Article Summary –
Kamala Harris selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, known for his education advocacy, as her 2024 vice-presidential running mate, emphasizing the contrast between Democratic and Republican education policies. Walz has a history of supporting public education through free meals for K-12 students, increased school funding, and free public college for lower-income families, while Republicans, represented by Sen. J.D. Vance and the Project 2025 plan, promote private school vouchers and reducing federal oversight in education. This election presents voters with a choice between enhancing public school support and defunding public schools in favor of private education options.
When Vice President Kamala Harris selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate in the 2024 presidential election, she emphasized the pronounced differences between Democratic and Republican views on education.
As governor, Walz enacted a law offering free breakfast and lunch to all public K-12 students in Minnesota, regardless of income. He also signed budgets that increased funding for schools and created a program for free public college for families earning under $80,000.
Walz, 60, formerly taught high school geography and coached football in Mankato, Minnesota. He has garnered support from educators for his vice presidential run.
“Gov. Walz is known as the ‘Education Governor’ because he has been a staunch advocate for public school students, educators, and working families,” the National Education Association said in a statement following Walz’s selection. “He has a history of making positive changes.”
Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance has criticized K-12 teachers for promoting “radical” ideas.
“As evident from the radical Left’s culture war during COVID-19 and the ongoing CRT indoctrination in schools, politics should not dictate public health decisions or education,” Vance wrote in 2022, according to Education Week.
Walz’s presence on the Democratic ticket with Harris highlights a significant contrast between their campaign and the policies of former President Trump and the GOP. Project 2025 — a 922-page policy document shaped by over 100 former Trump administration members — proposes dismantling the U.S. Department of Education and redirecting federal funds into vouchers for private school tuition.
Josh Cowen, author of the upcoming book “The Privateers: How Billionaires Created a Culture War and Sold School Vouchers,” stated that Harris’ choice of Walz “places universal school meals against universal school vouchers in the presidential race.”
“Hungry kids perform worse in school. Universal meals significantly improve test scores, attendance, and retention rates,” Cowen said. “Conversely, vouchers have some of the worst impacts documented in educational research.”
This November, Cowen said, voters must decide between a ticket aiming to enhance conditions for students and teachers or one seeking to defund public schools.
“Do you believe in supporting education through comprehensive approaches like helping hungry kids and investing in school infrastructure, or do you prefer providing vouchers and leaving families to manage on their own?” Cowen asked.
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