DeVos bought influence; corruption erased your vote

cor·rup·tion

kəˈrəpSH(ə)n/

noun

noun: corruption; plural noun: corruptions

1.
 dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery.

Yesterday, the power of money was displayed in the single-most irony inducing broadcast of wealth purchasing influence; Betsy DeVos being confirmed as the 11th Secretary of Education. This isn’t a think piece on the motives of Betsy DeVos – I’m not a mind reader and I’m not in the business of speculation. However, this is an indictment of elected officials who neglected their oath of office when they allowed for their vote to be purchased by strategic campaign contributions for an office in which on paper Mrs. DeVos is woefully unqualified to hold. In the moment Mrs. DeVos had to prove that she possessed the necessary competency to lead a department that massively impacts the most disenfranchised population amongst us, children, she failed that test. And in education, failing means you are not prepared to move forward.

There is something incredibly problematic about the precedent being set by this administration and Congress: corruption is the new normal.  While I echo the sentiments of many locally and nationally who opposed the nomination of Mrs. DeVos, Grand Rapids often needs a reality check on the things occurring outside of its bubble. One need not look further than the City of Detroit to see the detrimental effects that Mrs. DeVos and company’s education advocacy (read: financial influence) has had on young people where quality education is the difference between breaking the cycle of poverty and remaining a part of it. Michigan voters, particularly in Detroit, have been experiencing the corruption money allows for when influencing policy is financially driven for quite some time. Unregulated Charters Schools have victimized this state’s most precious assets, children. And this is the cause for which Mrs. DeVos is most committed.

As Michigan schools embark on count day today, I am reminded of the practices that have placed one too many charters schools in the limelight – retaining students until count day and then kicking them out once the charter school has retained funds for that student. After all, a number of Michigan Charter schools exist as a for profit engine and when education is for sale the priority is not to educate but rather to profit by any means necessary. Public Schools are still the only space required to serve all children; their capability to accomplish that task is tied to a myriad of issues, the most obvious being funding and adequate teaching staff.

Mlive Media’s Saginaw office published an article referencing the Saginaw Superintendent Nathaniel McClain’s objection to moves being made by the state of Michigan to close low performing schools where he was quoted saying, "At present, state standardized tests appear to be a better indicator of measuring poverty than performance." Coming from Saginaw, I’m confident in saying that the objective in closing schools within twenty minutes of some of the most economically depressed communities in the county results in a benefit reserved for charter school operators. The piece of the education discussion that school choice advocates often miss is that the issue at hand is every child should have access to the best education our country can offer without needing to drive 30 minutes to the nearest school with the financial resources to make that possible. Parents of autistic children should not be forced to go to a district outside of their own community to seek quality from a system obligated to educate everyone. However, this has been the shift and the outcome continues to be rooted in economic disparity that disparately affects communities of color.

With the above stated facts, one might ask, why has nothing changed? The data continues to reinforce the need to further invest in public schools. Common sense suggests that schools need money to resource quality education. The data suggests that charters schools are in fact worse than regular public schools, driven by the fact that there is next to no regulation of those spaces. Yet, here we are, faced with a fight to save public education. And that’s what this is. A fight to save a fundamental right. Work to prevent private interests from polluting a public good. If you want the answer to the question at the beginning of this first paragraph, you need not look further than the definition that begins this opinion piece. If you desire to look deeper into the motives of the folks you’ve voted to represent your interests because they don’t seem to act as though your vote drives their decisions – take a look at their campaigns' largest donors.

Money has always talked, but in 2017 money is disenfranchising everyone who lies outside the promise of wealth. This is corruption.