Page 3 - aruba-today-20170304
P. 3
U.S. NEWS A3
Saturday 4 March 2017
Trump tours private school in Florida, promoting choice
DARLENE SUPERVILLE President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos pose with fourth graders Janayah teaches 350 children from
JONATHAN LEMIRE Chatelier, 10, left, Landon Fritz, 10, after they received cards from the children, during a tour of pre-K to eighth grade. The
Associated Press Saint Andrew Catholic School, Friday, March 3, 2017, in Orlando, Fla. school defines its mission as
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Pres- “developing the students’
ident Donald Trump toured (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) spirituality and creativity
a private religious school in in order to be disciples of
Florida on Friday, praising also told Latrina Peters- Christ in the 21st century.”
it as an ideal institution for Gipson, the school prin- A photo on the school’s
“disadvantaged children” cipal, that “the love you website shows a smiling
while re-emphasizing that have for what you do is boy in school uniform hold-
his education agenda will really fantastic.”Despite ing a sign that reads “My
focus on school choice. being at the school, Trump goals: College. Heaven.”
Trump visited St. Andrew also noted anew that he “It’s a very powerful
Catholic School in Orlan- captured Florida in last message,” said Samuel
do, dropping in on a fourth- year’s election. After the Abrams, director of the Na-
grade classroom and shak- visit, he flew to his coastal tional Center for the Study
ing hands with students home in Palm Beach and of Privatization in Educa-
who said they were learn- was attending a Republi- tion at Teachers College,
ing about the history of can National Committee Columbia University, re-
Florida. When one girl said fundraiser later Friday. ferring to Trump’s choice
she wanted to own her DeVos has a long history of of school to visit. “Advo-
own business, he said with promoting charter schools cates of traditional public
a smile that she’s “gonna and vouchers. Charter schools should be worried
make a lot of money. But schools are funded with because this means a di-
don’t run for politics.” taxpayer dollars, but are version of funds from pub-
The president, who was run by private groups lic coffers and thus support
joined by Education Sec- and have more freedom for public education.”q
retary Betsy DeVos, a long- over curriculum, staff and
time charter schools advo- budget. Vouchers are es-
cate, described St. Andrew sentially publicly funded
as “one of the many paro- scholarships given to low-
chial schools dedicated to income families to help
educating some of our na- cover private-school tu-
tion’s most disadvantaged ition.
children.” White House spokesman
“Education is the civil rights Sean Spicer said earlier
issue of our time,” said in the week that educa-
Trump, repeating a line tion is “a top priority” for
from his address to Con- the president.“He has said
gress this week. many times before that
Teachers unions were quick education has the ability
to criticize the visit, saying it to level the playing field for
showed hostility by Trump the next generation,” Spic-
toward public schools and er said, adding that Trump
an intention to turn educa- “is determined to provide
tion into a profit-making in- choice for every parent
dustry.Trump said he would and opportunities for every
ask lawmakers to pass a child, regardless of their zip
bill that would fund school code.”
choice for disadvantaged St. Andrew Catholic School
young people, including
minority children. He did
not offer any details.
Among his guests were
Gov. Rick Scott, Sen. Mar-
co Rubio and Denisha
Merriweather, who used
Florida’s school voucher
program to attend a pri-
vate high school that she
credits with turning her life
around. Many of St. An-
drew’s students attend
the school using the same
voucher program as Merri-
weather, said White House
spokesman Ninio Fetalvo.
“We want millions more to
have the same chance to
achieve the great success
that you’re achieving,”
Trump said. The president
