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Rumors of My Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos assures teacher union officials she will not be leaving the Department of Education. Jason Gonzales has the story in USA Today.

During a speech in Nashville on Thursday, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos called for education reform groups to continue the fight for school choice and said rumors of her departure are false.

She also issued a warning to teachers unions and “defenders of the status quo” that she is just getting settled into her post as President Donald Trump’s education secretary.

Jim Wrye, Tennessee Education Association spokesman and lobbyist “fired back” at Secretary De Vos, claiming, “She talks about union bosses, but this is a right-to-work state. The Tennessee teachers union is voluntary. . . .”

In 2011 Tennessee changed from traditional monopoly bargaining to “collaborative conferencing” involving all professional employees’ organizations that have at least 15% support among the bargaining unit teachers.