Erika Donalds says she’d back a ‘parent-directed’ education system as First Lady

Erika Donalds has long been a proponent of school choice and parental empowerment, and she hopes to see Florida move further in that direction now and under its next Governor — a job her husband, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, is well-positioned to take.

“My dream for Florida and actually for the whole nation is that every dollar that is spent on education is parent-directed, and I think we’re the closest state in the country doing that,” she told Florida Politics.

“I think we’re going to get closer every year between now and the next governorship, and hopefully the next Governor will continue that trajectory. But that’s where we need to end up to break the monopoly and give every single parent the ability to make the choice. Even if it’s a public school, even if they’re choosing a private school, they’re making that active decision. And that puts the ownership on the parents as well to decide what’s best for their children and not just the default option.”

Erika Donalds’ comments came Tuesday following an afternoon roundtable with U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon at the Kendall campus of True North Classical Academy, a charter school network in Miami-Dade County.

Other participants included, among others, Florida International University Interim President and former Lt. Gov. Jeantte Nuñez, Miami Dade College President Madeline Pumariega, Miami-Dade School Board member Monical Colucci, charter school magnate Fernando Zuleta and former state Rep. Michael Bileca, True North’s CEO.

Donalds, an education entrepreneur and former Collier County School Board member who in January took over as Chair of the Center for Education Opportunity, advised people to “be on the lookout” for guidance from the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) on further empowering parents in the coming days.

“I support anything that puts the power in the hands of parents and even into the community itself,” she said.

McMahon, whom President Donald Trump has tasked with shuttering USDOE, said one of her goals for the agency before closing it is to “leave best practices in place to provide states with the right tools” to take over more education administration duties in its absence.

That includes backing more student vouchers and public, charter, private and alternative school options. McMahon said she and Trump are both “strong proponents” of school choice, but the federal government’s role in expanding it will be limited.

Both Byron and Erika Donalds are outspoken supporters of killing USDOE. The Congressman has cosponsored legislation to abolish the Department and provide funding directly to states for primary and secondary education. Erika Donalds’ X page features multiple posts calling for its dismantling.

In one such post, Donalds displayed an image stating that “7 in 10 American fourth graders are NOT proficient readers.” That assertion tracks with findings from the National Assessment Governing Board and the National Center for Education Statistics, the primary statistical agency of USDOE.

U.S. Rep. Donalds is the presumptive front-runner in the 2026 Republican Primary for Governor. Internal polling released this month shows that after learning Trump has endorsed him, Donalds held a nearly 2 to 1 lead over First Lady Casey DeSantis in a head-to-head race.

Other GOP notables rumored or confirmed to be mulling a gubernatorial bid include Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz and former Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward.