It is so easy to dismiss the stand against Betsy DeVos by so many citizens as one fostered by teachers unions.
As a longtime public educator, my main dispute with DeVos is her record of allowing vouchers to be used by parents to send their children to private and parochial schools. That policy drains much needed resources from the public schools, already limited by shrinking budgets.
Public schools are in the business of educating everyone. Private schools are not required to take whomever comes in their doors, and often are short of funds to meet the needs of “special” students. Public schools belong to all of us, and they should be valued as the basis of our democracy.
Jill Andrews, Vashon
Note from KBJ: Public schools will have to compete. It will make them better.
