Education Secretary Betsy DeVos wants to cut more than $7 billion — about 10 percent — from her own department’s budget, including almost $18 million in support for the Special Olympics.
In testimony prepared for a House subcommittee hearing, DeVos — former chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party — also calls for adding $60 million to funding for charter schools, and for creating “a tax credit for individuals and companies that donate to scholarships for private schools,” reports the Detroit Free Press.
DeVos’s budget proposal also calls for “eliminating billions in grants to improve student achievement by reducing class sizes and funding professional development for teachers as well to funds dedicated to increasing the use of technology in schools and improving school conditions,” the newspaper says.
The Free Press quotes Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), who chairs the subcommittee that held the Tuesday hearing, as calling the budget proposal “cruel and reckless,” saying it “will hurt the middle class and low-income families that most need our help.”
“As secretary of the Department of Education, how can you support, even boast, about taking 10 percent … away from our teachers and students?” DeLauro asked.
As for the Special Olympics for disabled athletes, DeVos “simply suggested it is better supported by philanthropy,” the Free Press says.
Here is a must-watch exchange between Secretary DeVos and Representative Marc Pocan (D-Wi.):