Pence breaks tie as Senate confirms DeVos for Education post

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Tuesday confirmed school choice advocate Betsy DeVos as Education secretary by the narrowest of margins, with Vice President Mike Pence breaking a 50-50 tie in a historic vote.

Two Republicans joined Democrats in the unsuccessful effort to derail the nomination of the wealthy Republican donor. The Senate historian said Pence’s vote was the first by a vice president to break a tie on a Cabinet nomination.

Democrats cited her lack of public school experience and financial interests in organizations pushing charter schools. DeVos has said she would divest herself from those organizations.

Republicans Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska fear that DeVos’ focus on charter schools will undermine remote public schools in their states.

Despite the win, DeVos emerges bruised from the highly divisive nomination process. She has faced criticism, even ridicule for her stumbles and confusion during her confirmation hearing and scathing criticism from teachers unions and civil rights activists over her support of charter schools and her conservative religious ideology.

President Donald Trump accused Democrats of seeking to torpedo education progress. In a tweet before the vote, he wrote “Betsy DeVos is a reformer, and she is going to be a great Education Sec. for our kids!” Pence tweeted later in the day that supporting DeVos was “a vote for every child having a chance at a world-class education.”

Devos, 59, is the wife of Dick DeVos, the heir to the Amway marketing fortune. She has spent more than two decades promoting charter schools and publicly funded voucher programs for private schools in her home state of Michigan and in other states.

Democrats were quick to denounce the confirmation.

“President Trump’s swamp got a new billionaire today,” the Democratic National Committee said in a statement. “Millions of teachers, parents and students could not have made their opposition to Betsy DeVos’ confirmation any clearer — they do not want someone whose only education experience is dismantling public schools.”

Sen. Patty Murray of Washington state, the top Democrat on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee vowed to continue championing quality public education in America.

“We may not have won this fight today, but people across the country have stood up and made their voices heard on the importance of strong public education in America, and we are not going to stand down.”

DeVos supporters, however, saw her confirmation as an occasion to breathe new life into troubled American school system and a chance to shift power from Washington to the local level.

“She has been a leader in the movement for public charter schools — the most successful reform of public education during the last thirty years,” said Sen. Lamar Alexander, the chairman of the education committee. “And she has worked tirelessly to help low-income children have more choices of better schools.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said DeVos will seek to empower states, not federal bureaucrats, to make important education decisions.

Ron Iarussi, Mahoning County Educational Service Center superintendent, said there is concern throughout the education community about DeVos’s qualification for the position due to her lack of experience in public education. The education community is still trying to navigate through the Every Student Succeeds Act requirements, signed by former President Barack Obama, he noted.

“Obviously a lot of federal programs affect our [public] school districts,” he said. “It will be interesting to see what direction our federal government takes and how it effects ESSA.”

ESSA for Ohio takes a detailed look at the state’s education system and makes improvements based on the feedback of stakeholders and requirements in the law, according to the Ohio Department of Education’s website.

Rachael Smith, superintendent of Youngstown Community School, a charter school, said as a person who has been on “both sides of the coin” working in public schools and now at a charter school, she too, understands the concern.

“My concerns are that I don’t really know how much background DeVos has in working with both public sectors [public and charter] and like many educators I’m just going to have to wait and see,” she said.

Youngstown State University President Jim Tressel was more positive in light of the DeVos’s appointment.

“I appreciate all people who are willing to serve,” he said. “Public service isn’t easy and I appreciate DeVos for that willingness. I admire the fact that she has invested so much of her time and own personal wealth into her passion of education, so, this means a great deal to her. From what I’ve read her primary focus has been on K-12 education, but, with that being said, I would trust she would surround herself with experienced higher education people, bringing in great talent in that area and serving as excellent advocate for our students and staff around.”

Harold Porter, Austintown board of education member, said he thinks “the public schools will be fine.”

Porter added that it didn’t matter who was nominated, “There would have been 48 democrats opposing them.”

Youngstown City Schools CEO Krish Mohip wouldn’t comment in depth on DeVos’s appointment. “We wish her the best,” he said simply.

Contributor: Staff writer Amanda Tonoli