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Linda McMahon Archives - North Carolina Coalition for Charter Schools

Feb 20
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Senate HELP Committee advances McMahon’s nomination

By News

The Senate HELP Committee today voted to advance Linda McMahon’s nomination to serve as U.S. Secretary of Education, following her confirmation hearing last Thursday. Committee members voted 12-11, along party lines, to move her nomination forward. Watch today’s committee meeting and read more here.

The full Senate will now vote on McMahon, with that vote likely occurring in the next two weeks, according to Inside Higher Ed. Read more about today’s vote from PBS and The Hill.

What can charter leaders expect from McMahon? She has expressed support for public charter schools, and the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools wrote a letter supporting her nomination.

Here’s an excerpt from the Alliance’s letter:

We lead a diverse coalition of organizations, schools, teachers, and families in advocating at the federal and state levels for policies that treat public charter schools, their teachers and staff, and families fairly and protect the right of families to choose the public schools that best meet their children’s needs. Mrs. McMahon shares these priorities and has supported the public charter school community for decades. We are confident that under her leadership, the Department of Education will focus on improving outcomes for schoolchildren and increase public school options for families across America.

Read McMahon’s full remarks to the Senate HELP Committee from EdNC here. Here is an excerpt:

If confirmed as secretary, I will work with Congress to reorient the department toward helping educators, not controlling them.

My experience as a business owner and leader of the Small Business Administration, as a public servant in the state of Connecticut, and more than a decade of service as a college trustee has taught me to put parents, teachers, and students — not bureaucracy — first.

Outstanding teachers are tired of political ideology in their curriculum and red tape on their desks, and that’s why school choice is a growing movement across the nation. It offers teachers and parents an alternative to classrooms that are micromanaged from Washington, DC.

We should also emphasize career-focused education, especially in cutting-edge STEM fields. For American companies need high-skill employees. Our workers deserve more postsecondary pathways, career-aligned programs, apprenticeships and on the job learning, and jobs in tech, skill trades, and health care for non-college degree holders.

Photo credit: America First Policy Institute.

Dec 03
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Learn more about Linda McMahon, nominee for U.S. Secretary of Education

By News

On November 19, President-elect Donald Trump nominated Linda McMahon to serve as the next U.S. Secretary of Education. What is her professional background? Formerly the administrator of the Small Business Administration and a member of President Trump’s Cabinet during his first term, Ms. McMahon has co-chaired Trump’s transition team and served as board chair for the America First Policy Institute. Earlier, she co-founded World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and was a member of the Connecticut State Board of Education. She also served as a board trustee for Sacred Heart University and candidate for the U.S. Senate from Connecticut.

A North Carolina native, Ms. McMahon grew up in New Bern and graduated from East Carolina University. She lives in Connecticut.

Read more

  • Mebane Rash, the CEO and editor-in-chief of EdNC, has a new, in-depth profile out on Ms. McMahon. You can read it here.
  • Joshua Starr, a former school superintendent in Connecticut, has written an essay in Education Week about his experience of working with Ms. McMahon; read that here.
  • View the statement from President-elect Trump announcing Ms. McMahon’s nomination as U.S. Secretary of Education.

What will her priorities be if she is confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the next Secretary of Education? Here is what President-elect Trump outlined in his announcement:

As Secretary of Education, Linda will fight tirelessly to expand “Choice” to every State in America, and empower parents to make the best Education decisions for their families.

… Linda will use her decades of Leadership experience, and deep understanding of both Education and Business, to empower the next Generation of American Students and Workers, and make America Number One in Education in the World. We will send Education BACK TO THE STATES, and Linda will spearhead that effort.

This USA Today article shares additional insight on some of Ms. McMahon’s expected priorities. She has expressed support for charter school expansion, among other measures. Below, we share Ms. McMahon’s address to the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, WI.