JACKSON — Linda McMahon, the United States Secretary of Education, toured a Jackson-area school on Thursday, championing state control of education while advocating for the elimination of her department’s role in managing K-12 schools.
McMahon, accompanied by Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon, visited Jackson Hole Classical Academy as part of her 50-state “Returning Education to the States Tour,” which, according to a department spokesperson, is intended to “empower families and hear from students, teachers, and leaders on best practices in their own communities.”
“You look at the states that have been so successful raising their scores…that’s not because of anything that is done at the federal level,” McMahon told lawmakers on Thursday. “That’s because of what’s done at the state level.”
Savannah Newhouse, the spokesperson, added that the tour fulfills President Donald Trump’s “most momentous promises” to American families about restoring parental control over their children’s education.
McMahon had previously visited FuturEdge Charter Academy in Las Vegas, Nevada, in April, accompanied by U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Florida. The secretary also visited Arapahoe Community College in Littleton, Colorado, in July.
She will travel to Montana on Thursday to visit another educational institution before departing to attend the funeral of Charlie Kirk, a political influencer who was killed last week while speaking at Utah Valley University.
Visit
McMahon and Gordon toured several classrooms, during which they encountered students studying everything from number theory and classical literature.
McMahon was impressed by what she saw at the school, describing the students she met as “eloquent” during a roundtable discussion.
The secretary told Cowboy State Daily that she still agrees with Trump on the future of the Department of Education, but she denied that her ultimate goal is to see it “dismantled.”
“First of all, I want to return to the idea that you keep using the word ‘dismantled,'” she told Cowboy State Daily. “I keep saying returning education to the states and getting rid of the bureaucracy of education.”
McMahon added that she does not believe her department can accept credit for schools that improved during Trump’s presidency. According to her, the most significant impact on test scores has come from state-level teaching improvements.
When asked how Gordon intends to approach education with less federal oversight, the governor emphasized Wyoming’s uniquely independent attitude, which he said distinguishes it from other places along the East Coast.
“When you get a national prescription that may have been for a place like New York City, it’s hard to apply here in Wyoming,” he told me.
Schools that force students to choose between two classes, such as math and band, are a disservice caused by bureaucratic red tape, Gordon claims.
“They can do both,” he explained.
McMahon also discussed civics education, which she believes has been lacking in the United States. Her national tour, she explained, is intended to encourage this type of learning in schools across the country.
“I think it is really fitting that civics be taught all across our country,” according to her. “I think it is critical. I’m thrilled to be a part of this upcoming tour over the next year.”
National Headwinds
President Donald Trump has repeatedly called for an end to the Department of Education, lambasting it as a tool of indoctrination which continually produces underperforming students. He has advocated instead for states to take control of their curricula.
“Closing the Department of Education would provide children and their families with the opportunity to escape a system that is failing them,” the president wrote in his March executive order. “Ultimately, the Department of Education’s main functions can, and should, be returned to the States.”
McMahon remains in lockstep with Trump on this issue, despite the potential negative impact on her own job. She addressed this in a March press release, describing the charge as the department’s “momentous final mission”.
“Our job is to respect the will of the American people and the President they elected, who has tasked us with accomplishing the elimination of bureaucratic bloat here at the Department of Education — a momentous final mission — quickly and responsibly,” she tweeted. “Removing red tape and bureaucratic barriers will empower parents to make the best educational choices for their children.”
Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder, who attended Thursday’s event, shares this vision. She was at the White House in March when Trump signed an executive order that stripped the department of most of its legal authority.
“It’s just a truly momentous and historic day for education in America, and it’s a win for American students,” Degenfelder told the crowd. “We’re taking out the middle man in education, putting education back where it belongs — in the classroom and not in D.C. offices.”
