The Legacy of Betsy DeVos on Public Education
Betsy DeVos, the former U.S. Secretary of Education under the Trump administration, left a divisive and damaging legacy on public education. Her tenure was marked by a lack of action on gun violence, a misguided promotion of private charter schools at the expense of public education, and efforts to manipulate the COVID-19 pandemic to further a destructive education privatization agenda.
DeVos’s policies energized legislative efforts across states to direct taxpayer funds away from public schools and into privately operated charter schools while undermining accountability and oversight. After she left office, several states introduced bills to expand charter schools and create or expand school voucher programs, indicating that her influence would continue to affect public education for years.
Some of these proposals were presented as package bills that combined various school choice measures to make them easier to pass. For instance, Florida proposed a bill combining multiple voucher programs under a single funding source. Other states, like Missouri, Iowa, and Indiana, considered similar measures to expand charter schools and voucher programs.
DeVos’s use of the COVID-19 pandemic to advance her agenda was also evident. She encouraged Congress to provide microgrants for disadvantaged students, which resembled her longstanding advocacy for school vouchers. Her department forced public school districts to allocate federal funds from the CARES Act to private schools, further exacerbating the funding disparities.
Charter schools and other school choice advocates also expanded their presence during the pandemic. Charter operators used marketing campaigns to attract families disillusioned with public schools and to apply for emergency aid meant for small businesses. However, their enrollment increases led to funding losses for public schools struggling with budget shortfalls.
DeVos’s legacy of advocating for privatization, coupled with the pandemic's disruptions to public education, emboldened proponents of disaster capitalism to push for public-private partnerships and virtual learning providers, potentially further endangering public education.
Despite DeVos’s departure from the Department of Education, her actions left lasting damage and future threats to public education. Her policies fueled division and undermined public schools, perpetuating debates about education funding, accountability, and the role of private entities in education. The challenge ahead is to navigate these issues and focus on the critical role of public schools and teachers in supporting students and communities.
🔭 This summary was human-edited with AI-assist.
