U.S. Rep. Rick Allen (R-GA-12) asked U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona about school choice, but Cardona’s answers displeased the congressman, who later said the secretary “would rather prioritize schools over students.”
Allen said this in a newsletter he emailed this week to his constituents.
The Georgia congressman met with Cardona during a U.S. House Education and Labor Committee hearing.
Allen told Cardona he wanted to enter into the record the polling results he said show overwhelming support for school choice — in public schools and in private schools. Allen did not appear to cite who conducted the poll.
“This recent polling shows it is highly bipartisan. When asked, 65 percent of the survey respondents were supportive of school choice, allowing families to choose a menu of options for their child’s education.[Exactly] 75 percent of Republicans, 60 percent of independents, and 61 percent of Democrats surveyed all said they support school choice. In your testimony you said that you are committed to reversing funding inequities,” Allen said.
“There is nothing more inequitable than a wealthy parent being able to send their child to any school they want without outdated education policies telling low-income parents they can’t have the same opportunities. Mr. Secretary, will you commit to working with Congress to pass school choice legislation to give every child in America to attend the school that best suits their needs?”
Cardona said every school across the country should provide students with a high-quality education.
“While I understand parents should have choice, it should never come at the expense of a local school, and the choice shouldn’t be because one school can’t meet the needs of the learners,” Cardona said.
“We need to make sure all schools can meet the needs of learners and not have a system of winners and losers. All schools need to make sure they meet the needs of the students.”
Allen, replying to Cardona, said “until that is achieved we need to give the students a choice, so we don’t lag behind.”
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
