Delaware Governor-Elect John Carney and State Senator Brian Pettyjohn held a question and answer session at J.D. Shuckers in Georgetown this morning. The packed restaurant submitted many questions. A few of them dealt with Delaware education. Carney’s answers provided some insight to one of his recent decisions.
Out of all the people President Donald Trump could have picked for the United States Secretary of Education, why did it have to be Betsy DeVos? She supports Common Core, hates teacher unions, loves school choice, vouchers, and more of the same corporate education reform crap we’ve had to deal with in education for the past 15 years. She supports Right To Work laws, which she helped get through in Michigan. Her family is the heir to the Amway Corporation. The Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation started their own charter school in 2014, the West Michigan Aviation Academy. That’s all we need, is one of… them. Someone with big money thinking school choice and vouchers are the answers to everything. So much for Trump’s promise to get rid of Common Core. He is a liar. But I am not shocked.
As for the unions, this is going to be a looooong four years for them. According to Detroit News :
Speaking in July during a school choice forum at the Republican National Convention in Ohio, DeVos accused teachers unions of holding back innovation in education and called them “a formidable foe” at both state and national levels.
Both NEA and AFT should have picked Bernie Sanders in their endorsement for President. They jumped on the Hillary train and look where they are now? If they thought they had a tough time under President Obama, they haven’t seen anything yet! I have no doubt there will be some serious meetings for both organizations in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, every charter school cheerleader is probably doing cartwheels alongside the private school voucher advocates. Public education will not know what hit them. Meanwhile, we have Diane Ravitch backtracking on an earlier article she put up this week where she actually endorsed DeVos. She thought people would see it as a joke, but apparently they didn’t. A little too late Diane! Thanks for that…
Delaware Governor Jack Markell had an embarrassing display of asskissery when he did an interview with WMDT earlier this week and talked about Hillary Clinton’s integrity. Jack wants a slot in Hillary’s cabinet. Vice-President is out since Joe Biden is the current VP and it would seem biased for Hillary to pick the next VP from Delaware. Jack wants the Secretary of Education slot.
Can you imagine the damage Jack could do as Hillary’s Ed Secretary? Look what he did to Delaware the past eight years. Common Core, teacher evaluations, Smarter Balanced, Rodel… just imagine all of that at a national level. Hell, I wouldn’t be shocked if he made Paul Herdman his Deputy Secretary. It’s what Arne Duncan did when he became Secretary. He stacked the US DOE with his buddies.
Jack Markell is a very smart man. However, he is also very transparent when he wants something. I would go so far as to say he is as transparent as Saran Wrap when it comes to Hillary Clinton. But what happens if Trump wins? What would Jack do then? Has he even planned for that alternative? Sure, Jack could go to any corporate education reform company and get a top spot. But that wouldn’t be a step up in his ladder, or even a lateral move. Could Jack handle that kind of thing? For Jack, it is all about power.
Someone very big in the Jack Markell education world is resigning. This is as close to the top as you can get. This is someone Markell hand-picked for the position. Who is it? And more important, who will replace this person? From what I’m hearing, the title won’t be replaced but the duties will be delegated to different people. This is big folks! This person has been around long enough to have an impact on how things go that this void will have an effect on things. Of course, it was, is, and always has been Jack Markell’s show. I can’t say I’m surprised by the exit, but I am surprised at the assignment of duties to other people. Who is it? Did you think it was going to be that easy? If you are drawing a blank on this one, don’t fret.
The Season Of Myths 