Louis, MO: “Charter schools have given young parents in the city of St Louis the ability to choose schools that are right for their children without having to move out of the city…If Senator McCaskill wishes to support the ideal of strong and sustainable city neighborhoods, she needs to support that ideal by reconsidering her opposition to Ms. DeVos.”

Hans Larsen, Holland, MI: “Betsy DeVos is a superb candidate to lead the Department of Education…DeVos cannot be bribed, cannot be bought, and she will make no decisions for personal, professional or financial gain. How many D.C. politicians can you say that about?”

• “Instead of criticizing DeVos, we should be thanking her for the huge sacrifice she will make for us in Washington, D.C., in her sincere attempt to improve the educational system and the future of our country.”