Teachers union boss Randi Weingarten claims school choice 'undermines democracy'

The leader of one of the nation's largest teachers unions was seen in a viral video saying that school choice "undermines democracy."

American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten made the remarks at the "Network for Public Education Action" national conference in October.

A clip of her remarks blasting methods of school choice was shared on X and went viral on social media this week.

In the video, Weingarten took aim at former White House Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, Manhattan Institute's Christopher Rufo, and American Federation For Children Senior Fellow Corey DeAngelis for advocating for school choice measures.

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"They have not one thing that they offer as a solution other than privatizing or voucherizing schools which is about undermining democracy and undermining civil discourse and undermining pluralism because 90% of our kids go to public schools still," she said. "They just divide. Divide. Divide. Divide." 

School choice policies allow parents to send their kids to schools outside their neighborhood or opt out of going to the public school in their neighborhood. Most states restrict parents to schools within their zip code or the school district that presides over their residential area.

Teachers unions typically lobby against school choice because they claim it siphons off taxpayer funding that is being allocated to other educational options and instead could be used to boost teachers' salaries, invest in public school facilities, and recruit more teachers. 

The video of Weingarten was shared by Parents Defending Education president Nicole Neily.

"Randi Weingarten says people who want to let families choose where they send their children to school are attacking our democracy," Neily said in a tweet about the video.

DeAngelis sent Fox News Digital a comment reacting to Weingarten's comments, saying that "it's nice living rent-free in Randi Weingarten’s head."

"This video tells me we're over the target. She knows she's losing power and there's nothing she can do about it," he added. "Randi Weingarten complains that we only offer one solution, which is an odd critique. That's like criticizing a doctor for prescribing antibiotics to treat strep throat. Of course I'm going to offer the best solution: empowering all families to choose the education providers that best meet their needs and aligns with their values."

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DeAngelis said, "She undermined democracy when she fought to keep schools closed as long as she possibly could. But the truth is the left uses this phrase–just like they do when they call everything racist–to throw anything at the wall to see what will stick. There is zero logic to her argument – it's just an attempt to smear the perfectly reasonable policy of allowing families to take their own children's education dollars to the education providers of their choosing."

The AFT did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Weingarten's comments came after school choice policies made significant gains across the country in the past few years with  a wave of red states passing school choice bills. 

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Arizona led the charge in the summer of 2022 by opening up its Educational Savings Account program to all students, eliminating restrictions that had limited it to those in poor-performing school districts, Indian reservations, and those with disabilities.

Other Republican governors followed suit, making significant inroads in pushing universal school choice legislation, which did not exist anywhere in the country a few years ago.