Last week, Education Week’s Alyson Klein had the opportunity to sit down with the men and woman who could be responsible for distributing 11 percent of the nation’s K–12 budget according to a fixed formula. What follows is a lightly edited transcript of that conversation…
Klein: Hello everyone, and thank you all for taking some time out of your schoolyard antics to talk about education policy. I’ll get right to the questions, starting with the Republican front-runner. Mr. Trump, critics say you have yet to articulate a coherent position on education. Can you clarify your position for our readers?
Trump: Oh, I’ll clarify it, Alyson. I’ll clarify it so good you won’t even believe it’s been clarified. Because it will be so great. I mean it will be way better than what we’ve had. And people will love it. That I can promise you. They will love it, because it will be great and because it will be successful and America will be great again. I’ve been very successful. I’ve had a lot of success, some of which has been in the educational field. Just look at Trump University, for example, yuuuge success.
Klein: But some former students say that Trump University was a scam.
Trump: Who says that? Are you talking about the terrorists? This afternoon, I heard that some of the people who were saying that were terrorists. I don’t know if it’s true. But that’s what I heard, so it’s definitely a possibility. I saw on the Internet. You should do background checks on the people making those claims, Alyson. Some of them are very bad people. They aren’t who they claim to be.
Klein: I see. Actually, no, I don’t see, but let’s move on. I want to get some other voices in here….Mr. Carson, since dropping out of the race, you’ve been tapped as a potential secretary of education for Mr. Trump. Can you explain what policies you might pursue, if appointed to that position?
Carson: (Inaudible)
Klein: Never mind. Stupid question. Senator Cruz, turning to you, you’re well known as an opponent of—
Cruz: Common Core. Why yes, I certainly am. And I will continue to be so long as there is breath in my body. If I am elected president of the United States, repealing Common Core will be my number one priority from day one. It’s the single greatest evil our country faces.
Sanders: Oh really? So I guess you’ve never heard of NAFTA then? Wall Street? The 1 percent??
Klein: Let’s just stick to education, shall we? Senator Sanders, you say college should simply be free for everyone. Can you explain your thinking, please? Why should the government subsidize Kylie Jenner’s education? It seems like a waste of money.
Sanders: So what? Free college is just the beginning. What we really need is free everything. Look at graduate school—the debts lawyers incur before entering the workforce. How are they supposed to survive with that sort of debt? At the rate we’re going, nobody will want to practice law.
Klein: Secretary Clinton, do you agree with Senator Sanders?
Clinton: Actually, Alyson, this is one area where the senator and I do agree. In my experience, you can never have too many lawyers.
Klein: Hmm. OK. Governor Kasich, I’m sorry it took me so long to get to you. You recently signed a bill that increased the level of oversight for Ohio’s charter sector. Can you explain why you supported that bill, and why you think it’s good for Ohio kids?
Kasich: Thank you, Alyson, I’d love to. It all started back in my twenties, when I was first elected to the Ohio State Senate—
Trump: Oh, shut up, John. No one cares about your experience, and no one cares about your policies. I’ll make education great again. You understand, don’t you, darlin’?
Klein: I think I do. And I think we’d better wrap things up. Thank you all for participating and helping Americans understand the choice they are facing. Also, a big thank you to Congress for passing the Every Student Succeeds Act. More power to the states. I totally get it now.