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Trump announced Tuesday, Nov. 19, that Connecticut's Linda McMahon, co-founder and former CEO of WWE, chairwoman of a Trump super PAC and think tank, and co-chair of his transition team, would head the department in his new administration. She also served as his administrator of the Small Business Administrator from 2017 through 2019 during his first term.
"The nomination of billionaire Linda McMahon — a retired wrestling industry executive with no teaching experience — to serve as US Secretary of Education represents a reckless shift in our nation’s education priorities," CEA President Kate Dias said in a statement released Wednesday.
Trump has promised to axe the Department of Education for "indoctrinating young people with inappropriate racial, sexual, and political material."
While Trump says McMahon will be a "fierce advocate for parents’ rights," some educators see her nomination as a threat to marginalized children, including LGBTQ+, disabled, and poor students.
"McMahon’s objective will likely be to dismantle the very agency she has been tapped to oversee: the U.S. Department of Education, which takes a lead role in providing equal access to education, protecting the rights of students and educators, and ensuring American students — particularly those with disabilities and those in high-poverty areas — receive the support and resources they need," Dias said. "The incoming administration’s agenda puts a long list of protections at risk, including students’ civil rights, special education services, reasonable class sizes, job training programs, and resources for our most vulnerable students."
Dias believes McMahon will use her power to push public funds to corporate-run charter schools and voucher systems, which she said could have serious consequences for transparency and accountability.
Betsy DeVos, Trump's Secretary of Education during his first term, also backed these initiatives. DeVos, who resigned from Trump's first administration over his handling of the January 6th attack on the Capitol, told Fox News that McMahon would be a force for change in "depowering" the Department of Education and "empowering" local school districts.
Trump has said he wants Congress to codify school choice for parents. However, similar measures were rejected by voters in three states during this election, including Kentucky and Nebraska, which overwhelmingly backed Trump's bid for the White House, according to Education Week.
A federal law, however, would supersede those measures.
Dias implored the US Senate to reject McMahon's nomination as education secretary.
"Our students deserve better," she said.
Trump has said he wants to circumvent the Senate with recess appointments.
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