Betsy Devos Wants To Abolish The Department Of Education She Once Helmed
Former education secretary Betsy DeVos recently remarked that she would like to see the federal Department of Education abolished.
The United States Department of Education (DOE) was formed more than 40 years ago to allow the federal government to create policies ruling over how public schools should be run, as well as laying out the groundwork for how feds should funnel assistance to states for education spending. But as trust in the nation’s public education has continuously dropped over the years, more and more people have called for abolishing the government agency entirely. Over the years, lawmakers in Congress have proposed legislation to do so, and now, even the department’s own former education of secretary, Betsy DeVos, is in agreeance that the department should no longer exist.
Betsy DeVos served as the secretary of the Department of Education under former President Donald Trump’s regime from 2017 to 2021. Her helming of the department was praised by school choice advocates, and criticized by teachers’ unions because of her viewpoints on public schools even back then. School choice was championed by the former secretary, and is finally gaining headway in many states. Because of this, it is no surprise to many that she has called for removing the agency, as she has made similar sentiments as well in the past.
This time around, her contentious remarks were spoken to a group in Tampa, Florida, this past weekend. According to reports made by the Florida Phoenix, Betsy DeVos attended a Moms for Liberty event. The conservative group touts a mission vowing to restore parental rights in education, among other pushes like more school choice freedom.
When speaking to the crowd, Betsy DeVos said, “ I personally think the Department of Education should not exist.” In response, attendees who feel similarly, gave the former education secretary a standing ovation, as cheers rang out. It is being reported that as a keynote speaker at the event, DeVos was part of a movement looking to push more conservative figures onto local school boards.
So why exactly do people like Betsy DeVos want to see the Department of Education done away with? Mainly, this notion is because some feel that individual district policies should be left up to states and local elected officials. Not everyone agrees with the push for social justice that has been implemented into education over the last decade or so. In fact, DeVos vehemently attempted to overturn many Obama-era policies that enacted justice and equity ideologies onto schools. Now again, these matters are a forefront concern to many conservative families, as the Biden administration is believed to be doing the same.
To the dismay of many, including Betsy DeVos, the chances of the Department of Education actually being abolished are slim to none. Many resolutions have been presented in congress calling for this over the decades, and most barely even see the light of day. Just because many don’t agree with how some elected president’s administrations handle the department’s affairs, it’s inane to believe that Congress would be able to formulate an agreed-upon solution for the United States to handle the billions and billions of dollars the department oversees each and every year.
