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Betsy DeVos Speaks At Education Summit In Nashville

Posted at 7:59 AM, Nov 29, 2017
and last updated 2017-11-30 23:31:04-05

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush have come to Nashville for a major education summit.

Registration began Wednesday at the Omni Hotel in downtown. DeVos first visited Oakland High School in Murfreesboro to learn about their Career Technical Education program.

On Thursday, DeVos addressed the Foundation for Excellence in Education at the National Summit on Education Reform.

Jeb Bush was Thursday morning's opening keynote speaker. 

However, not everyone is excited about Devos' visit. Tennessee educators and public school advocates will hold a rally in protest of what they call her "anti-public education agenda."

Dozens of people gathered at Riverfront Park in downtown Nashville to protest DeVos' being in Nashville.

"She has put in for some really draconian cuts for public education in this country and it will devastate schools," rally organizer and local teacher, Amanda Kail said.  

Kail admits there's work to be done, however cutting funds is not the answer. "Under No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top, we’ve had a regiment of test and punish that have closed schools, primarily schools that serve people of color and poor schools and that has been the end result,” Kail explained.