Child and they know other options exist. She then will say i will be a strong advocate for great Public Schools. Other topic shell hit upon as i where up is this discussion nationally about forgiving College Student loans or making it easier tore people to repay college loans. She is also expected to say that one of the problems with our current Education System is its set up to try to get everyone to go to college. But that a fouryear degree is not appropriate for everybody. Then shell talk about the every student successful act. And president elect trumps vision of using the 20 million in the community where our children are educated. David Teachers Unions out in full force blasting and trying to influence the president elects pick for education secretary. Melissa the democrats questioning devos have received over 700,000 from Teachers Unions compared to ,000 the republicans have received. Will this have an effect on how the dim krats press devos . Jim, let me start with you. Among those opposing devos plan for education, bernie sanders. He received 150,000 from unions since 1998. Elizabeth warren received 30,000 since 2012. Does this compromise their questions . I think for bernie sanders, 150,000 of union money over 20 years is not a lot of money in the political system. Democrats have been supporters of the public Teachers Union for a long time for better or worse. Public schools are usually the big topic when we have an education secretary. We have a nome knee who has not been a fan of the Public School system. I think you will see to fireworks about that. David john stossel, we have gone through the list of state by state, how much money is spent by governments. Most of the money for education comes from state governments. But the feds have been putting in increasingly more and more money. Average is 13,000 a year. Some states like new york is 20,000. Washington, d. C. Is 18,000 a year. Here is the big question. You are kid gets, say, 13,000 a year for education. Dont you think as a parent you can do better with that money than the government has been doing . Is that a fair question . Yes, i wish people would ask it more. 13,000 ferp kid times 22 kids in a courtroom. Thats 300,000 plus dollars. Thats not capital costs, thats just annual expenditures. But the government is tep team squanders if the money. David the average cost of private School Education in the United States 10,000. John, as you point out before, the government would save money if people spent their vouchers. John if you start giving vouchers to every poor person, you are also reaching the people who pay for Catholic Schools right now out of their own pocket. But they are low income so they deserve. Melissa tony sayegh joins us now. The knock on devos, we heard it. That her goal is to destroy Public Schools. You are putting someone in charge of Public Schools, who has no experience in them, who clearly dislikes them and distrusts them, that she drains money from the Public School system to fund forprofit charters and the Public Schools are worse some of because of herb efforts. So you are putting somebody in charge who mr. Basically destroy Public Schools in that way. How do you think she responds to that. The goal of the secretary of education is to make sure children are well educated. When you take the perspective when you are talking about School Choice, you are talking about giving underserved. Underprivileged students who dont have choices to improve third casual opportunity. Reality is well always have public or governmentrun schools. Usual not talking about massive numbers of students leaving the Public Schools. You are talking about essentially a lottery system in which a few students in failing schools get a chance to have an Educational Opportunity they are not getting in their educational environment its not an eitheror conversation. Public schools have plenty of money and they will continue to have plenty of money. But weve need to think about how are we going to innovate and get American Students the best possible education when they are not in schools providing it for them. David ford oconnell, its not just the Teachers Unions that are against this. People can vote with their feet and vote with their own pocketbook, maybe they will take their money to schools where a lot of b teachers arent there. But here is what the New York Times says about betsy devos. They are against her full bore. They have say she has poured money into chart were schools. She also argued for shutting down detroit Public Schools. And thats only partially true. She said the lowest 5 if they stay below 5 per from in terms of their quality for three years in a row, they should be shut down and money should be turned over to charter or taxpayer money store given out as vouchers for private schools. Thats what the New York Times says is bad, she wants to shut down bad if schools and giftman money to the parents. There will and lot of fireworks going on here. Whether i are rich or poor in this country, the primary road out of poverty runs by the schoolhouse. I dont understand what it is we are debating here . We need to be make our schools better in whichever way that occurs. But you have to understand what the democratic position is which is hold the status quo. You cant do that, because we are not achieving anything. What they want to do is feed the beast. What betsy devos is speak about is restoring power to parents and the local school boards. Melissa the people discriminated against the most are people without means. If you have money and its a bad school you are going to take your kids out and put them somewhere else. Why shouldnt all parents have that choice instead of just rich people . That seems like a value democrats should embrace. Lets just talk im a big fan of Charter Schools, i live in d. C. Half the kids in the Public Schools go to Charter Schools. Half go to dcs. In michigan where betsy devos is, there is no accountability in michigan for the quality of Charter Schools. And they are the worst Charter Schools in the country. So its not just whether the kids can go to school. Melissa what do you flown is no accountability . One of the biggest knocks on charter scooltds is they test, test, test. Each state has their own rules about Charter Schools. And the Charter Schools she runs, the Detroit Press is against her. The bad ones get closed down, thats the way it should work. Melissa you did a big special on this and dove deep into Charter Schools around the country. I know you interviewed betsy devos. What do you think of what you just heard from jim . John i think thats government think. Accountability is when the customers dont stlierkt, the parents choose to leave that school. The parents wake you have and realize johnny down the street has a school where he likes going to school. Thats accountability. David some things were just said about michigan schools. I want to correct the record. This is from stats that came out this year. Detroit Charter Schools are low performing. Only 19 of the students are prove efficient in english, but they are much better than the public other governmentrun alternatives. Charter students on average score 60 more proficient on state tests than kids attending traditional Public Schools. 18 of the top 25 schools in detroit are charters while 23 of the bottom 25 are traditional government schools. As for what betsy devos did, the American Federation for children, it participates in elections and gets behind politicians that are pushing Charter Schools and pushing more choice for parents. And its been very successful at this. She is a political operator as well as a philosophical believer in the charter School System and School Choice. Donald trump knew what he was doing when he chose her. She is a fighter. You measure the Charter Schools performance among the other options the childrenn have in the public system in that jurisdiction. The free market is the best vehicle through which improvement occurs. When you think about betty devos, she has done something, and it shows donal Donald Trumps attitude toward Educational Opportunity it helps those in the least good socioeconomic conditions. Take the conversation about chatter, im in new york, its a huge topic. Its a bipartisan topic inen in and new york where you have africanamerican and hispanic clergy who support this. Betsy devos has done this master any. It is a political change. And its been largely successful where she and her organization have intervened. The fact president elect trump has taken this conversation and made it the priority and not just making sure we sustain the failed status question shows you the kind of performer he plans to be. David the a. F. C. Started by betsy devos, they were especially successful. 108 out of 121 candidates they supported won their elects. This year was particularly resonating. When we synthesize the numbers that have come out about her record. When you put it together, the kids in detroit are doing worse than across the nation. But the kids in the Charter Schools are doing better than the kid in the governmentrun schools. Does it change your opinion or have any impact on it . Jim . Hope Charter School in detroit, okay . Finished in the bottom 1 of all schools. Its a Charter School. Finished in the bottom 1 . It has been a disaster for 20 years it just got its chatter renewed for two years. Change without accountability is not change its a pipe dream. Chart kerr schools are great. Its a great option out there. But if you do not have accountability in this system and she has lobbied strongly in michigan to keep accountability at the absolute minimum. Its not going well. So of course want kids in detroit to do better. I want their Public Schools and Charter Schools to do better. Melissa we watched betsy devos walknto the hearing room and she is greeting the senators. We expect to hear a statement from her. Then well hear questions based on the discussion you just heard here. You know it will get fiery so we want to listen in as she gets ready. You can see her take her seat. I saw Joe Lieberman as well. So she is surrounded by friendlies. Melissa how do you expect this to go . What is going to happen . I expect Elizabeth Warren on the left to start lobbing early and often. The democrats cannot stop betsy devos confirmation. Only betsy devos can stop it. If devos gets into trouble, will Lamar Alexander step in and shepherd her . It will be key the role he plays the in this to stop the democrats from slamming her. Melissa tony . What do you think . I agree. Look who is sitting next to her. Joe lieberman, there is broad support for betsy devos nomination. And there is an awareness that the educationalma monopoly held by the unions is at a point. As contentious has this political environment has been, there will be fireworks. Thats how they fundraise. Melissa Opening Statements about to begin. Well make an opening statement, well introduce the nominee. We welcome senator scott, a member of this committee. Senator lieberman a distinguished former member of this body who will make introductory remarks, and following the nominees comments, well have fiveminute round of questions. We have capitol officers here today who will remove anyone who attempts to disrupt the hearing. This is the first meeting of our committee in the new congress. This is a committee that will probably become evident that has some considerable differences of opinion on a variety of issues. But we found we can sometimes resolve them in important ways. Last year we passed what the majority leader senator mcconnell said was the most important bill in the congress, 20th century cures and know child left behind and 33 other bills signed by the president , 33 total. I want to sth want to thank seny and the democrats on the committee. I would like to make a word about process. 25 years ago miss devos i was sitting where you are sitting as the nominee for the secretary of education. And a form senator said to me, well, governor, i heard disturbing things but im not going to bring them up here. Senator nancy castlebbaum of can as said i think you just did. He put a secret hold on me and i wasnt confirmed for three months. But we abolished secret holds. And well use the same procedures on you as we used in 2001 and 2005 for george w. Bushs education secretary nominees. And until 2005 and 2016 for president obamas education nominees. So well curl and vote just as we did them. Arne duncan, president obamas First Education secretary. The hearing was on the 13th of january and he was confirmed a week later. Young king was confirmed 2 1 2 weeks later. We received from mrs. Devos and each senator has had available the committees required forms. The rules require them to be in more than a week in advance. The f. B. I. Background check has been done and senator murray and i heard results. Miss devos provided the office of government ethics with all the relevant information about her financial affairs. Well have a letter from that office which will be an agreement between mrs. Devos and that office on how to deal with any conflicts of interest before we vote on her confirmation. Mrs. Devos has met with each of us in her office. Several of us have written questions already given to her. Today well each have five minutes for further questions. The golden rule, five minutes. Question per rounds. It was the case for president obamas education if nominees and it was for me as well. In those cases the chairman and one sneb asked additional questions, and well do that again as we did before. Ill ask questions and i will ask senator murray if she would like to do the same. Each of us will have a chance to ask additional questions in a reasonable number in write big the close of business thursday at 5 00 p. M. Then well meet in executive session next tuesday to consider mrs. Devos nomination and other business if the final office of government ethics letter is received by this friday in order to give senators a chance to review it before tuesday. Following my opening remarks, senator murray will make hers, then well hear from senator scott, senator lieberman, then well hear froevos. Betsy devos in my opinion is on our childrens side. She has devoted her life to helping mainly lower income children have better choices of schools. Most criticism i have heard of her is she supports public chart kerr schools and supports giving lower income parents for choices of schools for their children. And she used her considerable wealth and effectiveness to advance those ideas. I believe she is in the main stream of Public Opinion and her critics are not. First, lets take the idea of Charter Schools. They are Public Schools. With fewer government rules, fewer union rules, so teachers have more freedom to teach and parents have more freedom to choose the school that best suits their child. Nothing new by the. In 1991 and 1992 president h. W. Bush raised 70 million for new American School development corporation. Then in 1993 in january and my last act as president bushs education secretary, i wrote every single superintendent in the country and asked them to try something that was invented in minnesota by the democratic farmer labour party. Something called Charter Schools. There were 12 of them then. Since then there has been broad support for the idea. Albert shanker endorsed those Charter Schools. In 1997, president clinton said we need 3,000 Charter Schools by 2002. Senator Hillary Clinton supported Charter Schools. President george w. Bush supported Charter Schools. President obama supports Charter Schools. Arne duncan described himself as a strong supporter of Charter Schools. Congress in 1994 and 1998, always bipartisan and usually by huge margins supported Charter Schools. 43 states and the District Of Columbia operate Charter Schools. For over 30 years those 12 Charter Schools in minnesota have grown to 6,800, 66 of americas Public School students attend them. So who is in the mainstream . The democratic la