March 2017 Church & State - March 2016

Defeating DeVos: Our Job One Is To Block Dangerous Voucher Schemes

  AU admin

Americans United and other advocates of church-state separation put up a spirited fight, but voucher advocate Betsy DeVos was confirmed as U.S. secretary of education Feb. 7.

It was a close vote. The Senate tied 50-50 on DeVos, and she got the job only because Vice President Mike Pence broke the tie. It was the first time in history that a cabinet secretary appointee received a tie vote.

It’s an inauspicious beginning, and we have no reason to believe things will suddenly get better for public education in America. DeVos is simply not qualified for the job she has just been handed. Ninety percent of America’s school-aged children attend public schools, and DeVos doesn’t even support that system. She has dedicated her professional career to promoting misguided voucher schemes.

It’s not necessary that the secretary of education have classroom experience – although that would be a refreshing change of pace – but at a minimum, the person who oversees education in America should support the system the vast majority of our children rely on every day.

The only good news about this appointment is that it has energized people all over America, including, most importantly, parents. Despite the propaganda from the far right, Americans really do support public education. Americans know that strong public schools make strong neighborhoods and strong communities.

DeVos and President Donald Trump favor privatization on a massive scale. During his campaign, Trump proposed a nationwide, $20 billion voucher plan. There is no way a plan of that size and scale could be implemented without doing massive damage to our public schools.

The battle lines have been drawn. DeVos, whom Church & State once called “a four-star general in the war on public schools,” may be in the driver’s seat, but if her plan calls for dismantling public education she’ll soon find that Americans will stand up and derail her. 

BREAKING NEWS

Americans United & the National Women’s Law Center file suit to challenge Missouri’s abortion bans.

Abortion bans violate the separation of church and state. Americans United and the National Women’s Law Center—the leading experts in religious freedom and gender justice—have joined forces with thirteen clergy from six faith traditions to challenge Missouri’s abortion bans as unconstitutionally imposing one narrow religious doctrine on everyone.


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