President Donald Trump recently proclaimed that U.S. schools are “last in education out of 40 [countries],” but “No. 1 in cost per pupil.” Despite both of these statements being false, Trump is clearly determined to lift our nation’s failing public education system out of the gutters. More than one in three public school students are behind in grade level, while around half of Americans say K-12 education is going in the wrong direction.
Who did Trump, in this hour of darkness, pick to save our public education system? He, of course, picked a long-time World Wrestling Entertainment executive, twice failed U.S. Senate candidate and defendant in a striking sex abuse lawsuit: Linda McMahon.
This choice is somehow worse than Trump’s pick for secretary of education during his first term, Betsy DeVos. From 2017–20, DeVos muddied sexual assault regulation, promoted privatization of the school system and scuttled protection for defrauded students put in place by former President Barack Obama's administration. McMahon is ready to pick up right where DeVos left off. She is in favor of ending Title IX protection for transgender students, significantly expanding so-called “school choice” and implementing financial restructuring at the Department of Education. During her confirmation hearing, McMahon repeatedly failed to answer simple questions about legislation concerning children with disabilities and low-performing schools. McMahon will also now serve under a president who is actively seeking to eliminate her job. If confirmed, McMahon will be devastating to an already precarious public education system that has faced years of declining test scores.
All of this is to say that McMahon is acutely unfit to become head of the Department of Education. However, as McMahon has now been confirmed by Congress, it is helpful to examine her major policy goals. McMahon is uniquely focused on the idea of advancing school choice as a solution to America’s educational challenges. School choice refers to a recent reform movement that seeks to channel taxpayer money — in the form of vouchers — to be used as funding for educational institutions other than public schools. This could include private schools, charter schools, online schools or homeschooling, effectively diverting taxpayer money towards elite private institutions.
The implementation of such an initiative would effectively deal a death blow to the public school system. I’ve already written about the poor performances and drawbacks of charter schools. Online schools have been shown to have huge negative effects on children’s wellbeing, while homeschooling often results in educational neglect. It is quite clear that more funding to these alternatives will not benefit American children but will instead have huge adverse consequences for the future of education in this country.
McMahon’s support for school choice runs much deeper than how schools should be funded. Her vision for a privately run yet publicly funded education system is fundamentally incompatible with the American Dream. The American public education system should provide quality education to all American children — from rich to poor, from inner cities to rural farmsteads. However, a school voucher program will likely only result in a flood of students into already elite private schools with little to no oversight. An audit in Arizona found that vouchers have been spent on “educational” activities ranging from televisions to horse-riding lessons. Thus, under a school choice system, students already rich enough to be enrolled in private schools essentially get “subsidized” by taxpayer money, while students who truly need assistance are left out to dry. This will only deepen educational inequalities within this country. I, for one, do not want my taxpayer money going towards some CEO’s child’s horse-riding lessons.
Private schools that could be paid by these school vouchers hold the right to reject students based on test scores, religion, disability, English proficiency or LGBTQ+ status. Every child within this country should be guaranteed a good, well-rounded public education. Children in this country should never be denied an education because of test scores, disabilities or sexual orientation. Say no to school choice. Say no to privatizing public education. And say no to Linda McMahon.
