Betsy DeVos in Ballotpedia.org political website
On Education:
Federally-funded vouchers for public or private schools
Betsy DeVos is a longtime advocate of charter schools, and oversees the Alliance for School Choice. In 2013 she said: "I'm most focused on educational choice. But, thinking more broadly, what we are trying to do is tear down the mindset that assigns
students to a school based solely on the zip code of their family's home. We advocate instead for as much freedom as possible."Throughout her time as an education activist, DeVos has been a proponent of school vouchers, which redirect the state
per-pupil education funding, giving it directly to individual families instead of school districts. Families can then select the public or private schools of their choice and have all or part of the tuition paid by the government.
Of vouchers, DeVos said, "I would hope I could convince you all of the merit of that in maybe some future legislation."
Source: Ballotpedia.org's "The Tap" on 2017 Trump transition
Jan 18, 2017
On Education:
Nothing is free; someone has to pay for "free tuition"
DeVos addressed the rising costs of college: "Escalating tuition is pricing aspiring and talented students out of college. Others are burdened with debts that will take years to pay off. There is no magic wand to make the debt go away, but we do need
to take action. It would be a mistake to shift that burden to struggling taxpayers without first addressing why tuition has gotten so high. For starters, we need to embrace new pathways of learning. For too long a college degree has been pushed as the
only avenue for a better life. Craftsmanship is not a fallback--but a noble pursuit."When questioned by Bernie Sanders (D-VT) on making public colleges tuition free, DeVos said, "That's a really interesting idea. But we also have to consider the fact
that there's nothing in life that is truly free. Somebody's going to pay for it. I think we can work together and we can work hard on making sure that college or higher education in some form is affordable for all young people that want to pursue it."
Source: Ballotpedia.org: 2017 Trump transition confirmation hearings
Jan 18, 2017
On Gun Control:
Let local schools decide about guns in school
On guns in school: Asked by Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on whether she thought "guns have any place in or around schools," DeVos answered that the issue was "best left for locales and states to decide."
In January 2016, Trump pledged to end gun-free zones in schools and military bases, telling a crowd, "I will get rid of gun-free zones on schools -- you have to --
and on military bases on my first day. It gets signed my first day.
You know what a gun-free zone is to a sicko? That's bait." Asked whether she supported Trump's proposal to end gun-free zones, DeVos replied, "I will support what the president-elect does."
Source: Ballotpedia.org: 2017 Trump transition confirmation hearings
Jan 18, 2017
Page last updated: Sep 02, 2024