On February 7th, a woman who has never attended, sent her kids to, or even openly advocated for a public school system, was confirmed to be the Secretary of Education. Aside from those obvious concerns, there are plenty more reasons to be bothered by this decision.

The most prominent criticism of Betsy DeVos would have to be her overall lack of experience. During the confirmation hearings, Senator Warren pointed out that the Department of Education is tasked with managing a one trillion dollar loan portfolio as well as running a grant program that provides over 30 billion dollars in aid annually. DeVos has absolutely no experience running any sort of loan program, banking, or even government-related experience.

That being said, many people are enthusiastic about the idea of having an “outsider” come to change the status quo of the government’s involvement with education. This may have been true if we were discussing an individual who has shown any sort of history with being beneficial for the public school system as a whole. Instead, DeVos has spent much of her life championing the use of a voucher system that essentially supports private, religious schools with no strings attached.

Additionally, I’m not convinced that buying your new position through donations to the Republican National Committee really makes you an “outsider.” Someone who has the sheer financial capital to lobby members of congress to bend to their wants and needs throughout their lifetime is anything but an outsider. Lining the pockets of those who had to vote her into her new position cannot be placed under the guise of bringing a fresh set of eyes to the table.

On top of lacking the fundamental pieces of experience needed to do the job, DeVos was entirely unprepared and, quite frankly, embarrassing throughout the Senate hearings. Between being unable to answer some of the most basic questions related to prominent education issues and displaying her lack of understanding regarding federal laws superseding state laws, it’s worrisome to say the least.

If the recent past is any indication of how DeVos plans to execute her duties while occupying her position of Secretary of Education, then we all have quite a bit to be concerned about. She may have experience regarding pay-to-play politics, but that is the farthest from the kind of experience the public education system needs.