Questions and points to consider were sent in a letter last Friday to U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan about the confirmation of Betsy DeVos for Secretary of Education. Given the position taken by Alaska’s Sen. lISA Murkowski, which is to vote no, and the potential effects on every school in Alaska and the country, these questions and points are worth sharing.
My letter to Sullivan encouraged him to vote ‘no’ on confirmation. I also wrote to him on Jan. 25 and to Sen. Murkowski to encourage a ‘no’ vote. Two days later came a detailed reply from Murkowski demonstrating that she has looked into DeVos’s qualifications in detail.
No letter came from Sullivan. Rather, after Sens. Murkowski and Susan Collins, R-Maine, determined they could not vote to confirm DeVos, Sullivan said in the news that he had met with her and that she “committed to” the senator “that she will work with all Alaskans to strengthen education throughout the state…”
The senator was asked what this statement means. For years, DeVos has diverted public dollars to private hands without the requirement of federal standards or measures of accountability. In fact, when some of those private entities failed in serving students, she nevertheless helped those companies expand and take even more public dollars. This orientation will not strengthen education in Alaska or anywhere.
Pointed out were evident problems with her candidacy, such as no experience in or knowledge about public education. Another problem is that she has no demonstrated leadership in the very area she is expected to lead. Rather, she has engendered alarm nationally among professionals in the field, people at large and parents in particular. So asked of the senator was, with her background and these problems, how is she a good candidate? Caring passionately about school choice does not trump equal opportunity for all students to access a quality public education.
He was also asked how she will “work with all Alaskans to strengthen education throughout the state,” as the senator said. For her to work with all Alaskans is not possible. So was she just saying something sweeping to mollify the senator and keep his vote and give him something to say to mollify his constituents? This seemed a reasonable question to put to the senator.
What is the senator’s view on DeVos’s multimillion-dollar investment in Neurocore? This company claims a 90 percent reduction in hyperactivity disorder through its nutritional program. This behavioral problem affects tens of thousands of school-age children, and the company appeals to parents to consider its expensive treatment. DeVos says she will not give up her investment and will not take part in education policy that might involve Neurocore, its appeals to parents, and its plans for major expansion. Obviously the thinking of people who work under DeVos will be affected on this issue when it comes to deciding how to respond to the company’s claims. Is not there an inherent conflict of interest, and if the senator did not see it as compromising, why not?
Sullivan said he shares “many of the concerns of Sen. Murkowski” about DeVos, so he was asked what these concerns are because he has not said. Murkowski specifies few concerns, but all of them are major. DeVos has spent years and she and her family have spent millions of dollars from the family multibillion-dollar fortune to promote support for her narrow education agenda, including a contribution of $23,000-plus to Sullivan. So what about equity for all students in having equal access to a quality public education? That’s the goal of the Department of Education, but quality public education and the obstacles to it and strategies for it are things the nominee knows nothing about.
It seems appropriate to share these concerns and questions that were put to the senator because some readers may want to ask Sullivan about them or other topics as well. It’s easy to communicate with our senator by phone or email. Just type “Senator Sullivan” and his official Alaska Senator web site appears with telephone numbers and an email form for constituents.
• Art Petersen is retired from the University of Alaska and lives in Juneau.
