Teachers unions reacted with anger Tuesday to the Senate’s confirmation of Betsy DeVos to be the new education secretary, vowing to continue their pressure campaign against DeVos, a major advocate for charter schools that threaten the union’s dominance in education policy.
“DeVos’ confirmation battle has a major silver lining: The public in public education has never been more visible or more vocal, and it is not going back in the shadows. This same public — from rural towns to urban centers, from liberals to conservatives — will now serve as a check and balance, and they will be fierce fighters on behalf of children. I am honored to be a soldier in that movement for children,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the 1.6 million-member American Federation of Teachers.
Lily Eskelsen García, president of the 3 million-member National Education Association, tweeted: “We are putting #BetsyDeVos on notice. We are going to hold her accountable on behalf of our more than 50 million students. #resist.”
Teachers unions oppose charter schools, arguing that they drain resources from traditional public schools, leaving their students worse off. Charter schools are often nonunion, so the move toward them and away from public schools, which are heavily unionized, represents a threat to labor unions.
