SDUSD could invite Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to visit schools

SAN DIEGO (KUSI) — The San Diego Unified School District Board of Trustees will consider inviting President Donald Trump’s Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to visit city schools in a resolution set to face the board Tuesday.

The invitation would come on the heels of a visit that DeVos made to a Washington, D.C. middle school Friday in which protesters caused a delay in her entering the campus.

San Diego Unified’s plans were revealed in documents that were released late Friday with the Board’s agenda for next week’s regularly scheduled meeting.

The resolution would direct the superintendent and board president to invite DeVos to visit "on a fact -finding mission to learn what the school district is doing to create quality public schools in every neighborhood, so that she can collect the data needed that will allow her to base her decisions on what is best for students rather than on any political ideology."

The idea for the invitation was brought forth by Board President Richard Barrera and Trustee John Lee Evans. Nowhere in the resolution or on the agenda is DeVos mention by name.

"The recent confirmation of the U.S. Secretary of Education has been highly controversial and brings into question the current administration’s commitment to public education," the resolution said. "There has been talk of diverting public school funds to private entities, including for-profit corporations, which has already caused much damage to many college students."

DeVos was considered by many to be one of President Donald Trump’s most controversial cabinet selections because of her lobbying for private school vouchers, charter schools and other public school alternatives.

"The board believes the U.S. Secretary of Education can learn and see first-hand what has been accomplished in public schools, including an increased graduation rate with higher standards for all students in San Diego Unified," the resolution said. "We support quality community-based charter schools with strict accountability to experiment and bring innovation to all district public schools."

San Diego Unified School District has a 92 percent graduation rate. The district will decide whether or not to extend the invitation Tuesday.