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November 6, 2017                                                                                                     Dann Mead Smith (360) 705-6543

SEATTLE – In a prickly statement issued recently, Governor Jay Inslee said, “Secretary DeVos came to Washington, but instead of meeting with our kids, teachers, and parents, she held a fundraiser for a right-wing think tank.”
 
The governor’s comments are as mean-spirited as they are ill-informed.  Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos indicated a strong willingness to meet with parents, teachers and school administrators during her visit to our state on October 13th, but WEA union executives made it clear they would protest against any local school that she visited.  As a result, fear of union-directed conflict made schools reluctant to meet with her.
 
The WEA union tries to use the heckler’s veto to silence anyone who questions the status quo.  Their intent is to shout down anyone who is open to having a reasoned conversation with Secretary DeVos about how to improve our schools.
 
The governor complains about the courteous welcome Washington Policy Center extended to Secretary DeVos, but he indicated no willingness to meet with the nation’s highest-ranking education official while she was visiting our state. 
 
Governor Inslee sees Secretary DeVos as someone who is disruptive, asks too many questions, listens too much to parents, and poses a threat to the status quo.
 
He is either unaware or unconcerned that nearly 10 percent of funding for Washington schools comes from Secretary DeVos’ budget, or that most of this money is directed toward helping low-income and minority families assigned to sub-par schools.
 
At the Washington Policy Center dinner, Secretary DeVos gave a thoughtful and well-reasoned speech on the benefits of education reform, noting the success of charter schools and choice in offering families access to better learning options.
 
She described how students like Denisha Merriweather and Sandeep Thomas have benefited from education choice programs.  She also described how Austin Hilburn, whose family chose Excel Public Charter School in Kent, gained access to a better education.
 
When the top education cabinet official, and one of the highest-ranking women in our government, travels to Washington state, the governor’s office could at least issue a short statement of welcome, or perhaps say nothing, instead of using her visit as the occasion for issuing harsh, ill-informed criticism.

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Washington Policy Center
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