February 3, 2017 - Latino Leaders Oppose the Confirmation of Betsy DeVos as U.S. Secretary of Education

LATINO LEADERS OPPOSE THE CONFIRMATION OF BETSY DEVOS AS U.S. SECRETARY OF EDUCATION

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda, a coalition of 40 of the nation’s preeminent Latino advocacy organizations, opposes the confirmation of Betsy DeVos as U.S. Secretary of Education citing DeVos’s lack of understanding about the public education system and lack of support for holding states and local jurisdictions accountable for the academic achievement of all students, including those who are Latino, English language learners, and the children of migrant workers.

NHLA has long advocated for greater investment and inclusivity in childhood education, ending the school-to-prison pipeline, ensuring equal access to a quality education for all of America’s children, ensuring that schools, districts, and states are held accountable for the performance of all students, strengthening financial aid programs to make college affordable, and the enactment of the DREAM Act for undocumented students.

“Latinos have grown to 18 percent of the total population, yet we represent more than 25 percent of the students in our nation’s public schools. The future economic competitiveness of the United States will depend in great part on the educational attainment of the nation’s growing Hispanic community. Ensuring a quality education for Latinos will require a commitment at the federal level to ensure that our educational system meets the needs of America’s new and emerging demographics,” said Hector Sanchez, NHLA Chair and Executive Director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement. “Ms. DeVos has not demonstrated any commitment to educational equity for all children. Her confirmation as Secretary of Education puts in jeopardy the future of millions of Latino children, and NHLA strongly opposes her confirmation.”

"Betsy DeVos is unqualified to be Secretary of Education by her own failure to educate herself about current federal law and federal obligations," said Thomas A. Saenz, NHLA Vice Chair and co-chair of NHLA'S Education Committee. "Moreover, she holds an extremely skewed and miserly vision of the federal role in ensuring equal educational opportunity; her view would harm the nation's future as Latinos become an even greater proportion of our future national workforce."

“The nation needs a Secretary of Education who has demonstrated a strong commitment to improving the quality of public education and assuring that all children have access to the best educational opportunities, as guaranteed by the Constitution and the courts. There has been no evidence yet that Ms. DeVos is committed to these key national priorities,” said Dr. Antonio Flores, President and CEO, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), and Co-Chair of NHLA’s Education Committee.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

| Michael Torra | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | (202) 425-0582 |

| Brenda Arredondo | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | (915) 373-1483 |

ABOUT THE NATIONAL HISPANIC LEADERSHIP AGENDA

The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda is composed of 40 of the leading national and regional Latino civil rights and public policy organizations and other elected officials, and prominent Latinos Americans. NHLA coalition members represent the diversity of the Latino community – Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and other Latino Americans. NHLA’s mission calls for unity among Latinos around the country to provide the Latino community with greater visibility and a clearer, stronger influence in our country’s affairs. NHLA brings together Latino leaders to establish policy priorities that address, and raise public awareness of, the major issues affecting the Latino community and the nation as a whole. For more information, please visit: www.nationalhispanicleadership.org.

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