February 1, 2017

The Honorable Mitch McConnell The Honorable Charles E. Schumer
Majority Leader Minority Leader

U.S. Senate U.S. Senate

317 Russell Senate otrice Building 322 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington. DC. 20510 Washington. DC. 20510

Re: Betsy DeVos

Dear Senator McConnell and Senator Schumer:

The Senate Health. Education, Labor and Pensions Committee vote yesterday to refer President
Trump's nominee for U.S. Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos. to the full Senate for
confirmation was surprising and disappointing. i am writing to urge you to vote against Mrs.
DeVos's confirmation

Like many Americans, including public school educators and parents, I watched the committee's
confirmation hearing with dismay. While I have never met Mrs. DeVos. she undoubtedly is kind
and wellrintended and cares deeply about children, as evidenced by her philanthropic work.
However. these personal characteristics do not qualify someone for the massive responsibility of
overseeing the education ofour nation's students.

I am a big believer in highrquality public schools and strong accountability for all public
schoolsitraditional and charter. Before DeVos's hearing, 1 had serious concerns about her
support for unregulated charter schools and vouchers as well as the potential conflicts of interest
she might bring to the job. Her testimony not only reinforced my concerns but also added to
them. I now also question her ability to enforce key provisions of the range of federal statutes
entrusted to this role. Indeed. with Betsy DeVos at the helm of the U.S. Department of
Education. much of the good work that has been accomplished to improve public education for
all of America's children could be undone

ELI BROAD
2121 Avenue at the Stars, 30th floor, Los Angeles, calilomia 90057 --

Page 2
The Honorable Mitch McConnell and The Honorable Charles E. Schumer
February 1, 2017

At the risk of stating the obvious, we must have a Secretary of Education who believes in public
education and the need to keep public schools public. We must have a Secretary of Education
who will vigorously defend the rights of all students to have safe, fair and equitable learning
opportunities and who recognizes the critical role of the Department of Education’s Office of
Civil Rights. And after far too many school shootings in this country, we must have a Secretary
of Education who believes guns have no place in our schools.
In short, I believe she is unprepared and unqualified for the position. As someone who is deeply
committed to the belief that all children deserve access to a strong public education, I hope you
will join me in opposing Mrs. DeVos’s nomination.
Sincerely,

Eli Broad
cc: All U.S. Senators