WashingtonAccording to two people familiar with his plans, President Donald Trump is anticipated to sign a comprehensive executive order on Wednesday that will prioritize and free up government resources to expand school choice programs.
According to a senior White House official, the directive is anticipated to have an impact on a number of government departments, including the Department of Education, which would be instructed to give school choice initiatives priority when allocating discretionary grants and to advise states regarding federal funding for districts and schools.
According to the source, the Department of Health and Human Services will be required to publish guidelines outlining how states that receive block grants for families and children can utilize those funds for private and faith-based organizations.
Additionally, it would direct the interior secretary to submit a plan on how students at Bureau of Indian Education schools can use federal funds for school choice, and it would direct Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to present to Trump a plan on how military families can use department funds to send their children to schools of their choosing.
Trump was anticipated to sign the order, according to CBS Newsfirst.
This week is National School Choice Week, the Department of Education said on Sunday, showcasing “education freedom” by providing kids and families with options such as public schools, charter schools, private schools, and homeschooling.
“School choice empowers parents and guardians to pursue the best learning environment for their children,” the government stated in a press release. “It allows for innovative schooling models and methods that meet the unique needs of students across the nation.”
Opponents of school choice contend that it harms public schools by giving families vouchers to choose the schools for their children.
At the American Federation of Teachers’ annual convention last year, Randi Weingarten, the organization’s president, stated that studies have shown vouchers have a detrimental impact on student progress.
She claimed that wealthy families who already take their children to private and religious institutions now receive voucher subsidies. Privatizers destabilize and starve public schools in order to finance such giveaways.
During the transition process, Trump’s spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, stated that he believes “school choice is the civil rights issue of our time” and that it will “ensure all families have access to a great education, no matter their zip code.” Trump ran on a platform of increasing school choice programs.
Linda McMahon, the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment and the former administrator of the Small Business Administration under Trump’s first administration, is Trump’s nomination to lead the Department of Education, although the Senate has not yet confirmed her.