DNC National Press Secretary Michael Tyler released the following statement on Secretary DeVos’s meeting with Rex Sinquefield, a multimillionaire who over the years has spent millions of dollars on anti-union and anti-public education initiatives:

“Democrats will continue to stand with teachers, parents and students who believe that the Secretary of Education ought to actually believe in public education. Sadly, Betsy DeVos has already made it pretty clear she doesn’t fit the bill: Just last week she was pushing a budget that would decimate crucial initiatives like after school-programs, teacher training, and loan forgiveness programs for low-income students.

“This meeting with Rex Sinquefield is a continued effort by DeVos and Trump to surround themselves with likeminded individuals who have shown contempt for public education and American teachers and have spent millions of dollars on political initiatives that cut taxes for the rich, weaken our public schools, and make life more difficult for American families. Students, parents and teachers deserve better from their President and Secretary of Education.”

Rex Sinquefield has a long history of attacking teachers and public education:

Pushed a conspiracy theory claiming the KKK created public schools as a way to disenfranchise minorities:

Columbia Daily Tribune: “Millionaire conservative activist Rex Sinquefield seemed to embrace an unusual theory of why the U.S. has public schools Thursday in St. Charles — he said the Ku Klux Klan is responsible and that it was part of the racist hate group’s program for keeping blacks suppressed. During a lecture at Lindenwood College, Sinquefield explained his opposition to teacher tenure this way: ‘You know what. There was a column written and I hope I don’t offend anyone,’ Sinquefield said. ‘There was published column by a man named Ralph Voss, who was a former judge in Missouri. He now owns and writes for a newspaper in Central Missouri called the Unterrified Democrat — what a name — and it’s in Osage County, Missouri. ‘And he starts off, something like this, he said a long time ago, decades ago, the Ku Klux Klan got together and said how can we really hurt the African American children permanently? How can we ruin their lives? And what they designed was the public school system.’”

Has a long history of advocating for the elimination of teachers unions and teacher tenure:

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Opinion: “Following his speech, Sinquefield was asked about his support to eliminate tenure for teachers. That ignited Sinquefield into a rant not only against tenure but against public education and teachers. He added these incendiary words from a column in an Osage county newspaper: ‘A long time ago, decades ago, the Ku Klux Klan got together and said how can we hurt the African-American children permanently? How can we ruin their lives? And what they designed was the public school system.’”