Education

Dozens of North Carolinians and local advocates read banned books outside of the state’s General Assembly, protesting against several Republican proposals. Tuesday’s read-in, organized by Red, Wine & Blue,  included meetings with lawmakers to share concerns about book banning, discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community, attempts to erase Black and other marginalized communities in our state, and voting rights. 

Concerned about the devastating impact of the Trump administration’s goal to eliminate the US Department of Education, North Carolina educators and parents recently delivered letters to Senator Thom Tillis, urging him to oppose efforts to dismantle the department. Despite the opposition from his constituents, Sen. Tillis ignored these concerns and voted to confirm McMahon, alongside every other Senate Republican who cast a vote.

Parents, educators, and education advocates are sounding alarms about the Trump administration’s proposal to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE). Across the state, parents and teachers have expressed concern over the plan to erase funding from the millions of students who depend on federal education funding.

On Wednesday, North Carolina teachers and parents delivered letters to Senator Thom Tillis’ office, urging the senator to vote to keep the crucial department up and running.

While she has essentially no useful experience in public education, McMahon has lots of experience with both being and handling wealthy political donors, and her actual stances regarding education reflect that. In the name of “school choice”, McMahon favors redirecting public funding to private and charter schools that get to pick and choose exactly what kind of students they accept, unlike public schools which provide for all.  

McMahon is also a loyal MAGA Republican and has supported Trump’s pledge to dismantle the Department of Education.

“We have so many special education students in Wake County that if you pull them out, they would be the 14th largest school district in the state,” Chris Heagarty, Wake County School Board Chairman, told ABC 11. “Tell me in what world we live in where taking money away from kids like them is a good idea.”