Eli Broad, an MSU alumnus and entrepreneur, has urged senators to vote in opposition to Betsy DeVos’ nomination for secretary of education. Broad wrote a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) Feb. 1 encouraging them to vote ‘no’ on her confirmation.
In his letter, Broad wrote DeVos is “unprepared and unqualified” for the position as secretary of education.
“At the risk of stating the obvious, we must have a Secretary of Education who believes in public education and the need to keep public schools public,” he wrote.
DeVos’ strong support for charter schools and the voucher system are just one problem Broad has with DeVos’ nomination. Broad also expressed his concern with potential conflicts of interest she may bring to the job and her ability to enforce federal statues.
“Indeed, with Betsy DeVos at the helm of the U.S. Department of Education, much of the good work that has been accomplished to improve public education for all of America’s children could be undone,” Broad wrote.
Broad also addressed the issue of gun-free school zones.
“After far too many school shootings in this country, we must have a Secretary of Education who believes guns have no place in our schools,” he wrote.
Broad’s request goes to show how widespread the opposition is to DeVos’ confirmation. Thousands of letters, emails and phone calls have flooded into senators’ offices across the country, according to Politico.
The East Lansing School Board also recently passed a resolution in opposition to DeVos’ confirmation and cited her lack of experience with traditional public schools and historical support for charter schools as potential problems.
However, according to The Washington Post, the White House press secretary Sean Spicer and key GOP senators said they are confident in DeVos’ confirmation as secretary of education.
Broad ended his letter by again encouraging McConnell and Schumer to oppose DeVos’ nomination. DeVos’ final confirmation vote is scheduled for Monday where the expected vote will be a 50-50 tie leading to a tiebreak by Vice President Mike Pence.
