A Tale of Three Statements
Education groups respond to the prospect of Linda McMahon as Education Secretary
Education groups are beginning to weigh in on Donald Trump’s selection of Linda McMahon to lead the Department of Education.
It’s an uninspiring selection, to be sure - a consolation prize for McMahon. Trump doesn’t really care who leads at Ed because he plans to dismantle the department and promote rapid privatization of America’s public schools. McMahon is nothing if not a promoter, so she just needs the script and she should be good to go.
Reading the statements of advocacy groups, though, provides interesting insight into their approach to the upcoming Trump Presidency.
First, Teach for America. Their statement reads like an invitation to cuddle up to McMahon (and Trump).
The announcement of Linda McMahon as the nominee for Secretary of Education presents an opportunity for the Secretary-designate and incoming administration to address the critical needs of our students, schools and communities, and to ensure that all students have the resources and support they deserve to learn and thrive.
Hmm. Nothing to see here, right? Just the same type statement you might make no matter who wins - as if a Trump presidency will just be “normal.”
Here’s what TFA had to say back in 2020:
The new administration is an opportunity to advance the cause of equity for children, to enact policies that seek to improve educational outcomes and root out systemic racism and injustice, and to bring our country together so we stop fighting each other and start solving the shared problems we face.
I suppose those were just platitudes. Trump is proposing eliminating the key guardrails that protect the nation’s most vulnerable students - students TFA was concerned about back in 2020. But now? Linda McMahon and Team Trump present an “opportunity” to address critical needs.
Oh, and this is the same Teach for America that brought us Kevin Huffman - TN’s failed Commissioner of Education - yes, he failed so miserably that school boards across the state passed votes of “no confidence” in him.
By comparison to TFA, the Education Law Center takes a stronger stand. The group, which helps fight for adequate and equitable school funding, raises some concerns about the McMahon nomination:
At a minimum, the Secretary of Education must support and respect the role of the U.S. Department of Education in fostering learning, assisting disadvantaged students, supporting state and local systems of public preK-12 education, and ensuring equitable access to postsecondary schools and diverse career pathways. The Secretary must also champion educators and the teaching profession and protect the civil rights of students and families.
Very serious questions have arisen regarding the qualifications and fitness of Linda McMahon, the current nominee for this critical role. On behalf of this nation’s children and educators, Education Law Center urges the U.S. Senate to fulfill its constitutional duty of “advice and consent” by thoroughly investigating the nominee’s background and experience and determining her suitability for the very weighty role for which she is being proposed.
Good. Serious questions.
Peter Greene put it more clearly:
“. . . she is completely and utterly unqualified to run the department.”
Exactly.
Moving on to the National Education Association.
They are not at all excited about McMahon nor do they see her potential tenure as an “opportunity.”
“By selecting Linda McMahon, Donald Trump is showing that he could not care less about our students’ futures. Rather than working to strengthen public schools, expand learning opportunities for students, and support educators, McMahon's only mission is to eliminate the Department of Education and take away taxpayer dollars from public schools, where 90% of students - and 95% of students with disabilities – learn, and give them to unaccountable and discriminatory private schools.
“Parents and educators will stand together to support students and reject the harmful, outlandish, and insulting policies being pushed by the Trump administration. They will make their voices heard, just as they did by resoundingly defeating vouchers in states like Colorado, Kentucky, and Nebraska.
And, an especially clear call to action:
“The Senate must stand up for our students and reject Donald Trump’s unqualified nominee, Linda McMahon. Our students and our nation deserve so much better than Betsy DeVos 2.0.”