Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos advocated for school choice programs in Wisconsin and around the nation to give families the ability to decide where to send their children regardless of the area they live in.
The pair, picked by President Trump to hold their current positions, mentioned a few programs to increase school choice around the country and allow parents to send their kids to any public, private, charter or STEM schools of their choice.
Both conservatives talked up a $5 billion plan to support all kinds of K-12 schools, which they have been pushing for at least a year.
“We’re working on a new program that would make more than $5 billion available across the country in the form of Education Freedom Scholarships,” said former Indiana Governor Pence.
DeVos contradicted herself when telling attendees of the event about how the program will be funded.
“The scholarships would be 100% privately funded through tax credit contributions from businesses or individuals,” said current U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, who took office with virtually no experience in education.
The $5 billion plan DeVos touted in 2019 also used Education Freedom Scholarships, was funded the same way and promoted in the same contradictory manner.
The contributions from businesses or people that fund the Education Freedom Scholarships will be at least somewhat refunded to those businesses or individuals by the federal government in the form of tax credits.
Tax credits, commonly received as tax refunds by people in lower tax brackets, mean the government gets less money from businesses or individuals who receive them.
The overall school landscape is changing and school choice is important to facilitate that growth, according to DeVos and Pence. Pence said he wants schools to compete with each other to offer the best education possible.
“You know as the bible says, ‘Iron sharpens iron.’ And so one person sharpens another,” said Vice President Pence.
Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway said school choice and educational freedom have never been more important, and there is a considerable amount of support across party lines.
“They have tripartisan support; really strong support,” said pollster Conway.
Conway did not digress on what the three parties supporting school choice are.
DeVos said the plan has 109 cosponsors in the House of Representatives and 15 in the Senate. The plan will need 290 U.S. Rep. cosponsors to be placed on the Consensus Calendar and be considered for review on the floor.
Almost none of the crowd members or police were wearing masks during the event, although chairs in the crowd were spaced roughly 6 feet apart.
A group of protestors larger than the crowd attending the event gathered outside the Waukesha STEM Academy and was closely watched by Waukesha County Sheriff’s deputies with a gloss black Humvee and dozens of other vehicles, including a fleet of motorcycles.