A Utah charter school leader says she supports the Trump administration’s push to reduce federal control of education and give states more say over how school funding is used.
Carolyn Sharette, who founded American Preparatory Academy in 2003 and serves as its executive director, said schools understand their students’ needs and should have more flexibility to respond to them. APA now serves more than 5,000 students at eight campuses across Utah.
“We know what our students need to make progress,” Sharette said, adding that giving states greater control could allow funds to be used in more flexible ways.
On Oct. 20, APA’s West Valley City campus hosted the 47th stop of Education Secretary Linda McMahon’s 50-state “Returning Education to the States Tour.” The tour is intended to showcase the administration’s K-12 education plans.
In a keynote address, McMahon called for more authority to rest with local leaders, greater investment in academic programs with a track record of success, and more school options for families.
Department of Education officials say federal spending on K-12 education has exceeded $3 trillion over recent decades. Yet national assessment results show that only about three in 10 students perform at or above proficiency in math and reading.
McMahon has said she intends to work toward dismantling the federal education agency, including appointing leaders responsible for winding down their own divisions. The effort reflects President Donald Trump’s broader education agenda, which includes promoting school choice.
Sharette said APA gives parents an alternative if they want a different kind of school. The network follows a classical curriculum, teaching through literature and using a science-of-reading approach. She said the school has consistently earned strong reading results, and that families seeking a rigorous classical education can choose it.
Trump has also pledged to remove what he describes as “far-left extremism” from classrooms, arguing that decades of federal oversight have not produced satisfactory academic outcomes.
To make federal funding rules less burdensome, the Education Department recently introduced a waiver process through which states can seek more flexibility in how they use federal dollars. Iowa was the first state to take part in the initiative.
