Sen. Al Franken Opposed to School Choice Except for Own Kids’ 44K/Year Private School

Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) was highly critical of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos during her confirmation hearing, citing that DeVos had never attended a public school or sent a child to one, alphanews.com reported on March 2.

But Franken seems to like the idea of sending his own children to private schools — they attended Dalton School in New York City where tuition is $44,640 per year.

“Dalton is known for educating celebrities and children of royalty,” alphanews.com reported.

And Franken himself enjoyed attending a private school.

“According to an interview with Harvard Magazine, Franken was a math and science whiz as a boy,” alphanews.com reported. “As he approached secondary school years, his parents wanted to find a better school for their gifted student.”

“Franken ended up attending and graduating from Blake, one of the most exclusive private schools in the Minneapolis area, where the tuition for upperclassmen is currently $29,025 per year,” alphanews.com reported.

Calling DeVos “fundamentally unqualified to lead the Education Department,” Franken took part in the all-night session on the Senate floor to oppose her nomination.

“In reality, most school vouchers don’t cover the full cost of private school tuition,” Franken said. “Nor do they cover additional expenses like transportation, school uniforms, and other supplies.

“Which means the vouchers don’t create more choices for low-income families,” Franken said. “They simply subsidize existing choices for families who could already afford to pay for private school.”

Then Franken focused in on DeVos’s lack of experience with public schools.

“She has never attended a public school,” Franken said. “She has never sent a child to a public school.”

“During a speech in March 2015, DeVos said a child should not be forced to go to a school based on their family’s income or zip code,” alphanews.com reported.

“Let the education dollars follow each child, instead of forcing the child to follow the dollars,” DeVos said. “This is pretty straightforward.”

“And it’s how you go from a closed system to an open system that encourages innovation,” DeVos said. “People deserve choices and options.”

The Daily Caller reported that Franken is one of at least seven of 46 Senate Democrats that voted against DeVos who have children or grandchildren who attended exclusive private schools.