President Donald Trump’s nominee for Education secretary Linda McMahon faced Senate questioning on Thursday to lead the very same organization President Trump has called for dismantling.
President Trump has repeatedly lambasted the Department of Education.
“I'd like it to be closed immediately,” he said last week. “Look, the Department of Education is a big con job. We're ranked--so they ranked the top 40 countries in the world. We're ranked number 40th, but we're ranked No. 1 in one department, cost per pupil.”
McMahon echoed these sentiments on Thursday, saying the system is “not working.”
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, however, has ranked the U.S. educational system far better than President Trump’s assessment. Among 41 of the world’s top economies, the U.S. ranked eighth for educational attainment. The OECD said American students rank above global averages for reading, mathematics, and sciences.
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The OECD says the U.S. has the third-highest per-pupil spending in the world.
But McMahon believes the system is not working.
"The Department of Education was set up in 1980 — and since that time, we have spent almost a trillion dollars and we have watched our performance scores continue to go down," said McMahon. “I do believe it is our responsibility to make sure our children have equal access to excellent education. I think that is best handled at the state level.”
During her testimony, McMahon conceded that it would take an act of Congress to dismantle the Education Department.
“It is set up by the United States Congress and we work with Congress. It clearly cannot be shut down without it,” she said.
Committee Chair Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, said during Thursday’s hearing that schools simply don’t want help from the Department of Education.
“I’m hearing from schools across the country that they have stopped going after federal competitive grant funding because it’s not worth the hoops and red tape the Department of Education has placed on those dollars,” he said. “If schools are not eager to apply for competitive grants to improve operations, something is wrong. Something should change.”
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But National Education Association President Becky Pringle pushed back, saying families and schools are seeking more help from the federal government, not less.
“Americans all across this nation share our belief that every student—no matter their race or place, or the language they speak—deserves to attend public schools that are high-quality, safe, welcoming, and inclusive,” said Pringle. “As I travel around the country, I have heard from parents and educators that they want more resources, more opportunities that will help students live into their brilliance. They do not want to dismantle public schools and privatize them. Quite the opposite. Instead of sending money to private schools, they want us to strengthen public schools, where 90% of all children attend, not take money away from them.”
So far, McMahon’s nomination has faced little opposition from Republicans who have more than enough members in the Senate to confirm her nomination.
If confirmed, McMahon would be one among a handful of officials from Trump’s first term to return to his cabinet. During Trump’s first term, McMahon served as the administrator of the Small Business Administration.
