Hundreds of protesters gathered outside U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer’s Lincoln office Saturday afternoon to voice dissatisfaction with her decision to vote for the appointment of Betsy DeVos as secretary of education.
Members of Suit Up Nebraska, the Women’s March of Omaha and Indivisible organizations across Nebraska pulled together weekend rallies at Fischer’s offices across the state after she announced on Thursday her decision to support President Trump's nominee. Kathleen Burke, the director of Suit Up Nebraska, estimated more than 200 people at the Lincoln rally, nearly 80 in Scottsbluff, more than 70 and Kearney and “several hundred†in Omaha.
Soon after the announcement, opponents started a petition at calling for her resignation. As of Saturday afternoon, the petition had more than 5,000 supporters.
A final confirmation vote on DeVos is expected Monday in the Senate. On Saturday, members of the Lincoln community, perhaps as many as 400, gathered to encourage Fischer to change her mind.
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Cindy Cerny, a retired special education teacher at Lincoln Public Schools, comes from a family of four generations of teachers. She called and emailed Fischer’s office before the rally to voice her concerns on DeVos, but the office's voicemail was full.
“She has no business being the Secretary of Education,†Cerny said. “She’s lived her whole life against public schools, and I don’t feel that’s right.â€
Fischer’s office was reportedly flooded with calls after her announcement on Thursday. Around 6 a.m., she tweeted: “It's all hands on deck in my offices answering phones. If you are a Nebraskan who can't get through, try my website.â€
Burke said the abundance of phone calls and emails Fischer received illustrated her constituents’ frustrations.
“These rallies and phone calls and letters are evidence to the fact that people are tired of being dismissed and ignored by their representatives until the next election rolls around and they want to cater to us for our vote,†she said in an email.
The crowd on Saturday was filled with active and retired teachers, students, parents and others who are concerned about the future of the public school system under a department led by DeVos. The rally began at 2 p.m. outside Fischer’s office in the Historic Haymarket, with protesters spilling onto Eighth Street.
Those close to the office placed signs and notes on the windows with phrases such as “My children are more important than your money†and “Say no.†Others chanted, “Vote for our kids†and held signs with slogans saying, “A sister can change her shoes and her mind.â€
Burke said she was pleased with the turnout, especially since protesters had little time to prepare; Burke said Suit Up Nebraska started to design the rallies Thursday night.
“I am extremely pleased with the commitment of people to turn out on a little more than 24 hours notice,†Burke said. “I believe that is a testament to the level of concern and investment people have on the issue of education.â€
This wasn’t the first protest for Anna Hopkins, 77, who took part in sit-ins during the civil rights movement. She said she’s concerned DeVos’ support for charter schools and voucher programs will lead to a return of segregation in America’s school systems between the rich and poor.
“For the most part, it will turn the public schools into poverty schools,†she said.
Hopkins opposes the voucher programs DeVos promotes, which would allow parents to use public funds to pay for their child’s private school tuition.
“People have a choice between public education and private education, and if they choose private education, I feel like they should pay for it,†Hopkins said.
Fischer said through a news release that while she does not agree with DeVos on every issue, she believes DeVos has the ability and commitment to lead the department.
“I have received assurances from her in writing that the Department of Education will not impose new federal mandates related to vouchers on our schools," Fischer said last week.
Fischer, whose mom was an elementary school teacher in Lincoln for more than 30 years, also said DeVos "made a commitment to me in writing that she will work to protect all students, especially those with disabilities.â€
Still, Nebraskans attending Saturday's rally worry about the future of the education system.
Sisters Roxann Sattler and Renee Lyons-Stephenson, both retired public schools employees, protested out of concern for future students.
“I fear for education, I fear for the loss of resources,†said Sattler, a retired librarian. “There’s not enough money for education to begin with, so it’s got to go to the best place it can go. And to me, the best value for the buck is the public school system.â€
Samantha Madderom attended the rally with her 7-year-old daughter, holding a sign reading “I am the momma grizzly bear you should be concerned about.â€
DeVos received criticism after her confirmation hearing when she said guns may have a place in schools to protect children from threats of grizzly bears.
“It’s just the craziest thing ever,†Madderom said. "We need to protect our kids, but we don’t need to protect them from grizzlies. We need to protect them from people that don’t understand the importance of public education.â€