(NewsNation) — Supporters of school choice are slated to address the House’s Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education at a Tuesday morning hearing.
Proponents of school choice programs say parents should get to choose where their children are educated and how tax dollars allocated for education are spent, while detractors worry redirecting funds could gut public education.
School choice initiatives, which vary greatly from state to state, are gaining ground across the country as the Trump administration makes school vouchers and parental choice a major focus of its education agenda.
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Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon told NewsNation last week that students “shouldn’t be trapped in a failing school,” referring to public institutions. Instead, she wants the funding for public schools to go toward relocating students to charter or public schools.
“They should have the ability to do that,” McMahon said. “Parents know the success of their children is going to depend on where they’re able to get their education.”
The hearing, titled “Education Without Limits: Exploring the Benefits of School Choice,” is scheduled for 10:15 a.m. ET.
What is school choice?
School choice is an umbrella term for educational initiatives allowing parents to enroll their children in schools other than their assigned public school — including charter schools, private institutions and homeschooling — often using public funding.
An executive order signed Jan. 29 gave McMahon, who had not yet been confirmed, 60 days to “issue guidance regarding how States can use Federal formula funds to support K-12 educational choice initiatives.”
President Donald Trump’s order specified that education freedom should be given “priority in discretionary grant programs,” which the Department of Education defines as “financial assistance in the form of money by the Federal government to an eligible grantee.”
Essentially, the Trump administration wants to help students switch schools through taxpayer-funded vouchers, scholarships and grants. How that would happen — and what it would cost — has not yet been outlined.
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Some Republicans on Capitol Hill believe adopting these methods would help America’s students regain ground on declining national test scores, but opponents say the federal funding switch-up would negatively impact public schools that need the most help.
“In rural America, there’s one school in the community. You undercut it, and education just dramatically declines,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
“Without good schools, without the funding to support these schools, children will be hurt, our country will be worse off, and the American dream falls by the wayside,” he said.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, roughly nine out of 10 K-12 students in the U.S. attended public schools as of 2021.
Department of Education’s future
Tuesday’s hearing comes as Trump’s White House looks to dissolve the Department of Education altogether. The agency’s closure was a cornerstone of his campaign and serves as the so-called “final mission” for McMahon’s subordinates.
Last week, Trump was scheduled to sign an executive order asking McMahon to essentially put herself out of a job, though it was delayed. A White House official told NewsNation the administration would continue to review the department in the meantime.
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“He’s been crystal clear that he wants to see the Department of Education closed, and he’d like to see it done sooner rather than later,” McMahon said. “But he understands that we need to work with Congress. There are certain things that are in statute.”
It would take an act of Congress to shutter the agency.
“I think my job is to convince Congress that the steps that we are taking are in the best interest of the kids,” McMahon said.
