U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow says she will vote against Betsy DeVos as the next head of the U.S. Education Department. The Michigan Democrat says she talked to DeVos. Stabenow says DeVos’ support for charter schools has “seriously undermined public education” in the state. DeVos, the former head of the Michigan Republican Party, is in favor of giving parents more education options. Her husband, Dick DeVos, started a charter high school in the Grand Rapids area that focuses on aviation and engineering. He also ran unsuccessfully for governor of Michigan against Jennifer Granholm in 2006.
The U.S. Senate will hold a confirmation hearing for DeVos on Wednesday. Ed Patru, a spokesman for a group called Friends of Betsy DeVos, tells the Detroit Free Press that Stabenow and DeVos still can find “common ground” on education issues.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
