Trump Picks Betsy DeVos for Education Secretary

President-elect Trump nominates long-time Michigan school choice advocate Betsy DeVos for U.S. Education Secretary.

President-elect Donald Trump will nominate a Michigan school choice advocate to serve as his Secretary of Education.

Conservative activist Betsy DeVos is a strong supporter of school voucher programs.

DeVos is a billionaire, a philanthropist and a former chair of the Michigan Republican Party.

DeVos has also long been a supporter of charter schools. She backed an unsuccessful ballot proposal in 2000 that would have let public funds flow to students who enrolled at a non-public school.

Her husband,  Dick DeVos, ran for Governor of Michigan as a Republican but lost to Democrat Jennifer Granholm.

During the presidential campaign Trump vowed to invest billions of dollars in school choice programs and said he would shrink or eliminate the U.S. Department of Education.

Author

  • Quinn Klinefelter is a Senior News Editor at 101.9 WDET. In 1996, he was literally on top of the news when he interviewed then-Senator Bob Dole about his presidential campaign and stepped on his feet.