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Trump Education Secretary, Republican House Speaker Visit Detroit Schools

  • Sam Robinson

Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Twp in Detroit on . Photo: Samuel Robinson

U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon visited a number of schools Renaissance High School Monday in Detroit as part of a national tour championing conservative education policies.

McMahon, a former WWE executive tapped by President Donald Trump to lead the Department of Education, has been stopping in each state to promote school choice, parents rights and the end of diversity, equity and inclusion policies.

Republican House Speaker Matt Hall is also reportedly set to join McMahon during her visit to the Detroit school.

“President Trump has tasked U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to take the lead on one of his most momentous promises to families – returning education to the states and equipping all parents to choose an excellent education for their children,” according to a release from the Department of Education. “Secretary McMahon has embarked on a fifty-state tour to empower families and hear from students, teachers, and leaders on best practices in their own communities.”

McMahon has public appearances in Michigan Monday at Hillsdale College and at a Midland Republican Party event, but her visit to the Detroit schools were not publicized.

McMahon also visited Washington Parks Academy, a charter school in Redford Township and Pembroke Academy, a charter school in Detroit.

A spokesperson for the Detroit Public Schools Community District wouldn’t comment when asked to confirm the federal department head’s visit.

McMahon’s visits to other schools have sparked protests.

“I can’t think of a worse state for a ‘Returning Education to the States’ tour than Michigan, considering we haven’t passed a budget,” Rep. Regina Weiss, D-Oak Park, who represents the NW Detroit school in her district, told Michigan Chronicle on Monday. “Their budget would cut $37 million from Detroit, eliminate free and reduced lunch money, title dollars and other federal dollars. Michigan is an example of why we need federal oversight, not eliminate it.”

Last month, McMahon joined Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt for a visit and literacy roundtable at a charter school. She then participated in Stitt’s signing of a bill banning schools in Oklahoma from using state funds to support certain activities related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Rep. Hall also made the trip to the Detroit school with McMahon on Monday.

“Secretary McMahon and I visited Renaissance High School to see one of our most innovative high schools. Her visit highlights how the Trump Administration prioritizes the innovation, achievement, and spirit that make Renaissance a model for other schools,” Hall said in a statement to Michigan Chronicle. “Renaissance students and educators are proving every day what is possible when high expectations are matched with strong support. Showcasing their success to Secretary McMahon reinforced the importance of continuing to invest in schools that prepare young people for the future. That’s something we can all agree on.”
Hall said Secretary McMahon’s visit is “a clear sign of that commitment.”
“With this kind of federal partnership, Detroit’s students will not only succeed but set the standard for the nation,” Hall said.
State rep. Tonya Myers Phillips condemned Hall and McMahon’s visit in a statement that also criticized the Republican leader for the legislature’s inability to finalize a state budget.
She called the tour stop in Detroit political theatre.
Myers cited the Michigan Education Association, which has slammed the Republican approved budget that isn’t expected to be signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat. The group has described the proposal as a plan to “raid schools to pay for roads.”
“Speaker Hall and Secretary McMahon are smiling for cameras here in Detroit while pushing budgets that slash public education funding — including $37 million in cuts to Detroit schools,” Myers Phillips said in a statement. “To visit Detroit’s public schools while simultaneously stripping away the resources they need to succeed is dishonest, disingenuous, and harmful to the students, families, and educators who rely on them. Our students and schools deserve real investments, not this sham of a tour.
“Detroit has lived through the harm of chronic underfunding and painful school closures. If Republicans are sincere about valuing education, they would move beyond the political theater and commit to the real investments that House Democrats have championed to strengthen our schools and safeguard our children’s future.”

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Sam Robinson

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