A preview of a potential Harris Presidency

Kamala Harris’s bid for the White House offers an opportunity to examine the President’s impact on education policy.

While the federal government and President don’t directly dictate education policy (this is primarily a state and local function), an Administration can certainly set a tone and some parameters.

And, certainly, broad policies like No Child Left Behind had impacts felt at the school level.

Joe Biden has been a friend to public education, and Kamala Harris would likely not deviate from that.

A look at her record reveals someone who has been a supporter of public education and public school educators.

Harris’ very first speech on the US Senate floor was in opposition to the nomination of Betsy DeVos as Trump’s Secretary of Education, shredding her for an utter lack of qualifications and experience.

She’s also called for a significant pay hike for teachers. This echoes the call by Sen. Bernie Sanders to make the minimum starting pay for all teachers $60,000.

While the federal government does not set state and local pay scales for teachers, federal funding could be distributed in such a way as to effectively give teachers a raise.

Moreover, when the message coming from the White House is “boost teacher pay and invest in schools,” state policymakers are more likely to move in that direction – especially in states where the leadership is of the same party as the President.

In her first week as a candidate, Harris addressed the American Federation of Teachers and argued in favor of increased teacher pay and measures to reduce the risk of gun violence at schools.

Should she become President, her record suggests she would stand with public schools and support teachers.