Today, Republican Leader of the House Education and Labor Committee, Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), and Republican Leader of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), penned a letter to Secretary Cardona, asking for details regarding the role and scope of the Education Department’s senior advisor for labor relations.
In the letter, the Members write: "A position created to focus on labor relations within the U.S. Department of Education is concerning. As documented by meetings and media reports, the Administration has already given outsized opportunities for the teachers unions to weigh in on issues of policy. Creating a senior advisor for labor relations would indicate that the Department plans to maintain this specialized treatment for teachers unions." The Members continue: "As the Administration gets underway, it is critical to ensure you are staffing the Department with individuals looking out for what is in the best educational interests of children. Elevating union representation above the children of America’s public school system is the wrong way to accomplish that."
