Betsy DeVos will fight for education equality and academic progress

The presidential election was fraught with heightened emotions, personal attacks and vitriol that reached new lows. Individuals and groups on both sides of the aisle fought tooth-and-nail for their candidate, at times losing sight of what actually matters. At the end of the day, we all want to ensure a safe and positive future for Americans. It is a new year, and time to move forward as one together, which is why it is important for Sen. Tester, and all those in the U.S. Senate, to work together to confirm Betsy Devos as the next Secretary of Education.

Part of ensuring that positive future includes expanding options in education so that students are not relegated to failing schools. Betsy DeVos is a 30-year school reformer who is a qualified and experienced advocate for children, especially at-risk kids who fall through the cracks. DeVos has worked tirelessly to expand school choice and to give parents more control over education decisions. Though some have criticized her support for school choice, DeVos believes in providing the opportunity for a path to success for all students in all communities. Quality education should not be a privilege that just those who can afford it should be able to access.

DeVos has advocated for both improving public schools and for providing another option to parents and students who feel trapped in the current system. Public schools are important and should be supported, but when a school fails to provide a quality education to a child, there should be another option. It’s encouraging to see Montanans embrace this open-minded approach, rather than resisting change for the sake of resistance.

DeVos will bring a fresh perspective to the federal Education Department. Through her work to expand school choice, virtual schools, school vouchers, tuition tax credits, and education savings accounts, thousands of students have already been able to access a quality education that would otherwise have been lost. It would be shortsighted to neglect these ideas that would allow our own children to tap into these opportunities.

When it comes to education, we do not have the luxury of waiting. Our kids need to be able to compete on a national level now, and if they cannot receive a quality education then we are setting them up to fail in the long run. DeVos will fight for education equality and better academic outcomes for all communities.  We have seen public schools fail, and we have seen them succeed. Montana needs the support of its leaders, like Sen. Jon Tester, to confirm DeVos as Education Secretary so she can stand for our students.

Jeff Laszloffy

President, Montana Family Foundation