About 100 protesters chanted as President Donald Trump arrived at an Orlando Catholic school where he highlighted school choice. The presidential motorcade rolled past the crowd protesting the president’s push for school choice.
Wendy Doromal, president of the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association, was among them. She says charter schools come and go, but public schools have remained.
“There is an agenda that is a wrecking ball to destroy public schools across our nation,” said Doromal, “divert funds from our public schools to charter schools that aren’t held to the same accountability as our public schools are.”
Inside St. Andrew’s Catholic School, the president toured the school and met with students and teachers. Trump was joined by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on what was billed as a listening tour.
“Education is the civil rights issue of our time, and it’s why I’ve asked Congress to support a school choice bill,” said Trump.
Florida’s program is funded by corporate donations in exchange for credit on tax bills. Those funds then help low-income families pay for private school. St. Andrew’s offers scholarships funded by the tax-credit program.