Statement: Trump Centers School Boards In Education Remarks During Cabinet Meeting
August 26, 2025 — In response to today’s Cabinet meeting, the School Board Integrity Project’s founder and executive director, Kyrstin Schuette, released the following statement:
“Donald Trump's Cabinet meeting lasted nearly three hours. Of the approximately 10 minutes dedicated to discussing K-12 public education, the President emphasized the importance of local school boards. Despite his lies, one thing rings true: School boards are central in the fight for America's public education system—and the democracy it underpins.
“Today's Cabinet meeting is a call to action: If progressives are serious about resisting this administration's attacks on public education and the MAGA movement's assault on our democracy, we must invest in recruiting, training, and electing school board members who will practice good governance, pursue academic excellence and freedom, and foster schools where every student belongs.
“If progressives are serious about building a pipeline of leadership at the local level, we should look no further than school boards. With nearly 1 in 5 elected officials in the U.S. serving on a school board, the qualified, progressive leaders running for these important posts deserve our support. The stakes have never been higher.”
Background
Debunking Trump's Lies
Contrary to President Trump's claims about "bringing education back to the states," education has never left state control. The Constitution assigns education to the states, and states have always maintained primary authority over public education through state education departments, curriculum frameworks, and funding formulas. Local school boards—not federal bureaucrats—already make the vast majority of decisions affecting students, including setting local budgets, hiring superintendents, approving curriculum materials, and enacting policies that directly impact classroom instruction.
The Department of Education, which Trump seeks to eliminate, has historically focused on ensuring equal access to education through civil rights enforcement, providing targeted funding for students with disabilities and those from low-income families, collecting national education data, and supporting research—not controlling local curriculum or school operations.
School boards control more than $600 billion in annual expenditures nationally and oversee the education of approximately 50 million public school students through more than 82,000 school board members nationwide. These locally elected officials have real power: they decide how state and local dollars are spent, choose high-quality educational materials, hire district leadership, and protect equity for all students.
Trump and MAGA’s Attacks on Public Education
As students return to classrooms nationwide, the battle for America's educational future is intensifying at the local level. With federal attacks on public education through Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" and the Supreme Court's decision allowing the dismantling of the Department of Education, school boards have become the last line of defense for public education—and the democracy it underpins.
Trump’s so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” guts funding for public schools, cancels billions already allocated for teacher training and after-school programs, and freezes support for English learners. It cuts off Medicaid reimbursements that schools rely on to pay for nurses, mental health counselors and special education services. It shrinks access to free school meals. And it introduces a nationwide voucher-style tax break that sends public dollars to private and religious schools with almost no accountability.
The Supreme Court’s ruling to allow the Trump administration to proceed with dismantling the Department of Education has made things worse, paving the way for funding disruptions, weakened civil rights enforcement, and the erosion of basic support systems.
Meanwhile, conservatives are mobilizing to cement full control over our public education system. Right-wing political groups like Moms for Liberty (which reported $2.1 million in revenue in 2022) and America First Works are organized, well-funded, and winning local school board elections, turning what should be collaborative conversations about student success into divisive political battlegrounds. As a result, we’ve seen waves of book bans, LGBTQ discrimination, and curriculum restrictions — history whitewashed, facts erased, and students bullied.
SBIP is Fighting Back
But there is still hope. To protect students, we must elect school board members who will practice good governance, pursue academic freedom and excellence, and foster inclusive schools where every kid belongs. After all, the future we choose for our schools is the future we choose for our country.
The School Board Integrity Project has helped more than 500 school board candidates run for office across 40 states with an average win rate of 75%. With nearly 1 in 5 elected officials in the U.S. serving on school boards—making them the largest single category of elected officials in the country—these local races shape both education policy and the pipeline of American political leadership.
The opportunity is immediate. More than 30,000 school board seats are up for election in 2025.
About the School Board Integrity Project
Founded in 2023, the School Board Integrity Project is the nation's leading organization focused on recruiting, training, and electing school board candidates who prioritize good governance, academic excellence and freedom, and inclusive education. With a footprint in 40 states, SBIP has helped more than 500 school board candidates run for office with an average win rate of 75%.
Media Contact: press@schoolboardintegrityproject.org