Republican candidates vying for their party鈥檚 2024 presidential nomination took shots at teachers鈥� unions, denounced critical race theory and gender ideology, called for the elimination of the U.S. Department of Education, and pushed for expanded school choice at their first official debate of the primary season on Wednesday night.
Education was the subject of an approximately 15-minute segment during the debate, . Fox News host Bret Baier introduced the segment by outlining a 鈥渃risis in education,鈥� following a pandemic-induced slide in academic achievement. (.)
Education isn鈥檛 often a winning issue in presidential elections in part because the federal government has a limited role in governing schools. States and local school districts have the most control over decisions about curriculum and standards, school choice policy, and teacher pay.
Still, the president has a major influence over their party鈥檚 platform, which can reverberate across states and local communities. So the eventual nominee will likely influence how conservative politicians approach K-12 education.
Here are highlights of what the candidates had to say about K-12 schools during the debate.
1. DeSantis shied away from 鈥榳oke鈥� but still warned of indoctrination
With former President Donald Trump absent from the debate stage, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was the frontrunner among those present in Milwaukee.
As governor, DeSantis has made waves by passing policies that restrict teaching about curriculum related to race, gender identity, and sexuality鈥攑olicies that Republicans elsewhere have emulated. His administration has also revised African American history standards to teach that 鈥渟ome slaves developed highly specialized trades from which they benefitted鈥� and sparred with the College Board over Advanced Placement Psychology and African American Studies courses. Revisions to state civic standards have also highlighted American exceptionalism and patriotism, and religion鈥檚 role in the nation鈥檚 founding.
In the presidential race, DeSantis has used his policy wins in Florida to position himself as a defender of parental rights, but that strategy hasn鈥檛 translated into the governor providing real competition to Trump, who currently leads the race in polls by a wide margin.
During the debate, DeSantis touted his education record in Florida, highlighting how the state has 鈥渆liminated critical race theory鈥� and 鈥済ender ideology鈥� from classrooms.
鈥淲e need education in this country, not indoctrination in this country,鈥� DeSantis said, repeating a frequent line.
But notably, the governor did not use the word 鈥渨oke鈥� to talk about education, which he鈥檚 used repeatedly to characterize efforts to make schools more inclusive of LGBTQ+ students and teach history that acknowledges white supremacy鈥檚 role in contributing to systemic racism.
His use of the term hasn鈥檛 been limited to education, but he鈥檚 also conceded that . A showed Republican primary voters weren鈥檛 particularly motivated to support a candidate focused on defeating 鈥渨oke鈥� ideology.
2. Candidates pledged to get rid of the U.S. Department of Education
Four candidates鈥擭orth Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy鈥攃alled for the end of the federal Education Department, a policy position that has been commonplace among conservatives since the department鈥檚 origins in 1980.
鈥淟et鈥檚 shut down the head of the snake: the Department of Education,鈥� Ramaswamy said. 鈥淭ake that $80 billion [and] put it in the hands of parents across this country. This is the civil rights issue of our time.鈥� (The department鈥檚 is just under $80 billion.)
Shutting down the department would not be as simple as issuing an executive order or presidential mandate. It would take an act of Congress, and conservative members have tried multiple times to pass such a bill with no success.
If the department and all its functions were to go away, schools would lose 7 to 8 percent of their funding each year, from programs such as Title I and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. While state and local sources account for the vast majority of education budgets, some districts depend on the federal government for a significantly larger proportion of their revenue.
It would also change how the federal government investigates school-based violations of students鈥� civil rights under laws like Title IX, IDEA, and the Civil Rights Act, which aim to ensure that all students receive an equal education, as such complaints currently go to the Education Department鈥檚 office for civil rights.
The candidates didn鈥檛 touch on how they鈥檇 replace these resources during the debate. Ramaswamy suggested giving the department鈥檚 funding directly to parents to spend on their child鈥檚 education, mimicking state efforts to give public per-pupil funds to families so they can cover the costs of private school tuition and other expenses, usually through education savings accounts or vouchers.
Pence also called for an expansion of school choice, pledging to 鈥済ive choice to every family in America when I鈥檓 in the White House.鈥�
3. Burgum disputed that teachers and schools are indoctrinating students
Burgum, the North Dakota governor, used his time to call for innovation in schools while challenging claims that schools and teachers are working to 鈥渋ndoctrinate鈥� students with 鈥渓iberal鈥� or 鈥渨oke鈥� ideologies. The statement was a stark departure from the rhetoric that has become common among Republicans.
鈥淪ome school districts are doing a fantastic job, some less so,鈥� Burgum said, 鈥渂ut the idea that every school district, state, and every teacher is somehow indoctrinating people is just false.鈥�
While Burgum sounded different from some of his rivals, he鈥檚 signed legislation prohibiting teaching about critical race theory; barring transgender athletes from playing sports that align with their gender identity; and allowing teachers and other state government employees to ignore transgender students鈥� pronouns while requiring teachers to alert parents if their child identifies as transgender.
Burgum didn鈥檛 mention those policies during the debate鈥攈e鈥檚 tried to in his campaign. Instead, he referred to teaching as a 鈥渓ow-paying job鈥� but didn鈥檛 go so far as to suggest that the federal government work to raise teacher pay.
鈥淭eachers in this country, the vast majority of them care about those kids,鈥� Burgum said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e working in low-paying jobs and they鈥檙e fighting for those kids and their families.鈥�
4. Haley called for reading remediation 鈥渁ll over this country鈥�
Former South Carolina Gov. and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley didn鈥檛 use her time to tackle 鈥渋ndoctrination鈥� in schools, a departure from much of her rhetoric on the campaign trail. Instead, she called for efforts to accelerate student reading.
Students鈥� reading achievement plummeted after the onset of the pandemic and has continued to drop in subsequent years. Haley paraphrased research showing that kids who aren鈥檛 reading at grade level by 3rd grade are four times less likely than peers to graduate from high school on time.
鈥淲e can talk about all of these things鈥攁nd there鈥檚 a lot of crazy woke things happening in schools鈥攂ut we鈥檝e got to get these kids reading,鈥� Haley said.
Another former governor on stage, Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, also focused squarely on student achievement and the United States鈥� competitiveness with China. He pledged to expand the availability of computer science classes to all schools.
Haley also called for more transparency in the classroom 鈥渂ecause parents should never have to wonder what鈥檚 being said or taught to their children,鈥� and argued for more career and technical education, which has become a bipartisan priority in many states in the post-pandemic landscape.
She also called for laws that prohibit transgender students from playing sports that align with their gender identity, which she has previously called 鈥渢he women鈥檚 rights issue of our time.鈥� Such prohibitions have passed in 23 states, though some bans are held up in court, and the Biden administration has proposed rules that make such categorical bans illegal under Title IX at any school receiving federal funding.
5. Scott and Christie took shots at a familiar GOP foe
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie identified a clear enemy when it comes to K-12 schools: teachers鈥� unions.
鈥淭he only way we change education in this nation is to break the backs of the teachers鈥� unions,鈥� Scott said. 鈥淭hey are standing in the doorhouse of our kids, locking them in failing schools, and locking them out of the greatest future they can have.鈥�
Conservative politicians have long been at odds with teachers鈥� unions, and tensions have escalated as of late.
Earlier this year, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, endured a congressional hearing in which Republican House members accused her organization of conspiring with the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention to keep schools closed during the pandemic. Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo referred to Weingarten as 鈥渢he most dangerous person in the world鈥� last year. And a handful of Republican-backed state laws this year have prohibited automatic payroll deductions for teachers鈥� union dues.
Christie accused teachers鈥� unions of 鈥減utting themselves before our kids鈥� during the debate. After he was asked a question about how he would respond to UFO sightings, Christie flipped his answer back to teachers鈥� unions.
鈥淭hat is the biggest threat to our country, not UFOs,鈥� he said.
The conservative attacks on teachers鈥� unions will likely continue as the election cycle heats up. President Joe Biden will likely use his platform to call for higher pay and better working conditions for teachers.
The nation鈥檚 two largest teachers鈥� unions have had a close relationship with U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. And First Lady Jill Biden, a community college professor, is a member of the largest teachers鈥� union, the National Education Association, something her husband .
