Call Portman; tell him 'no' on DeVos, YSU official says

YOUNGSTOWN

Youngstown State University students, staff and community members rallied for “no” votes to President Donald Trump’s nomination of Betsy DeVos for secretary of education.

The cold last day of the month did not stop the heat coming from McKay Auditorium in Beeghly Hall as more than 150 attendees chanted, “No to DeVos,” in protest of her potential appointment.

“This is where the rubber meets the road,” said HaSheen Wilson, YSU network administrator.

Wilson said the rally was an effort to communicate a firm “no” decision from the education community to U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio.

“Call Sen. Portman,” he said. “Tell him, ‘No to DeVos!’ Flood him with calls, emails, pictures and videos. The vote is out of the committee and onto the Senate, so the senator needs to know now.”

DeVos was confirmed by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and awaits approval by the senate floor.

A call to Portman went to voice mail, which was full Tuesday afternoon and could not accept any more messages.

Mary Janek, former teacher at Campbell Memorial High School for 30 years, said DeVos is “dangerously unqualified to be U.S. secretary of education.”

“This is Trump’s administration: incompetent, ignorant and in pursuit of agendas that will harm the majority of America,” she said. “DeVos wants to take your tax dollars and give that money to for-profit corporations to educate our children.”

The for-profit corporations Janek referred to are charter schools, which she said receive millions of tax dollars in the Youngstown area.

Read more about the protest in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.