Rep. Stevens Questions Secretary Betsy DeVos About Charter Schools, Disinvestment
Rep. Stevens Questions Secretary Betsy DeVos About Charter Schools, Disinvestment
WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, April 10th, Congresswoman Haley Stevens (MI-11) questioned Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos during a House Committee on Education and Labor hearing. Congresswoman Stevens asked Secretary DeVos about her proposal to drastically cut federal spending for education and fully eliminate several programs while increasing the budget of the federal charter school program. When Congresswoman Stevens referenced a study, based on data from the Office of the Inspector General, that showed an alarming amount of waste, fraud, and abuse in the charter school system, Secretary DeVos accused the study’s authors of having a ‘political agenda against charter schools’.
Watch the video of Rep. Stevens questioning Secretary DeVos here.
Congresswoman Haley Stevens: I’d like to talk to you a little bit about our home state of Michigan, where decades of disinvestment in our schools has had an impact on our students. From 1995-2015, Michigan ranked last in total education revenue growth. And not surprisingly, since 2003 Michigan ranks last in proficiency growth. Your budget proposal for the Department of Education requests an $8.5 billion decrease in spending and eliminates 29 programs. Do you mind explaining how disinvestment of this scale will serve our country’s students when it’s failed in Michigan?
Secretary Betsy DeVos: Congresswoman, we had to submit a budget that did reduce our overall spending by 10% because of Congress’ requirements to hit those caps, so we were following Congress’ mandate in that regard. And we had to make difficult choices around what areas to propose cutbacks in. These are all proposals, and you will all decide what you’re going to spend. So we submit them to you as proposals, acknowledging that we tried to hold harmless those programs that are going to most benefit and most reach students who are most vulnerable and most in need of the assistance.
Congresswoman Haley Stevens: We certainly don’t like to make determinations around which programs are successful versus which ones aren’t just because of legacy considerations. I was particularly inspired by my colleague Mr. Harder’s questioning around literacy, which is certainly a pervasive issue in Michigan. We don’t cut fire departments or police departments just because crime is going up. We figure out a way to double down and work together. My district is home to wonderful communities. I’m a product of our public school system. I graduated from Seaholm High School. I don’t know if you’ve ever had a chance to visit Seaholm?
Secretary Betsy DeVos: I have not, but I have friends who’ve graduated from Seaholm.
Congresswoman Haley Stevens: Excellent. Well one of the things in Michigan is we have the per-pupil funding standards. And it strikes me that just because you’re a resident of Birmingham, MI, and able to send your children to Seaholm, it shouldn’t mean that if you’re a resident of Detroit, per se, that you shouldn’t have the same opportunities. You should be able to send your student to the same quality school. Is that what you would agree with?
Secretary Betsy DeVos: I think every student should be able to find a school that works for them, yes.
Congresswoman Haley Stevens: Great. So your budget proposes to eliminate billions of dollars in K-12 programs, from professional development for teachers and principals, to after school programming, to mental health services, and one of my personal favorites: STEM education. And obviously, we’ve heard you talk about some of the hard decisions that you’ve had to make. Yet, somehow, you found $60 million for an increase in the federal charter school program. I just really wonder if charter schools are the answer here, whereas it really should be the Title I funding. A recent report by the Network for Public Education found that more than $1 billion in charter school program funds have been given to support charter schools that never opened or they’ve closed – they kind of abandoned the children and families. Since 2010, 25 schools in Michigan that have received $1.7 million in charter school funding just never even opened. And the Inspector General found waste, fraud, and abuse due to the frequency of school closures in the charter school program. Can you just explain for me the mark of effective programs here, and can you justify the proposed increase for the charter school program, and on what measures or studies you have been using?
Secretary Betsy DeVos: Let me first comment on the study you’re referring to. I’m not sure you can even call it a study. We’re looking more closely at it of course, and anything that is truly waste, fraud, or abuse we will certainly address. But the reality is that the study was really funded by and promoted by those who have a political agenda against charter schools. And the other reality is that there are currently over one million students on wait lists for charter schools in the country. So, we want to see more charter schools, not fewer. More students that can access options that are right for them, not fewer.
Congresswoman Haley Stevens: At the expense of public education funding?
Secretary Betsy DeVos: Charter schools are public schools.
Congresswoman Haley Stevens: I’d just say with the remaining seconds that I have left that roughly 20% of my district is under the age of 18. Those individuals are counting on us and we are here to have some tough discussions about how we can improve the lives of our students, and educational outcomes. I very much appreciate that the title of this hearing – Examining the Policies and Priorities of the U.S. Department of Education - revealed some of your priorities to us. Thank you.
Watch the video of Rep. Stevens questioning Secretary DeVos here.
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