While her office may be located hundreds of miles away in the nation’s capital, local public school leaders have a lot to say about the nation’s new education secretary.

Michigan’s Betsy DeVos, President Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of education,, officially joined the cabinet last week following her confirmation by the Senate. DeVos’ appointment was highly contested, with the vote split 50-50 before Vice President Mike Pence cast the deciding vote in her favor — the first time a tie breaker was needed in a cabinet confirmation vote.

The 15th secretary of education will serve the nation by advising other leaders on the federal influence for education policy, and informing the president on education programs and activities.

As local school leaders look to the future, they said they hope the newest education secretary can focus on some of the most important issues impacting today’s public schools.

Brandywine Schools’ Superintendent John Jarpe said he will work with anyone who wants a better future for students.

Jarpe said he hopes to see DeVos find ways to provide schools with more resources to help impoverished students, such as Section 31 A funding for at-risk students, which Jarpe said is currently part of Michigan’s budget.

Brandywine Community Schools have a 60 percent free and reduced lunch rate, and a higher rate of young and or single parent families.

Dowagiac Union Schools also receives federal funding through the government’s Title I program. These dollars support several of the district’s efforts to improve math and literacy among students, including the Reading Recovery, summer school, afterschool tutoring and Saturday reading programs.

Jarpe was concerned that DeVos’ appointment could potentially worsen the situation for impoverished students in the public school system, due to her avid advocation for private schools and voucher programs.

The topic of school vouchers — or programs that allow parents to use state-funded scholarships to pay for their children to attend private schools — has come up before in Michigan. In 2000, state voters rejected a proposal to amend the state constitution to allow such programs — an initiative spearheaded by DeVos and her family.

Although the effort was defeated, some local school leaders are concerned that her continued support of vouchers could resurrect the issue at the state level once more.

“If our Republican governor and state legislators fall in behind her penchant for vouchers and a constitutional amendment, that will impact our local districts and especially our poorer students most negatively,” Jarpe said.

The state of the nation’s public school system could determine the future of the country, so these issues, in addition to providing more teacher and faculty to support it, are important, Jarpe said.

Buchanan Superintendent Andrea van der Laan shared similar concerns as Jarpe about DeVos’ disenchantment with the public school system.

“To discuss vouchers because ‘public schools do not work’ is simplifying a complex issue,” van der Laan said. “Before we can educate children successfully, we need to have adequate funding which would also pay for ‘wrap around services:’ counselors, social workers, etc.

“In addition, many facilities need to be upgraded, but not all states supply the funding.”

Van der Laan said she hoped the secretary of education could help advise the nation’s leaders as to how to give more power to local governments to help some of these changes come about.

Dowagiac Union Schools Superintendent Paul Hartsig is also opposed to the introduction of vouchers, as it would take public dollars away from districts, many of which are already strapped for dollars.

“All schools in the state survive off a limited pot of money, and we all try to stretch that funding as best we can,” Hartsig said. “The more pressure you place on that funding, the tougher it is for us to offer resources and programming to our students.”

He is also concerned about public funding for charter schools, which do not have the same level of scrutiny or requirements placed on them as public ones.

“We should all have the same set of rules and expectations,” he said. “There should not be any favorites or winners and losers.”

Another major issue leaders want to see addressed is funding for special education programs. Jarpe said he was concerned that DeVos would not address the funding gap, because she did not seem to have the basic knowledge on the topic.

DeVos is also perhaps most known as a champion to school choice, which allows students to attend a school they want to go to even if it is outside of their zip code.

Berrien County has a school of choice program for local students, though neither van der Laan nor Jarpe said they could see this aspect of the public school system being impacted.

Both Jarpe and van der Laan expressed similar concerns about DeVos’ familiarity with the education system, as she does not possess a degree in education nor has she worked extensively in the field.

“My major concern is that Secretary DeVos does not have an educational background of any kind,” van der Laan said. “If you have never been in the ‘trenches,’ you could not possibly understand what it takes to run a classroom successfully. It is not just about delivering knowledge. Educators are highly trained individuals who play multiple roles during the day.”

Hartsig expressed similar skepticism, saying that one would expect other presidential cabinet members to have worked in their respective fields of influence before taking office.

“It gives the impression that the education department is less important than other branches,” Hartsig said. “That is my biggest concern. I wish she had more training or a better background in education than what she has.”

Looking to the future, Jarpe said what he most hopes to see is a brighter future for students everywhere.

“I think she shows some caring about kids, and, if that is genuine, that is huge,” he said. “If it is phony, it is a disaster. I am willing to work with anyone who supports public education and cares about our children and our nation’s future.”