Governors Divided Over Education: Larry Hogan Weighs In
Former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan is the latest Republican to weigh in on the debate surrounding the teaching of “woke” topics in public schools. During an appearance on NBC’s “Meet The Press” Sunday, Hogan decried the “big government” approach of elected officials dictating school curricula.
The conversation between Hogan and anchor Chuck Todd hinged on the stances taken by Republican governors such as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has pushed to keep “woke” topics out of schools and not teach young children about sexual orientation. Hogan argued that it was “Republican Governors Divided Over ‘Woke’ Education: Larry Hogan Weighs In””Republican Governors Divided Over ‘Woke’ Education: Larry Hogan Weighs In” to be careful about the rhetoric used when discussing such issues and that it should not be used as an excuse for authoritarianism.
WATCH: Potential GOP WH candidates like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have made education a key issue and are cracking down on schools teaching race or gender.@LarryHogan: "I'm a small-government, common-sense conservative and, to me, it sounds like big government" pic.twitter.com/Y1Uog9WAmA
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) February 19, 2023
Hogan also expressed his disagreement with Nikki Haley, another Republican who is considering a run for president, who argued that DeSantis’s bill prohibiting classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third grade did not go far enough. Hogan believes that parents should have more control over what their children are taught and that the top issues on voters’ minds are the economy, inflation, and crime, not education.
Hogan’s education position reflects the larger Republican perspective on the issue. They’ve generally advocated for a more local approach to education and support parental choice when it comes to what children are taught. They also argue that schools should focus on core subjects such as math, science, language, and history.
The debate surrounding education is ongoing, and it is likely to become a major issue during the 2024 presidential election. As more candidates join the race and make their stances on education known, it will be interesting to see how the debate progresses and how each candidate’s position resonates with voters.
