BELLEVUE, Wash. >> An appearance from Education Secretary Betsy DeVos at a sold-out dinner for a conservative think tank in Bellevue has drawn hundreds of protesters.

DeVos will speak at the Washington Policy Center’s annual fundraiser in Bellevue Friday evening.

People participating in the anti-DeVos demonstration held signs saying “Fully Fund Education” and “Make American Think Again.”

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, King County Executive Dow Constantine and the Bellevue mayor, along with public school teachers, spoke at the protest.

The protesters also included some charter-school parents who say they object to DeVos’ school voucher policies. DeVos is a strong supporter of charter schools.

About a dozen counterprotesters organized by the Washington State Republican Party also demonstrated holding signs that said “Choose Your School” and “Get the Fed Out of Ed.”