probably did not think about that, that's a good point. but it is where it is now. not every agency has unionized workers. teachers unions are local, not federal. i think the idea of putting money into the classroom, giving parents more control of where they'd like to send their children, look, school choice is most popular in areas where schools are poorly performing. they want their schools to succeed. i think that is something else that needs to be looked at. host: that's all the time we have for our segment. thank>> "washington journal" continues. host: becky pringle is the president of the national teachers. in about two hours, the senate health education and labor committee will hold a vote on whether to advance linda

mcmahon's nomination. how would you vote? guest: i would vote no. host: why? guest: had the opportunity to be in the hearing and i wanted to go so i can listen to her answers and she did nothing to a teachers and educators who work in the schools every day that she would protect them from the cuts that the trump administration is proposing and would do nothing for the most vulnerable citizens in the schools and 95% of them go to public schools and she would do nothing to protect their civil rights. all of those specific jobs that the federal government and education plays. i would say to you that it left a chilling effect on educators all around this country, scrambling about what they could

and could not teach and whether the school lose funding because they were teaching it and thinking about how they would have to have even more gaps to make up for gaps that we already have. i love the hearing not having confidence that she was qualified for the job and certainly that she would take care the most vulnerable kids. host: you talk about the because donald trump wants to make in the area and even talked about eliminate the department of education. in some of those hearings, linda mcmahon answering those questions, --[video clip] >> requiring the secretary of education to develop a plan for downsizing the department of education and work with congress to eliminate entirely yes or no, do you agree that since the department was created by congress it would need an act of congress to actually close the

department of education? >> certainly president trump understands we would work with congress and we would like to do this right and make sure that we are presenting a plan that i think senators could get on board with an congress could get on board with that would have a better functioning department of education but certainly does require congressional action. >> and in terms of the plans to downsize, what would be the components of that plan that would not require congressional approval? >> i do believe, senator, that there are treatment of education by statutes and those departments would have to pay particular attention to what long before, there was department of education, we fulfilled the programs of our educational system. other agencies or parts of the apartment of education could

better serve its students and parents on the local level. and really all for the president's mission which is to return education to the states. i believe as he does that the best education is closest to the child. >> if the department's downsize, would states and localities receive federal funding they currently receive? >> yes. it is not his goal to defund but to have it operate more efficiently. host: becky pringle, play out what you think would happen if the department of education is downsized and the ways they were discussing there. guest: we know that every level of government has a responsibility in the education of students, federal, state and localities as well. school boards, all of them play a role. if the u.s. department of education was downsized, we know there are vital services students wouldn't get. i was talking to a parent from virginia who was concerned

because they depend on the services that the department of education provides for her student with special needs and we know that the federal government, funding from the federal government supplies over 420,000 jobs so we don't get the jobs aren't there that class sizes are going to balloon and the one on one attention that students need won't be there in it will affect the most vulnerable students from those living in poverty, those with disabilities. host: in terms of what they department of education does, does the department of education get to tell individuals and districts what they should and shouldn't teach? guest: they don't. it is left up to the school districts who together with parents, educators, some school districts involve the students

in making those determinations themselves. the federal government's role which was established really at the end of the civil rights legislation of the late 60's so that it would play the job of ensuring every student has access and opportunity. we were linda mcmahon talking about going back to a time when the most a time when the students with disabilities didn't have access. there was a time when we didn't provide the additional resources. it was a time when and we don't want to go back to that. parents and educators across this country is not what they need, they needed more resources, not less. host: becky pringle is the president of the national education association. here are the phone lines, democrats (202) 748-8000, republicans (202) 748-8001,

independents (202) 748-8002, and for teachers, (202) 748-8003 is the number. we will look for your calls in this 45 minutes. brandon is a first out of venice florida, republican alina. good morning. -- republican line. good morning. caller: do not find it an issue that we are spending so much money on education and we are still ranked at the spot that we are? guest: there is a lot of conversation about the ranking of the u.s. and what we don't dig into is the reality that the scores that they are using and talking about do what they really have always done. they tell us that the students who have more resources do better. we as a country have to do better. you know that the federal government promised that it

would fund special education at an amount of 40% and we haven't even gotten close to that, not even halfway goes to that. we know that in other countries, they actually address the issues of equity and access to first so that they make sure those students who are coming to their schools are coming to their schools ready to learn and whatever gaps they may have because of social economic status, schools and the systems surrounding them are there to try to fill those gaps. host: on spending and numbers come in 2024 school year, the federal budget for the department of education 220 $ billion. there were 49 million stunt in pre-k through 12 this country last year, 3 million fu-time equivalent teachers. the public sool per student expenditures was $15,591 per student. each one of those 49 million

students. as for the national center for edatn statistics. in terms of where you think the budget is going, what can teachers and parents expect in a 2025-2026? guest: i get the opportunity to travel all over the country and talk with teachers who are not just teachers. we saw this in covid and we know that we need bus drivers and those who feed them and counseled on. all of those educators who surround students with what they need so they can learn. when i talk with them, what they say to me, is what i know to be true. i taught eighth grade science for 31 years. so i have first-hand knowledge of the kinds of gaps that our students tend to come to school with. what are educators are saying is, we need every social system in this country to make sure this country helps close the

gaps. so when the kiddos come to us, for me, i am focused on teaching them the laws of motion. i'm not focused on having that weight as a teacher on that middle school or who has a responsibility of taking care of a younger kid like i did. those kinds of issues that we need counselors for, if we have the cuts we won't have those counselors or the mental health professionals for the afterschool programs that the students need to not just feet ready to learn but to grow and thrive. that is what i hear from educators all over the country. they are very worried about the students not having what they need and the educators not having what they need to meet the individual needs of the students. host: massachusetts, russell, independent. caller: i just want to thank becky pringle for taking the time to speak to everyone.

have a question, senator ed markey asked linda mcmahon to commit to not cutting federal funding to schools. she deflected the question. we then asked her if she could commit to not using federal funding to cover from public schools to be a must for tax breaks for the rich and again she deflected the question. how does not -- how is this not concerning to everyone. dish should be a damming statement for any person -- this should be a damming statement for every person so how is this not concerning for every senator, both democrat and republican? guest: it should be concerning. senator markey probably had the quest to -- best line in hearing where he called doge the department of gutting education. we are all concerned because linda mcmahon would not make that commitment that she would

not cut funding for the kids. host: this is karen, a teacher in youngstown, ohio on the line set aside for teachers. caller: i was a secretary in arizona, but i raised at deaf sun in the western suburbs of chicago. if it weren't for the public education, he would not be where he is now. he was profoundly deaf or is and has a great job, married and has a son. he is perfectly normal except he is deaf. but there was such great deaf education in the western suburbs that was put in by northwestern university back in the early 1970's. it was funded all through the government. i believe in public education. host: thanks for sharing your story. becky pringle? guest: thank you for using your

voice to talk for so many parents who are concerned when the memo came out, we had parents crying because they thought that was going to happen right away. and in fact, even though it was rescinded, the cuts have started. we have a teacher in georgia, a special education teacher in georgia, and their job is to help high school students transition from high school out of high school into the world. so the concern is those students would be able to do that is very real and this teacher lost their job last week, all of her students that don't have that ability to have the transition plan in place so they can go out into the world and live on their own and live their life. it is a very real for parents and it is why they are coming

together finding their voice in using their voice and making sure they let their members of congress no, this is not ok. this is affecting my child and the child sitting next to my child which affects my child. host: we come to this associated press headline, donald trump looks to repurpose federal money to expand school choice programs . explain what that means, where and how much money we are talking about. what do you know from the executive order? guest: we know this is a continuation of exactly what donald trump did in his first term, that he tried to privatize public education and take billions and billions of dollars out of public tax dollars out of the public school system. we know that doesn't work. and that is not what voters want . we saw that in this election in kentucky, every county, every

one of their counties voted against vouchers because they understand that they want their neighborhood public schools are funded and vouchers take money away from that. at the same thing happened in nebraska and colorado. the voters overwhelmingly said that is not what we want. so we know the voters didn't vote for that. they voted for making sure their students, their families have what they need. we know that taking public dollars out of public schools, that has been a scheme for decades. there is absolutely no evidence that helps with the learning of kids. it actually hurts our public schools and goes to dismantling them, which impacts the 90% of students who go to our public schools. host: two main -- to maine, --

caller: i am concerned because they are not learning, i have a second grader who is not learning to read it. i have my 20-year-old grandson, my oldest quit school at 16 because he wasn't getting his needs met, and i have another fourth-grader who is very intelligent but can't get the advanced classes that he needs. the schools are failing and i hear you talk about how wonderful the teachers are, but the schools are failing. i think vouchers and i think that's competition will make them better. guest: i am a grandparent and my

two little ones are in public schools. and we all want our students and our kids to have the highest quality public education they possibly can. we want everyone's kids to have that because we are a society and it impacts all of us. cutting funds from public schools is not the way to get at that. we have never lived up to our promise in funding our schools for those who are in rural areas. as those who live in suburban or urban areas. we saw with covid where they didn't have the conductivity they need so they could continue to learn but we know that that has been an issue and is certainly in our schools. so cutting funds will not

address the issue is the color race. we need to make sure we have the funds to need the individual needs of her children as well as others. host: not the first caller to make that argument. that vouchers will allow for more competition and more competition will make public schools better. guest: vouchers have been in place for three decades. that has never been the case. there have never been any evidence that vouchers help to improve the learning of our students. so it is a failed experiment and we need to focus on funding our public schools, which we have never done. that is what we need to focus on. host: denver colorado, this is john, good morning. caller: i currently work as a guidance counselor in the

general mental health staff are at west high school in denver. ever since trump got in office and started messing around with affirmative education and doing his classic getting rid of everything, we lost quite a bit of programs and stuff for our lgbt students and disabled students and students who are not very financially able. it has been horrible and horrible on mental health and has made my job that much more difficult. and i love teaching. before i was a counselor, host: texas, republican. caller: i want to note that the

voucher program, it is industry that self funding voucher programs for president obama and president clinton worked for their kids. they were able to choose the schools they would want to go to. public schools is a lack of discipline. some public schools, case studies, i don't hear any breath of air or sense of urgency or embarrassment by the outcomes of student test scores. i want to give you another stat. the department of education, john stossel showed up at the department of education some 15 years ago. he thought, let's get a tour and see what goes on in this building. he knew the outcome and was demonstrating and was dutifully kicked out of the building

because we are not supposed to know what goes on at the department of education. what happens behind those doors? he was curious what they teach. host: let me give you a chance to respond. guest: we know that we want to have safe, equitable schools for every student. we want to create an environment that is inclusive and happy and joyful and challenging. we want a deep and rich curriculum for all of our students and to do that we know that it takes qualified, caring teachers, other educators. it takes resources to make sure we have them and we know that the cuts and the threats to our educators is doing nothing but driving educators out of the profession, which we know that we have an educator shortage in

the country. so as we think about what our students need, especially after going through a pandemic which we all went through, we know they need more mental health services and more counselors. we know they need more teachers so we can keep the class size down. the department of education was extremely helpful at the state and local level in making sure we had additional jobs and raising the pay of education so they would states in the profession. those of the kinds of things the department of education should still be focused on because that is an issue that in this country we have yet to address. another headline from npr, schools and colleges have two weeks to band d.e.i. and education experts warn that want to be easy.

what are we talking about in terms of programs that you have seen d.e.i. initiatives. how much do you know is being spent on those initiatives and how big of a deal would it be to hold back? guest: for educators, the biggest concern they have is the lack of understanding exactly what kind of funding will be cold and cut if they, for example, go ahead with the black history program. i was talking with a teacher in south carolina last week and she was sharing with us that she had to turn in her plans for a black history program that she had done for a decade. she had to turn it in right before so she didn't have time to make changes because the school district is afraid that they then will have cut funding,

not connected to d.e.i.. it is not connected to that but because they are afraid the school will lose funding if they have a black history program. you have heard stories like that all over the country. it was one of the things that one of the senators talk about at the hearing that educators all over the country will be scrambling after listening to linda mcmahon say that she would in fact support cutting funds to schools that didn't comply with the d.e.i. executive order that not only for educators putting them in a place where they are wondering, can i teach this and what do i need to take out of my curriculum, but also threatening certification. this is the kind of scare tactics and division tactics

that are coming from this administration that are having to just scrambling all over the country and asking the question, should i stay in the profession. host: the line for teachers, mitch in jackson. good morning. caller: i was wondering why we are spending so much money on her students in the school district and we are failing grades and test scores have gone down and they have gone down for the past 30 years. host: you are a teacher? caller: i was a guidance counselor. why do you think public schools are better than private schools or charter schools? the second question is, i never found out how much the president, you, make or your officers. we see local districts don't make money but the nea has

salaries and we can never get the salaries of those officers. i was wondering if you could answer both questions please. host: becky pringle? guest: it is important to remember that for the nea, we don't say that there shouldn't be a private school or charter school. what we say is that public education is the foundation. it is the responsibility of our democracy to ensure that every student, every one of them has access and resources and opportunities to live and grow and thrive. that is the responsibility of the government at every level, federal, state and local level. so if the parent decides they want to send their child to a private school, then that is their decision. but the government should beat making sure that all of our students have access, and that is making sure that our public schools are funded at a level

that addresses those issues. when we talk about the per pupil funding, we know that our public schools are the hub of every community and for too many of them, they have to provide social services from health care into making sure students are fed and making sure students have access to afterschool programs that our students who are living in poverty don't necessarily have. they have a large responsibility for making sure that our students not only are successful academically but they have the social emotional learning they need it so they can work collaboratively with others and think critically and then go onto a career. those other things the public school must ensure every of their students have. with other schools, private schools, private schools for example, they can make the

choice as to whether they accept a student and that will require more services. public schools accept everyone. host: what would you say to his question what the nea salaries? guest: nea as well as other salaries are available as we are required to make them. host: gary in philadelphia, independent. caller: i wanted to address the amount of fraud that goes on in special education. my wife works for a district in a special education. i think they are paying more like $17,000 or $18,000 per kid. and her boss'boss got let go because they kept tapping into the flesh -- special education fund and using it for other things. she always strived very hard for the kids to get those services and never got the services

because the principal and the assistant vice simple word embezzling funds until they got fired. host: becky pringle on waste, fraud and abuse. guest: school districts should always have protocols to make sure the money that is being sent to them from whatever level of government is being expended in the way that it was designed to be, whether it is a program or whether it is going to hire teachers or paraprofessionals, or whether it is going to the direct needs of students if they need a specialized wheelchair, if they need any kind of specialized care based on their disability. this should be a process in place. i don't know anything about this particular instance but the department of education at every level in the state level has ways if you have discovered that

that you can certainly report that incident. host: the department of education was one of those agencies whose inspector general was targeted for removal by donald trump in the first days of the second top administration for what does the doe inspector general do? do you know of their efforts to root out waste, fraud and abuse? guest: they have a variety of jobs and they are -- and the targeting of the president started early before he took office. he was very clear he was going to target people and he has followed through with that, but not just those people in those kind of positions, what we have found is by gutting the department of education as well as many of the other agencies here has slowed it down the

responsiveness to for example our students who have done everything we have asked them to do and now they want to go on to college, and they need assistance as they are filling out the financial aid forms and as they are applying to college. with the president has done is gutted those departments and a students and families are scrambling trying to figure out at this time of year where the students are anxious and parents are anxious where they need the additional assistance. and those federal workers who are no longer there to assist the parents and his students has put them in a place where they are fearful about whether or not they are going to be able to go to college. host: does the nea cover federal employees at the department of education? are they part of your union? guest: not at the federal department of education but we

do represent those teachers and support staff who teach and work with the children of our servicemen and women. so here in the u.s. and around the world we represent them and they are under threat. host: george in pennsylvania, democrat. caller: i don't understand why we are not using technology. this is 2025. i watch c-span and i am going to get to this real quick. i watched c-span during the hearings in the aids don't know anything, we will get back to you. this should all be, it is all audible and should be into a database and should have everything at their disposal. we should educate our kids, everybody from three-12 years old because man suffers a lack of knowledge, teach everybody.

if you get -- we already know with the most talented people are. all you have to do is look at our entertainers, dancers, actors, musicians. these are the most talented people in the world and everybody worships them all over the world. they worship our talented people. host: becky pringle, what do you want to pick up on that? guest: technology absolutely is essential. we learned this in covid, didn't we. all the students who didn't have access, either they didn't have broadband access or didn't have the tools. one of the things that the american rescue plan did for us, for our schools was pass and close the gap. we still haven't closed it to the degree we need to. we that not only are students but the families need access so that they are able to use those

tools and they know how to use them and they have them readily available at school and at home. host: we saw a lot of teachers leave the profession during covid. are we at the point in 2025 where we have made up for those losses and are there enough teachers in the pipeline right now for the needs of the number of children in this country? guest: we have not made up for those losses. we are still working on the strategies that we talked about during the biden-harris administration. we know that when we talk to educators, we asked them where they going to stay in the profession and we were surprised. 55% of them said they were planning, not thinking, planning on leaving the profession. when we dug into those numbers, it went up over it to 64 black teachers which is a huge problem that we want a diverse

profession. host: did you ask them why? was it aging out? guest: no, it was not, but what was interesting and a little terrifying, it was every level. it was the beginning educators and those in the middle of their careers and then educators at the end of their careers who is still needed some years to invest in their pensions, they were leaving to. as we dug into that, the number one word used was respect. i said, ok, i want you to dig into it and tell me what it means for you. what they said was, of course they have ever received the kind of professional pay that reflects the important work they do in our society. so that is an issue. but they didn't stop there. they talked about professional respect and people who haven't spent a day in the classroom, making policies and determining what they should teach and the

students should learn. all of that spotlight on them and pressure around their freedom to teach. host: was it spotlight and pressure from a national level down the way folks appear on capitol hill talk about them or was it spotlight and pressure on a local level and the parents and the people who are focused on that school in particular? guest: yes, it was a but it really did depend. in those communities where parents and educators, community members came together and they worked together, particularly in community schools where they supported the whole student and provided resources, we didn't have that at the local level. it was just coming from the talking heads inside the beltway . but it was demoralizing that they are a professional and not treated as other professionals

are that they know their skill and craft and should be able to make those decisions. as we mounted strategies from apprenticeships to increasing their salaries to making sure that teachers were in those positions to make those decisions, we were starting to stem that tide. host: what is the average starting salary for teachers? guest: it varies widely. it can be as low as $30,000 where educators can't live, and you saw this a couple of years ago where we had teachers living in cars. americans didn't know that that they may do so little that they couldn't support themselves and their families. and we know that in collective bargaining states, those are states that have the right for teachers to come together and the union to collectively bargain their salaries.

they make more and have less of a crisis in terms of educator shortage. host: what percentage of teachers can get a pension? guest: so that varies as well. we are in the wrong direction with pensions where it states are not investing in their pensions in the way that they should and we have some pensions in some estates that are in trouble and we are very concerned. i will tell you and tie this back to the other conversation we are having that the state governments are very fearful that the federal government will walk away from its responsibility in funding education, particularly special education and that funding will fall to them and that necessarily means that they are going to either have to try to make it up or they are going to pass on those cuts to the local level. that is what folks are fearful of and that is going in the wrong direction. host: this is lee in oklahoma,

thanks for waiting. caller: i wanted to know what is going to happen to the school lunch programs and head start. host: school lunch and head start? guest: we are very concerned about that. there is one of the first things that were on the chopping block was headstart. my mom was a cook at the headstart program and the little ones, three and four years old, as adults they would come back and thank her for feeding them and giving them the best thanksgiving dinner they ever had. it makes a difference that we start with young learners and make sure they are ready to step into kindergarten. we fought hard not only to have universal meals for kids at school but have healthy meals which is so important for learning and growth. we know because the top administration has said they are going to cut those programs and

even though the memo was rescinded, they made very clear that the executive order was going to go forward. we need everyone to join us and everyone to text action to48744. call your senator and let them know that you believe every student should have access to healthy, nutritious meals. that is our responsibility and the only way they can come to school ready every day. host: if a viewer to send that text, what does that mean? guest: we put you in contact with your member of congress so you can tell them exactly how you feel about the cuts that are happening in your own schools. you can find out more about those cuts in your local area, and you can join us in our action across the state, but especially in your own community to fight back against any cuts to your child's neighborhood

public school so that every student has what they need and what they deserve read -- deserve. host: wayne in washington. they for waiting. caller: i have been listening and i don't agree with the breakfast. i do believe that the kids with low income should get something to eat for lunches. we need to start doing things -- host: what is your question? caller: how come you can't remember your salary? it was pretty easy for me to find it. host: that is weighing in

washington. i will give me the final minute. guest: who doesn't want a student to have breakfast so they can start the day off right and learn? everyone wants our kids to be fed. for us to see these cuts coming to public schools and it to the students when we know that at the end of the day, and we will see this in a couple of weeks, we are looking at this administration finding billions of dollars in tax cuts for billionaires who already have more. what we are asking is that this government live up to its promise and make sure our students have more so they can live and grow and thrive in this country and be the leaders that we know we need and that they want to be. host: becky pringle is the president of the national

education association. it is easy to find >> live now to house oversight committee meeting. watch president trump's address to congress, the first of his second term, in less than two months since taking office. she spends live coverage begins at 8:00 p.m. eastern from capitol hill, followed by the president's speech, which begins at 9:00 p.m. eastern. then watch the democratic sponsor. you will also take your calls and get a reaction on social media. on c-span two you can also watch a simulcast of the evenings coverage, followed by a reaction from lawmakers from capitol hill. watch president trump's address live tuesday, march fourth, beginning at 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span, simulcast live on c-span two or on c-span now. also online at c-span.org. c-span. bringing you your democracy,

unfiltered. >> looking to contract your members of congress? c-span is making it easy for you with our 2025 congressional directory. get essential contact information for government officials all in one place. this compact guide contains bio and contact information for every house and senate member of the 119th congress. contact information on congressional committees, the president's cabinet, state agencies, and state governors. every purchase helps support c-span's nonprofit operations. scan the code on the right or go to c-spanshop.org to preorder your copy today. >> coming up, a series of discussions on energy policy in the first 100 days of the trump administration. you will hear from senator john hickenlooper, along with co