A new Department of Education Secretary will make its way into position one year from now, as the 2020 presidential elections draws near in the United States.
Candidates for Department of Education Secretary
Presidential candidate Elizabeth Watson already has her criteria on choosing the next DOE secretary if she wins the 2020 candidacy. The politician wishes to appoint a former public teacher to the position, believing that first-hand experience in the education sector can be put to good use.
Public teachers are aware of how it is like to be at the receiving end of low salaries, outdated textbooks, crowded classrooms, and various discriminations on the school campus.
Leadership experience is also expected for someone who will handle more than 4000 employees under the Department of Education. This idea was also supported by other democratic candidates.
The current secretary for the Department of Education, Betsy Devos, lacks everything that democratic candidates aspire for. The secretary doesn’t have any teaching background and leadership experience. Basically the opposite of what democrats aspired for.
Democrats bash the policies handed out by the current secretary. One of which is the handing out of scholarship vouchers. Vouchers take away the budget for public schools and hands it out to private schools instead. The next secretary should fully understand the effects of policies before handing them out.
Qualities of the next Department of Education Secretary
- Administrative experience. Handling 4000 employees and hearing out their concerns takes expertise in administrative functions in order to run things smoothly.
- Knowledge in campus discriminations. The next secretary should be well aware of discrimination issues on campuses and handle it without bias. Campus discrimination has a very wide scope, ranging from violence, racism, hate crimes, bullying, initiations, drop-outs, and special education needs.
- Experience in the academe. The government spends millions of dollars on data gathering with regard to school issues and concerns. Being part of the academe, experience will be a useful skillset to help pinpoint school issues to focus budget on.
- Political allies. A secretary of education cannot succeed without the backing of political allies in the senate and the house of representatives. Having a strong yet not obligatory relationship with political figures makes it easier to seek funds for projects and policies that will help improve the education sector.
While the buzz for the next secretary of Education is high, people should also consider that the winning party for the presidential race will have the upper hand in choosing the next secretary. So this coming 2020 elections, Vote WIsely!
