‘Extremist Scheme’: Teachers Union Boss Blasts Education Reforms, Homeschooling

Randi Weingarten, the teachers union boss, accused a vocal minority of Americans of promoting an “extremist scheme” to replace government-run schools with private, religious, online, and homeschools. She made these remarks during a speech at the National Press Club, where she singled out the criticisms of public schools by the DeVos, Bradley, Koch, Uihlein, and Walton family foundations. Additionally, Weingarten attacked state legislatures that considered bills creating or expanding existing voucher programs, stating that “Vouchers negatively affect achievement — the declines are worse than pandemic learning loss.” She also denied claims that elementary and secondary schools teach Critical Race Theory and that public schools push a woke agenda.

Weingarten further targeted Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who championed a universal voucher program allowing eligible students to enroll in K-12 to participate in available school choice options. She criticized DeSantis’ program, claiming it sends tax dollars in the increasingly wrong direction. She has made DeSantis the focus of her criticism before, such as when she tweeted in July 2021 that “Millions of Floridians are going to die for Ron DeSantis’ ignorance and he’s choosing to profit from it,” after DeSantis’ campaign team offered T-shirts saying, “Don’t Fauci My Florida.” Two months later, fearing that DeSantis’ policies would encourage parents to pluck their children out of public schools, she tweeted, “This isn’t just about masks or about Governor DeSantis’ political aspirations. It’s about the complete destabilization of public education so that parents will choose private schools.” Weingarten appears to be deeply troubled by DeSantis and Texas GOP Governor Greg Abbott’s stance on the mask mandate, the CRT fabrication, and the related culture war, as it exacerbates the existing shortage of teachers. She believes that the consequences may be dire if the lawmakers continue to follow this path.

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