Illinois lawmakers split on Trump’s choice for head of education

Lawmakers at the Illinois Capitol are split on President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to head the U.S. Department of Education.

How they feel about Betsy DeVos comes down to how they feel about school choice, vouchers and charter schools.

State Rep. Tom Morrison (R-Palatine) loves school choice. He’s excited for what DeVos could bring to the U.S. Department of Education. DeVos is a strong supporter of school choice, including vouchers, which do not exist in Illinois.

“I think (she) bodes well, especially for communities that are underserved when it comes to academic choice,” Morrison said.

State Sen. Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill) isn’t a big fan of charters and vouchers. He wanted a former teacher to be the next education secretary.

“I would have liked to have seen real world, hands on experience in educating children,” Manar said.

But both Manar and Morrison agree that whoever is the next national school chief, Illinois schools need fewer federal mandates.

“The greatest thing that my constituents want, the greatest thing that the school boards members, the administrators, the teachers want is autonomy,” Morrison said, adding that local schools constantly complain of federal mandates.

Manar said he doesn’t want to see federal requirements for special education cast aside, but is open to getting rid of the some the Byzantine regulations from Washington, D.C.

“If there are other regulatory items that school districts consider burdensome, then let’s have that conversation,” Manar said.

Trump’s team says Devos and the president-elect talked about school choice, but also about higher standards for schools.

— Illinois lawmakers split on Trump’s choice for head of education–