Students at Morning Star School in Bozeman had an unusual start to their Friday morning: a visit from Governor Greg Gianforte and U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon.
McMahon is traveling to all 50 states as part of her “Returning Education to the States” tour, an initiative aligned with President Donald Trump’s goal of shifting more education policy and funding decisions from the federal level to the states. The plan includes a proposed reduction of the Department of Education’s workforce by roughly half, a move that has faced legal challenges but has been temporarily allowed to proceed by the U.S. Supreme Court.
“You can’t just flip the switch, turn off the lights and walk out of the building,” McMahon told reporters at the school. “There are a lot of things that have to be unwound. And absolutely, in order to fully complete this project and to have education returned to the states, Congress has to vote on that. So it’s a step-by-step project.”
The visit comes as U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., announced legislation earlier this month to formally eliminate the Department of Education. His “Returning Education to Our States Act” would redistribute federal education programs to other departments and provide states with block grants to manage education funding. Montana U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy is co-sponsoring the bill.
During the visit, Gianforte and McMahon toured classrooms, observed lessons, and spoke with teachers and staff about the potential impacts of the proposed changes.