On June 10, House GOP Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-MI) looked Loudoun County Schools Superintendent Aaron Spence in the eye at a congressional hearing and called him weak, pathetic, and a man she was grateful never taught her children — after his district suspended boys for complaining about a locker room filming incident rather than addressing the student who did the filming.

K-12 public school spending crossed $1 trillion in fiscal 2024 — a first in American history. Fourth-grade reading proficiency is not significantly different from 1992, the first year the ⁠National Assessment of Educational Progress tested reading. Outcomes in all four NAEP subjects were worse in 2024 than in 2003. New York spends more than $30,000 per student and achieves 31% proficiency. D.C. spends $31,887 per pupil and scores below national averages. Spending and results move in opposite directions.