How Trump’s controversial pick for education secretary could impact Texas schools

Linda McMahon is the current board chair at the America First Policy Institute .

If confirmed by a Senate vote in January , the Secretary of Education doesn’t have much local power.

The department does have control over the dispersal of federal funding and federal programs like the Community Eligibility Provision (which Project 2025 calls to eliminate) The department also collects data on schools and oversees some federal investigations.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has been saying for the past year that he finally has the votes he needs to achieve voucher legislation in the state.

The content of a potential school voucher bill in Texas remains to be seen, but experts have said it’s likely some form of school choice legislation will be passed during the legislative session slated to begin in January .

In Texas 6,495 schools are Title I , part A schools, meaning they received federal funds during the 2023-2024 school year .

If the Trump administration changes the federal education funding structure, as Project 2025 calls for, states could receive block grants for Title I and special education funding.