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Will school choice energize or endanger public education?
The Trump administration’s push for school choice is unlikely to have a big effect on California, where hundreds of charter
schools are already flourishing, according to local educators. The greater risk, they say, is that possible changes in federal funding could hurt the state’s most vulnerable students.
“My perspective is we’re already in a context of school choice,” said Devin Vodicka, superintendent of Vista Unified School District, which has pioneered personalized learning programs. “I’m not sure what the federal administration would do that could affect that, but choice is still the reality in California, and has been for a long time.”
Still, many worry that the appointment of education activist Betsy DeVos as federal Secretary of Education last month may signal an attempt to defund public education. DeVos, a billionaire Republican donor, promoted school voucher programs in her home state of Michigan. Her visit to Saint Andrew Catholic School in Orlando, Florida with President Donald Trump on Friday stoked fears that she aims to redirect public money to private, religious schools.
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