More than 200 Villagers have signed a petition in opposition to President Donald Trump’s choice for Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos.
The Education Policy Issues Caucus (EPIC) of The Villages circulated the petition around the community beginning on Jan.14 to rally active and retired educators and concerned citizens who believe that DeVos is unfit for the position.
Village of Largo resident John Miller, chairman of EPIC, said that his group is protesting for the same reasons why many other people are protesting everywhere else and hope to persuade senators from voting for DeVos.
Miller worked as a longtime professor at Bucknell University and served as the chairman of the management department. He also served as director of admissions and student affairs at the Yale School of Organization and Management.
The EPIC chairman called the nomination of DeVos a “terrible choice.”
“The DeVos family heavily funded a failed push for constitutional change to allow for vouchers,” Miller’s petition stated.
“She supports the rapid expansion of charter schools and online schools with minimal regulation. Despite unsatisfactory results, DeVos remains deliberately indifferent to the failure of these schools to serve the needs of communities.”
The petition also pointed out that if DeVos were to be appointed, she would have the federal government to back her “previously self-funded mission to implement vouchers and promote non-public schools.”
DeVos nor her children have any “personal exposure to public education,” motivating her to demolish public education to turn it over to “private companies,” according to the petition.
The signed petition has been sent to Florida’s two members of the U.S. Senate, Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio.
DeVos is expected to have a confirmation vote Monday.
