Story highlights Chief of teachers' union questions qualifications of Betsy DeVos, prospective education secretary

Randi Weingarten, on CNN: DeVos wants to drain public schools of the dollars they desperately need

(CNN) Ahead of Betsy DeVos' hearing to become education secretary, her experience with public schools is being called into question.

"It's totally true, she has no connection to public schools," Randi Weingarten, president at the American Federation of Teachers, told CNN's Carol Costello on Tuesday. "What she wants to do is actually just drain the public system of the dollars it desperately needs."

President-elect Donald Trump's pick did not attend public school, and neither did any of her four kids, which is concerning to some of DeVos' critics. Weingarten, who supported Hillary Clinton in the presidential election, called her "the most anti-public education nominee who has ever been nominated for that position."

The president of the American Federation of Teachers, @rweingarten, makes the case against Betsy DeVos. https://t.co/yhz5Qi14CI — CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) January 17, 2017

"There is no precedent for an Education Department secretary nominee with your lack of experience in public education," wrote Warren, who also raised concerns about DeVos' "seemingly nonexistent record on higher education."

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