Nancy Pelosi (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
At a time when parents are increasingly looking for educational alternatives for their children, elitist Democrats continue working to force them to rely on the public school system, which has constantly failed its students. Ironically enough, these high-profile politicians will preach state-run educational institutions from their lofty progressive pulpits while availing themselves of private schools for their own privileged progeny.
The paradox of Democrats refusing to send their kids to public schools despite telling the rest of the plebes that it is the most exemplary educational experience a child could have is nothing new. Many of the most vociferous opponents of school choice practice school choice because they have the wherewithal to do so.
Indeed, Corey DeAngelis, national director of research at the American Federation for Children and executive director at Educational Freedom Institute, told Fox News that private school should be an option for everyone, not just the elites.
In a written statement for Fox News Digital, DeAngelis said, “When these politicians get called out on this hypocrisy, they’ll often try to defend themselves by saying that other families do indeed already have school choice since they can simply just choose to pay for private school tuition out of pocket if they want.” He continued:
“To [politicians], apparently, only rich people should have school choice. Their argument is even worse than that, because the taxpayer is already funding the education of the child. That same money should follow the child to the education provider that best meets their needs.”
President Joe Biden has been an ardent opponent of school choice. His administration is currently targeting charter schools, introducing provisions that would place even more onerous requirements and restrictions on establishing these learning institutions. However, he had no qualms about sending both of his sons, Beau and Hunter Biden, to an expensive private school.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who also attended a private all-girls Catholic school, sent her only son to an Episcopal high school in Virginia which currently charges $64,900 per year. Yet, she has frequently voted against vouchers and scholarship programs for low-income children to attend the same types of schools. “Private school vouchers are a bad idea,” she said in a 2008 press release.
Gavin Newsom (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
California Gov. Gavin Newsom also attended a private school in San Francisco when he was a child, and sends his four children to a private school in Sacramento County. He received backlash when he sent his kids back to in-person learning while other California schools were locked down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The governor slammed school choice during his 2018 gubernatorial campaign, vowing to push back against former President Donald Trump’s efforts to promote educational alternatives for parents. “Vouchers and for-profit charter schools have no place in this state,” he said.
Newsom also signed a bill into law that further empowered local school districts to turn away new charter schools and close existing ones due to fiscal or leadership issues.
School choice has become another topic of interest amid the national debate over education. Parents became concerned about districts infusing K-12 classrooms with far-lef ideas on gender, sexuality, and race and started seeking other options. Public school attendance has taken a significant dip over the past two years, while private schools have seen a spike. There has also been a remarkable increase in the number of families choosing to homeschool their children. NPR reported in December 2021 that private schools experienced a 1.7% increase in enrollment between 2020 and 2022.
With this new paradigm shift in education, it can be no wonder that Democratic politicians – most of whom receive oodles of cash from teachers’ unions – are fighting so hard against the notion that parents should be able to choose where and how their children are educated. But their hypocrisy begs the question: If public schools are so stellar, why aren’t these politicians sending their kids there?
Another important point is the fact that charter schools, as well as other alternatives, have been shown to be greatly beneficial for low-income children – especially those in predominantly black and Hispanic communities. Why would Democrats oppose measures designed to provide better education for supposedly marginalized people? Perhaps leftists aren’t quite as concerned about the little guy – or his children – as they would have the public believe.
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