There are few things that truly make
me angry. People who display animosity
and disrespect toward others who are at their mercy, however, can send me over
the top! The Trump Administration in
general, and Betsy DeVos in particular, rank very high in this category.
President Trump has a disturbing
knack for choosing persons who are uniquely unqualified to fill specific roles
in his Administration. In fact, his
Cabinet is a literal Who’s Who of the worst possible candidates for
employment. That topic would make an
interesting article for another time.
But today I want to focus on the absurdity of Betsy Devos and her most
current insult.
Betsy DeVos is Trump’s Secretary of
Education. This alone is an
injustice. But first let’s look at a
brief biography of this woman. DeVos is
married to Richard DeVos, Jr., son of the billionaire founder of Amway, a
marketing company built on a pyramid scheme in which the rich get richer while
taking advantage of the little people. I
readily admit I hold a strong bias against companies like Amway. As a pastor I have seen some of the discord
that Amway has sown among church members.
Betsy DeVos, however, did not attain her wealth solely through her
marriage into the Amway dynasty. Her family,
including her father Edgar Prince heads a family of fortune that includes her
brother Eric, founder of Blackwater USA, the private military company found
guilty of murdering 14 Iraqi citizens in 2007.
Forbes magazine lists the Prince family as the 88th wealthiest
in America with over $5.4 billion net worth.
Her marriage to the Amway dynasty only added to her excessive wealth.
It is only reasonable to ask what qualifications
any candidate would have to hold a specific job. Money aside, why would Betsy DeVos make a
good Secretary of Education and be entrusted with the educational future of
America’s students? This country has
about 50.7 million students in public education compared to less than 6 million
in private schools. That represents
roughly 90% of our young people depending on public education. Surely the Secretary of Education would be devoted
to enhancing the academic achievements of all our children, and especially
those in public education, right? I
mean, the Department of Education is fundamentally responsible for the welfare
and integrity of our nation’s public educational system. That ought to be obvious just from the name
of the Department.
Yet here is the catch. Betsy Devos has spent a lifetime seeking to
destroy public education in favor of private schools, charter schools and
school vouchers. Let us be very clear on
this: charter schools and school
vouchers only benefit wealthy families and ultimately cripple public schools by
diverting taxpayer funds away from the local public school and sending them to
private and charter schools. The result
is an accumulated gap between the haves and the have-nots. In other words, the rich get richer and the
poor get trampled upon. Sound
familiar? It is the Amway of Education.
But it does not stop there. DeVos’ latest offense is perhaps her
greatest. The most recent budget
proposal for the Department of Education calls for reductions of over $7 billion in programing
and resources. Yet even with such
drastic loss of revenue DeVos proposes increasing spending by $60
million for charter
schools! This insanity is highlighted by
a report in the Washington Post that the Federal government has wasted over $1
billion dollars on charter schools that never opened or had collapsed. So why are we investing even more funds in a
program that is a proven failure while stealing funds away from 90% of our
children? This can only make sense in an
alternate reality known as Trumpia - - the kind of realm encapsulated by the
deceptive and illegal practices of Trump University.
In addition to all this immoral behavior I find an
even greater condemnation when it comes to Special Education. We have 6.7 million students in Special
Education which represents 13% of all public school students, and is more than
the number of students in private or charter schools. Again let me clarify: Betsy DeVos, the one person charged with
responsibility for our children’s education, wants to take huge sums of money away from these students and
jeopardize their future by doing so while giving an increase of $60 million
dollars to the minority of privileged students who attend charter schools. Included in these cuts would be in excess of $18
million to support Special Olympics. I
cannot understate my disgust at such proposals.
Special Olympics are one of the few jewels in our
society. I have personally attended and
supported Special Olympics for many years.
These programs offer a rare glimpse of joy, success, and pride for
participants who too often meet with failure, frustration, and discrimination. Special Olympics represents all that is good in
this life. My son has been a Special
Olympian and I can tell you the lessons he gained from his experience have
stayed with him many years thereafter.
Lessons such as sportsmanship, athletic skills, muscle development and control, and
discipline combine with an abundance of friendship, comradery, joy and achievement to create a unique and
rewarding moment for these delightful individuals. The Special Olympics are enormously moving
and inspiring. There are few if any
institutions that can rival its contributions.
Yet Betsy Devos would deny this opportunity for our special needs
individuals.
I am not blind to the dangers of an uncontrolled
Federal deficit. I understand that
programs need to be evaluated and reviewed from time to time. Budget cuts may be required on
occasions. At the same time we need to
take a close look at how funds are distributed and what effect redistribution
will have on all groups. Special
Education students require a disproportionately higher cost per student because
they demand a higher degree of attention and supervision than other
students. In many cases they also need specialized
transportation to and from school, utilizing vehicles with custom equipment
and/or increased traveling distance as school districts frequently send special
needs students to neighboring schools with programs that are better designed to
meet their needs.
Why, then, would we target these students for
budget cuts while offering an additional
$60 million to fewer students who do not need it but rather choose to attend more favored
schools? It just does not make sense.
Some may argue that Special Olympics are not
education but rather are just fun and games.
I wish to strongly express my disagreement with this assessment. But even if you want to go down that path,
then we need to take an equally proportionate sum of money away from conventional
scholastic athletics. Hey, what’s fair
is fair for all.
Finally, I must point out that these proposed budget
cuts were preceded by the foolish tax cuts forced through by the Republicans,
championed by Trump, and resulting in far less revenue. Again, the ones who benefitted from the tax
cuts were the ultra wealthy, the 1%. It
is no coincidence that the currently proposed budget increases for charter
schools are also designed to benefit the wealthy, upper class families. To which I must scream: FOUL!
From what I have read it sounds like DeVos’ Budget
will surely be challenged and likely defeated by the House of
Representatives. I would strongly urge
you to write your Representative and voice your opposition to the DeVos Budget. Take nothing for granted. But at the same time write to Betsy DeVos at
the department of Education and let her know you will not stand for her
deceptive tricks aimed at destroying our public schools and especially the
educational needs of the 6.7 million students in special education, students
who cannot speak up for themselves but are at the mercy of our governmental
leaders who are entrusted with their well being.
This is a battle worth fighting. It will define our character and integrity.
G. D. Gehr
March 27, 2019
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