BELLEVUE, Wash. – Protestors plan to greet Education Secretary Betsy DeVos in Bellevue today, where she is scheduled to speak at an annual fundraiser for the Washington Policy Center, a free-market think tank.

The center says it invited DeVos to speak because she's one of the nation's top policy leaders and because of her support for charter schools and the so-called "school choice" movement.

But Carl Livingston, a political science professor at Seattle Central College who will be speaking to protestors, says that policy tips the scales toward the country's wealthiest families.

"It disserves most of the students by setting up charter schools and the privatization of education generally, which will do a good job of serving those with more money and income and means, but not do a good job of serving the average student," he says.

Multiple groups are coming together to protest the DeVos visit starting at 5 P.M., including the American Federation of Teachers of Washington.

AFT points out that DeVos has opposed efforts to overhaul student-loan servicing, scaled back investigations in her department's Civil Rights Office, and supports cuts to federal student loans in the Trump administration's budget. Her critics say all those moves hurt higher education.

Livingston also has concerns about DeVos's pick for the National Assessment Governing Board, a nonpartisan group that administers a national assessment of the country's education system. He says this is yet another instance of the secretary bringing in business people to oversee policies in education.

"Some of them are steeped in experience in business, but not really in education," he adds. "They're really principled business people that are promoting a conservative agenda."

Livingston adds that the protests won't only be about Devos's visit. He says people also are coming together to express concern that equal opportunity for students of all backgrounds is under attack.


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In a country where Black men make up less than 2% of the teaching workforce, a program in Jacksonville is working to shift the balance by recruiting 1,000 Black male teachers by 2025.

Led by the Jacksonville Public Education Fund, the "1,000 by 2025" initiative seeks to increase classroom diversity, offering essential representation for Black students who often lack role models within the education system.

Danté Jennings, director of strategic initiatives for the Jacksonville Public Education Fund, said in addition to research showing net positive results, he believes the effort is crucial to ensuring students see themselves reflected in the classroom.

"Not only is it positive for our Black and Brown students to see themselves and who they're getting taught, inspired, molded by - corrected by, even - in schools as well," Jennings asserted. "All students benefit from having diverse male presence in their buildings."

Since its launch, the initiative has made steady progress. However, Jennings acknowledged significant challenges in recruitment, including low pay and retention issues. As of the latest count in September, more than 700 diverse male educators have joined classrooms, approaching the program's goal.

Meanwhile, discussions on educational equity and representation are gaining momentum nationally. Vice President Kamala Harris recently announced her "Opportunity Agenda for Black Men," which includes expanding loan forgiveness programs for Black male teachers and investing in HBCU-led initiatives aligning closely with Jacksonville's goal to build a sustainable pipeline of educators.

Despite challenges, Jennings noted the program is reassessing and troubleshooting issues to reach its goals, forging collaborations with local universities, including historically Black colleges and universities.

"The teacher vacancy to teacher discrepancy in the workforce versus the student demographics is not unique to Jacksonville," Jennings pointed out. "It is a nationwide issue. So we wanted to kind of position ourselves as a model for what could be done."

Jennings hopes the partnerships will create structured pathways for students in teacher education programs to enter the profession, providing mentorship and financial support. Research shows Black male teachers, like Black male students, often encounter racial biases, including heightened scrutiny and misunderstandings from school administrators and peers, which poses another challenge for recruitment.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.


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In the race for New Hampshire governor, the future of public education is on the line.

Democrat and former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig opposes expanding the state's private school voucher program, while Republican former U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte aims to remove the income cap for voucher eligibility.

Megan Tuttle, president of the National Education Association-New Hampshire, said the goal of the voucher program is to dismantle public schools.

"It is taking money, it's diverting money away from the public schools and it's putting it into a separate education system," Tuttle pointed out.

Tuttle noted more than 90% of New Hampshire students attend public schools, while the majority of students with vouchers were already enrolled in private, religious or home schools. The vouchers have siphoned more than $70 million from public school districts over the past four years.

The next governor will also determine the fate of current state Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut, a staunch supporter of vouchers and a so-called Parental Bill of Rights which limits the topics teachers can discuss in the classroom. Ayotte has supported Edelblut's efforts, while Craig said she would immediately replace him.

Tuttle argued Edelblut's disdain for public education has hurt both teacher retention and recruitment efforts.

"It doesn't help anybody who might want to go into education, because they will be going into a profession where they're going to be attacked," Tuttle asserted. "They're not treated as professionals."

Ayotte said she would reward good teachers by improving pay and benefits but ensure they are not bringing politics or gender ideology into the classroom. Craig said she wants to increase teacher pay along with training and professional development.

A 2023 teacher survey found many are leaving the profession due to low pay and what many consider to be a devaluation of their profession.


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The Greater Albany Education Association has voted to strike in as soon as 10 days if no agreement is reached on a new contract with the Greater Albany Public Schools.

After nine months of bargaining, 92% of nearly 500 union members voted in favor of a strike, which would be the first teacher strike in Albany since 1987.

Dana Lovejoy, president of the union who has been in the district for 19 years, noted Albany teacher salaries are currently the lowest among 35 comparable Oregon districts, which she said affects staff recruitment, retention and classroom safety.

"Thirty-four other districts get paid more than we do," Lovejoy pointed out. "People just genuinely cannot afford to stay in this district."

The district said it is disappointed about the strike potential and it would not be able to meet the pay increases, class size limits and staff retention strategies the union is asking for. The union countered by pointing to the district's $15 million surplus, which it said is much higher than needed.

The school district's current salary offer would move Albany teacher pay up to 32nd of 35 comparable Oregon school districts. Lovejoy noted the district has yet to respond to 10 of the union's proposals. She added the money is there but thinks the district needs to reassess its goals.

"We know that a budget is the district's priorities," Lovejoy observed. "So we believe that they could reprioritize and put students first, followed by the staff who are in front of them."

One more mediation session has been scheduled but Lovejoy stressed the union has requested additional meetings to address class size limits, workload and health care. A strike could begin as soon as Nov. 12.

While Lovejoy hopes a walkout will not be necessary, she emphasized the union will stand firm for the sake of the students.

"I think it's important that our community knows that we are fighting for the schools that their children deserve," Lovejoy added.


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