Democrats for Education Reform, a group that pushes for more public charter schools and other education reforms, is calling on Democrats to decline if President-elect Trump tries to appoint them as secretary of education.
“No Democrat should accept appointment as Secretary of Education, unless and until President-elect Trump disavows his prior statements and commits to educating the whole child and supporting the communities and families they depend on,” the group’s president, Shavar Jeffries, said in a statement.
While acknowledging that serving in that post is an honor for anyone, Jeffries says “that individual would become an agent for an agenda that both contradicts progressive values and threatens grave harm to our nation’s most vulnerable kids.”
Michelle Rhee, the former chancellor of District of Columbia Public Schools, is one Democrat rumored to be considered for the post. So is Kevin Chavous, a pro-school choice Democrat who is on the board of the American Federation for Children.
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While some might argue that a Democrat in the post might help give a liberal important influence over Trump and his education policies, the group apparently disagrees.
“[Trump] proposes to eliminate accountability standards, cut Title I funding, and to gut support for vital social services that maximize our students’ ability to reach their potential,” Jeffries says. “And, most pernicious, Trump gives both tacit and express endorsement to a dangerous set of racial, ethnic, religious, and gender stereotypes that assault the basic dignity of our children, causing incalculable harm not only to their sense of self, but also to their sense of belonging as accepted members of school communities and neighborhoods.”
Democrats for Education Reform told the Washington Examiner the statement is narrowly focused on the secretary position because “the Secretary sets the direction for the department and the administration when it comes to the policies that will impact our kids’ educational futures.”
Jason Russell is the contributors editor for the Washington Examiner.
