Posted on 12/20/2023 1:15:54 AM PST by Libloather
The leader of one of the nation's largest teachers unions was seen in a viral video saying that school choice "undermines democracy."
American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten made the remarks at the "Network for Public Education Action" national conference in October.
A clip of her remarks blasting methods of school choice was shared on X and went viral on social media this week.
In the video, Weingarten took aim at former White House Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, Manhattan Institute's Christopher Rufo, and American Federation For Children Senior Fellow Corey DeAngelis for advocating for school choice measures.
"They have not one thing that they offer as a solution other than privatizing or voucherizing schools which is about undermining democracy and undermining civil discourse and undermining pluralism because 90% of our kids go to public schools still," she said. "They just divide. Divide. Divide. Divide."
School choice policies allow parents to send their kids to schools outside their neighborhood or opt out of going to the public school in their neighborhood. Most states restrict parents to schools within their zip code or the school district that presides over their residential area.
Teachers unions typically lobby against school choice because they claim it siphons off taxpayer funding that is being allocated to other educational options and instead could be used to boost teachers' salaries, invest in public school facilities, and recruit more teachers.
The video of Weingarten was shared by Parents Defending Education president Nicole Neily.
"Randi Weingarten says people who want to let families choose where they send their children to school are attacking our democracy," Neily said in a tweet about the video.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Yes. Clearly choice is incompatible with “democracy”.
As I tell lefties when discussing this issue: I am pro choice. Aren’t you pro choice?
Its great fun watching them hem and haw when you say that. They have no good answer why choice should only apply to one thing ever.
While there are problems with allowing vouchers, I am *******totally******* for them.
The main problem is the inability of public school systems to expell students who behave badly. These “students” are a terrific drain on everybody.
However, the fact that children are forced to attend school, barring homeschooling which not everyone can do, means that we ***must*** educate them!
And the US public schools are failing in this. Scores in reading and math are utterly abysmal. We are forcing our children into schools for well over a decade and failing them.
Those students really need vouchers.
It would be one thing if Randy Weingarter were to acknowledge the problem and offer a plan to fix it, but she doesn’t—paying teachers more is not a plan to fix the problem.
There is no accountability and the system is a mess.
She is using that Newsweek definition of the word democracy: what Democrats believe.
I have long believed that the most consequential positive thing that could be accomplished on the political scene today would be the elimination of compulsory “education” laws and the closure of all public schools.
By “democracy”, Randi Weingarten means communism, and the opposite of freedom. She wants children as well as the economy to be ruled by the government.
For Republicans, government should be accountable to the people through periodic elections. But, the government isn’t supposed to be in charge of everything. The government is supposed to exercise only those powers granted it by the people. This is sometimes called Constitutional government or republican government.
With regard to children, the U.S. Supreme Court in 1925, in Pierce v Society of Sisters, ruled 9 to 0, that the government could not force children to attend public school, but that private school had to be an option. In one of the early penumbra decisions, the Court said the Oregon law “unreasonably interfere[d] with the liberty of parents and guardians to direct the upbringing and education of children.”
Although this specific right (to upbring and educate one’s children) isn’t found in the Constitution, it was so understood at the Founding as to be understood, and incorporated into the Constitution by the 9th and 10th Amendments.
This woman singlehandedly destroyed the NYC school system and her leftwing rot infected many more across the country.
Everything that democrats don’t like threatens our democracy.
This from a communist female dog whose party is actively trying to destroy the election process which is the real basis of democracy. They want total control over what you think, say, and do, they want to jail anyone to doesn’t comply. They want no discussion, no consideration of options, and no public participation in the process of governance.
Considering everything they say they believe, you can safely assume they really believe the exact opposite.
Yeah, the likes of Randi Weingarten gets to tell your kids what they can and can’t learn.
Get your kids out of the public schools. Vote NO on any/all school bonds and keep and eye on your local school board.
Starve the beast...
Randi, I guess you want Private Schools and Homeschooling ILLEGAL, too? Randi, GFY...
democracy [ dih-mok-ruh-see ], noun: government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.
Gee, Randi. What part of "allow parents to send their kids to schools" of their choice undermines, "the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them"?
Good thing I never had kids. Most of these pukes would be eating through a tube.
That skank can’t even define democracy. She’s a moron.
Teachers unions are “undermines democracy” they are an arm of the democrat party sworn to dismember the country.
divert taxpay funds that instead “could be used to boost teachers’ salaries, invest in public school facilities, and recruit more teachers”
Randy is panicked by falling public school enrollment. No kids, no money, no teachers, no union dues, no political power. Weingarten makes 500k+ a year as union president. It’s a cushy gig.
Yada yada yada...
How amazingly ironic.
I’d like to democratically VOTE with my feet by sending my children where I CHOOSE.
Fascist dictator much, Randi?
And in my humble opinion, unions are the foundation of communism.
The Marxist Rats already killed democracy.
Or “Democrats”.
Letting people choose where and how their children are educated is undemocratic. This woman was clearly absent the day they covered irony in school.
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