Linda McMahon鈥檚 rise to the nation鈥檚 top education job is set to come as the political stars align for some of the incoming president鈥檚 more ambitious education policy proposals: cuts to the federal education budget if not the elimination of the U.S. Department of Education, and a dramatic expansion of private school choice.
That backdrop has advocates for low-income students and teachers concerned about her lack of experience in education. At the same time, supporters of McMahon point to her background running a multibillion-dollar business enterprise as an asset in steering a giant federal bureaucracy with a roughly $80 billion budget.
McMahon, 76, was not the most outspoken candidate in contention for the education secretary鈥檚 job. But she鈥檚 been a part of Trump鈥檚 orbit for decades, most recently serving as co-chair of his transition team and as the chair of an organization that鈥檚 laid much of the groundwork for the president-elect鈥檚 second term. And the former pro-wrestling executive has long shown an interest in education.
鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely a pick out of the normal, and that is intentional,鈥� said Casey Cobb, an educational policy professor at the University of Connecticut in McMahon鈥檚 home state. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not inconsistent with his approach in 2016 in hiring an education outsider.鈥�
McMahon lacks formal education experience, but has shown an interest in kids
By her own account, McMahon thought she would become a classroom teacher, and she graduated with a French degree and a teaching certificate, according to her alma mater, East Carolina University. Instead, she went on to co-found and lead World Wrestling Entertainment, where she grew the brand for years into a multibillion-dollar enterprise.
Her interest in education did appear through her work at WWE. In 2000, she launched 鈥淕ET REAL,鈥� a campaign aimed at delivering positive messages about education and literacy to young adults through public service announcements, posters, and bookmarks featuring WWE stars.
Still, when she was eventually appointed to serve on the Connecticut state school board, the lawmakers charged with vetting her nomination were apprehensive about her knowledge of education. She went on to serve for a year on the board before stepping down to run for Senate in 2010.
One of her former colleagues on the board, Theresa Hopkins-Staten, said McMahon came to meetings prepared and engaged, and ready to ask questions.
鈥淚 always found her comments and discussion to be insightful and focused on the issues of learning and the children of Connecticut,鈥� Hopkins-Staten said in a phone interview.
Years later, McMahon is also facing questions about whether she鈥檚 qualified to serve in an education leadership role.
Becky Pringle, president of nation鈥檚 largest teachers鈥� union the National Education Association, called her 鈥済rossly unqualified.鈥� In a statement, Robert Kim, executive director of the Education Law Center, which supports litigation aimed at ensuring adequate public school funding, urged the U.S. Senate to 鈥渇ulfill its constitutional duty of 鈥榓dvice and consent鈥� by thoroughly investigating the nominee鈥檚 background and experience and determining her suitability for the very weighty role for which she is being proposed.鈥�
鈥淭he Secretary must also champion educators and the teaching profession and protect the civil rights of students and families,鈥� Kim鈥檚 statement said.
But McMahon鈥檚 reputation as a 鈥渘o-nonsense, top-level鈥� manager is more of an asset atop a big, federal bureaucracy like the U.S. Department of Education than decades spent in a classroom, said Jim Blew, who served as an assistant secretary under Betsy DeVos, Trump鈥檚 education secretary in his first term.
鈥淭he department needs a highly skilled executive manager. Stop. Period,鈥� said Blew, now the co-founder of the Defense of Freedom Institute, a nonprofit focused on conservative policy solutions. 鈥淵ou need someone with her skillset to come in and fix the multiple problems,鈥� including the troubled rollout of a new Federal Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.
From Blew鈥檚 perspective, she has 鈥渢he right values,鈥� particularly in embracing school choice, and is 鈥渃ompletely trusted by the president-elect.鈥�
Plus, the Senate has confirmed her before. The chamber as head of the Small Business Administration at the start of Trump鈥檚 first term.
Teachers鈥� unions worry about funding for public schools
Ahead of the 2016 presidential election, McMahon wrote that she was most concerned with what the next president would do with school choice鈥攖hough, at that point, charter schools were top of mind for her. Nearly 10 years later, school choice policies that provide families with public resources to spend on private school are likely to be high on the list of priorities for her to tackle as education secretary.
Another of Trump鈥檚 primary education-related campaign pledges was to eliminate the agency he plans to nominate McMahon to lead.
鈥淎ll this talk of dismantling the Department of Education, that鈥檚 a harder cast. It sounds easy but it鈥檚 probably not likely in the near term,鈥� said Cobb, the University of Connecticut professor. 鈥淲hat is likely is more reducing its footprint and probably streamlining and targeting programming that supports the conservative agenda around school choice.鈥�
That agenda prompted Pringle of the NEA to call on the Senate to reject McMahon鈥檚 nomination, saying in a statement that Trump 鈥渋s showing that he could not care less about our students鈥� futures.鈥�
The American Federation of Teachers, the nation鈥檚 second largest teachers鈥� union, said it was open to working with her, as it did with DeVos.
AFT President Randi Weingarten said the union would 鈥渨ork with anyone who puts the aspirations of our students, families and communities first.鈥�
鈥淭hat means strengthening public education, not undermining it,鈥� she said in a statement.
The senator who will need to steer McMahon鈥檚 nomination through the Senate praised her SBA experience
The senator who will be responsible for steering McMahon鈥檚 coming nomination through the chamber commended McMahon for her experience running the SBA in Trump鈥檚 first term while echoing the president-elect鈥檚 support for private school choice.
鈥淚 agree with President Trump鈥檚 statement that we need someone who is going to focus on parental choice in children鈥檚 education,鈥� U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican who is set to chair the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committee in January, said in a statement. 鈥淟inda McMahon鈥檚 experience running the Small Business Administration can obviously help in running another agency. I look forward to meeting with her.鈥�
Tiffany Justice, the co-founder of Moms for Liberty, the conservative group that rose to national prominence over its opposition to COVID-19 precautions and what its members characterize as 鈥渨oke鈥� indoctrination in public schools, said she was proud to support McMahon.
鈥淚 will help the incoming secretary any way I can to ensure parents get back in the driver鈥檚 seat of their child鈥檚 education,鈥� Justice, who was thought to be in the running for the secretary post, said in a statement.
The America First Policy Institute, which formed after Trump鈥檚 2020 loss to advance the former president鈥檚 policy agenda and which McMahon co-chairs, has developed an education policy agenda that aligns closely with that of Moms for Liberty.
for increased parental control over schools and the ability for parents to use public funds to enroll their children in private schools. It鈥檚 also taken aim at limiting lessons and curriculum that address with race, racism, gender, and sexuality., the organization advocates for the end of school district boundaries so parents can enroll their children in any school in their state.
Cobb, the University of Connecticut policy professor, says he worries that Trump鈥檚 agenda for education could ultimately lead to more division.
鈥淓ducation plays a role in educating our citizenry to have civic dialogue, to understand each other鈥檚 backgrounds, to respect each other鈥檚 backgrounds,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f we鈥檙e not going to be in the same schools together, which is ultimately a consequence of unfettered school choice, not to mention not discussing racism in American schools, or striking fear in teachers to not address racism at all鈥攚e鈥檙e missing tremendous opportunity to help bring the nation together.鈥�
