Adam Wittenberg | February 1, 2025
(The Lion) — Donald Trump’s not just talking about school choice, he’s acting on it.
Trump, who started his second term in office last week, hosted the National School Choice Week Roundtable at the White House Friday with top Republican governors, lawmakers and policy experts, White House Press Secretary Karolina Leavitt told the media at a 1 p.m. press conference.
“It’s National School Choice Week, and in part of the president’s commitment to education, he just left a roundtable in the Roosevelt Room focused on this issue with leaders from across the country,” she said.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who helped pass universal school choice in that state, moderated the discussion, the Daily Wire reported.
“Education freedom is a nationwide movement,” she posted on X. “Excited to join President Donald Trump and a few of my Republican colleagues at the White House today to talk about the education revolution happening across America.”
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, fresh off the passage of a universal school choice measure during a special legislative session, was there, along with Texas Lt. Gov. Daniel Patrick, whose state is expected to pass a universal choice bill this year.
Other attendees included Govs. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia and Jeff Landry of Louisiana, as well as several lawmakers, the chancellor of New York’s Catholic Archdiocese, and several prominent school choice backers, such as Jeff Yass, who donated $900,000 to help save South Carolina’s choice program.
“The White House is excited to honor National School Choice Week with this roundtable. President Donald Trump wants parents throughout the nation to be empowered to direct their children’s education,” a senior White House official told Daily Wire.
The meeting comes two days after Trump signed an executive order pledging a plan to use federal funds to “expand education freedom for America’s families.”
During National School Choice Week, advocates gather to celebrate and advance choice programs in states across the nation, including rallies in various state capitols.
School choice is faring well since Trump’s election, with Tennessee passing its bill, Texas and Wyoming working on passing their bills, and several other states proposing laws to establish or expand their programs.
Nationally, school choice topped 1.2 million participants this year in more than 80 programs spread throughout 33 states. This is up dramatically from 600,000 participants prior to the pandemic.
Luncheon attendee Kellyanne Conway, a former Trump advisor, lauded the roundtable and growth of school choice in America. She also called on Congress to pass Trump’s Educational Choice for Children’s Act “to expand school choice to all 50 states and give 2 million students the chance to choose the school that best serves them.”
This article was made available to EdNews Virginia via The Lion, a publication of the Herzog Foundation.