In time for School Choice Week, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has made ‘school choice’ a centerpiece of her education policy for the Trump administration.
News13’s Washington Correspondent Anna Wiernicki reports DeVos is pushing to expand school choice nationwide and is calling on Congress to help.
“People want to have choices. They want choices for their kids,” said DeVos.
She also says American families should be able to choose where their children go to school.
“Everyone benefits when kids are in learning environments that work for them,” DeVos also said.
School choice allows parents the ability to select a school for their children, whether it be public or private and their tax dollars would follow their children.
Teachers unions like the National Education Association say they oppose the idea because it takes money away from public education.
“There are too many kids across the country that don’t have the chance to be in the right school with the right fit,” said DeVos.
DeVos also says school choice is her top priority as the nation’s top education official, but she needs the help of congress.
On Tuesday, Republican Senators Ted Cruz, of Texas, and Tim Scott, of South Carolina, introduced “The Choice Act.” They say it would create a federal savings plan to provide military and low-income families, as well as families of students with disabilities, more options for their education.
Virginia Republican Congressman Ben Cline says he supports the bill and hopes his colleagues in the house do the same.
“Every child deserves the opportunity to get a high-quality education,” said Cline. “We need to step up and provide those opportunities.”
The bill also establishes a private school choice program that would allow families to pull their tax dollars out of public education to help pay for private school tuition.