U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos will pack her bags and head to Florida for her first trip outside of Washington, D.C.
DeVos, who took over in the Department in January, will visit Orlando’s Valencia Community College Friday at 9 a.m.
DeVos will hold a roundtable with Valencia students who have taken dual-enrollment courses and will also meet with local employers and school leaders, according to Education Week.
A staunch school choice advocate, DeVos and President Donald Trump have routinely praised Florida as an example of how school choice positively impacts students.
This will be the second time DeVos has left D.C. for Florida this month. A few weeks ago, DeVos tagged along with Trump as he visited Orlando’s St. Andrew’s Catholic School, where Trump praised school choice programs with U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio.
During the visit, Trump promised to bring school choice programs like the ones in Florida nationwide, which would include private school vouchers, charter schools and tax credit scholarship programs.
DeVos has strong ties to Florida, especially the Orlando area.
A part-time owner of the Orlando Magic, she has been a longtime advocate of Florida school choice efforts, sending money to school board candidates who support the state’s Tax Credit Scholarship Program, which sends money for nearly 100,000 mostly low-income and minority students to attend private schools of their choosing in the Sunshine State.
DeVos is also a part-time resident of Florida, where she owns a home in Vero Beach.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
