SALT LAKE CITY — Education Secretary Linda McMahon told Fox News Digital that the United States is due for a "reset" of public education after spending $3 trillion over decades while national reading scores have consistently declined.

"We've spent this $3 trillion that you referenced, and we've watched scores continue to come down. So we're doing something wrong. We need to reset," McMahon said in an interview with Fox News Digital.

"We know that the president believes, as do I, that the best education is the one that's closest to the child with parental involvement," McMahon added. "Our goal is to make sure that we move administrative programs that focus more on adults out of Washington, D.C., so that we can get all of those dollars back into education in the states."

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McMahon visited Utah on Tuesday to highlight the Trump administration's progress in reforming K-12 education. Delivering a speech titled "The Next 250: K-12 Education," the secretary emphasized returning education authority to the states, investing in proven academic interventions and expanding school choice for families.

"In every decision we make, we are not asking what's better for growing government power, ideological agendas or bureaucrats' careers. We are returning education to its most basic obligation: to nurture the God-given potential of our children," McMahon told a crowd of students, parents and teachers at American Preparatory Academy in West Valley City.

The Utah event marked the 47th stop on the department's 50-state tour aimed at decentralizing federal education authority. According to Department of Education officials, more than $3 trillion in federal taxpayer money has been spent over the decades, while national test results show that only about three in 10 students perform at or above the proficient level in math and reading.

Speaking with Fox News Digital following her address, McMahon said parental involvement in education increased during the pandemic. 

"Parents, for the first time, could see what was going on with education, with the curriculum that was being taught to their children," McMahon said. "They became involved, they became concerned, and they started going to school board meetings. I think that really started to change the focus. And that, in conjunction with looking at the fact that NAEP scores — our national report card — have simply gone down since the Department of Education was established."

McMahon pledged upon taking office to work toward dismantling the federal agency, including hiring leaders tasked with phasing out their own offices. The push aligns with President Donald Trump's broader education initiative, which he highlighted at a White House Rose Garden event promoting school choice. Trump also pledged to eliminate "far-left extremism" from classrooms and argued that federal education spending has failed to deliver acceptable academic results.

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As part of the administration's broader effort to downsize federal oversight, the Department of Education announced an interagency agreement with the Treasury Department in March. Under the agreement, Treasury will take on certain responsibilities for managing federal student loans, including collections on defaulted loans, as part of the administration's effort to transfer administrative duties away from the Education Department.

The student loan transfer is one of nine interagency partnerships designed to serve as a "proof of concept" for Congress to show that federal education tasks can be reallocated.

"I've asked Congress, with this proof of concept and these interagency agreements: Let me prove to you that it works," McMahon told Fox News Digital. "I know, ultimately, Congress has to vote if we do close the Department of Education and if I, in fact, am able to fire myself. Hopefully, they will vote for it because I believe the outcome will be better for students — and that is the goal."

McMahon said that the federal agency functions largely as a "pass-through" for funding rather than controlling local school curricula, a distinction she noted is frequently misunderstood by the public.

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"The goal is to get rid of the bureaucracy of education that seems to focus more on adults and not on children's performance," she said.

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Following her Utah visit, McMahon's four-part speaking series will continue with upcoming stops in Nevada, Arizona and Tennessee to address rising higher education costs and workforce Pell grants. Her final keynote in Tennessee later this month will focus on restoring accountability and standards in higher education.

FIRST ON FOX: Education Secretary Linda McMahon is set to launch a multistate speaking tour Tuesday titled "The Next 250: American Education," laying out her vision for the next 250 years of American education while championing the Trump administration's efforts to reduce federal oversight and return power to local communities.

"The Trump administration has moved at a rapid pace over the last 21 months to bring much-needed change to our nation’s education system. ‘The Next 250: American Education’ speaking series is an opportunity to highlight all we have accomplished and look to the work to come for American students, families and educators," McMahon told Fox News Digital ahead of her first stop in Utah.

McMahon will arrive in Utah on Tuesday to tout the administration’s efforts to reform K-12 education by delivering a keynote address on "returning education to the states, investing in meaningful learning and proven interventions, and expanding education freedom for millions of American students and families," according to Department of Education (ED) officials.

"In every decision we make, we are not asking what’s better for growing government power, ideological agendas or bureaucrats’ careers. We are returning education to its most basic obligation: to nurture the God-given potential of our children," McMahon said.

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Following her Utah visit, McMahon plans to visit Nevada, Arizona and Tennessee, where she will address workforce training programs, Pell Grants for community college students and rising higher education costs.

McMahon’s upcoming tour follows the department’s broader 50-state "Returning Education to the States" tour. The department has repeatedly emphasized to parents that administrative authority must shift to local leaders, citing $3 trillion in federal spending and national assessment results that the administration says show only three in 10 American students are proficient in math and reading.

"Despite $3 trillion in taxpayer investment in a federal Department of Education, only three in 10 students are proficient in reading and math. That is exactly why the Trump administration is returning education to the states and putting local leaders and parents back into the driver’s seat," an ED spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

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McMahon, who pledged upon taking office to dismantle the agency from within, has previously said she would hire staff committed to eliminating their respective positions as part of a long-term goal to phase out federal oversight.

The tour follows President Donald Trump's recent back-to-school event at the White House, where he promoted school choice initiatives alongside McMahon, students, parents and educators in the Rose Garden. During the event, Trump argued that despite massive federal spending, student performance remains unacceptable and families require more educational flexibility. He also pledged to eliminate "far-left extremism" from classrooms.

As part of that push, the administration highlighted the upcoming Education Freedom Tax Credit. Scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, 2027, the program will allow individual taxpayers to receive a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit of up to $1,700 — and up to $3,400 for married couples filing jointly — for cash contributions made to approved scholarship-granting organizations.

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The policy effort aligns with a recent interagency agreement between the Department of Education and the Department of the Treasury. Agency officials described the pact as a milestone step toward winding down the Department of Education.

Under the agreement, student lending operations will shift to the Treasury Department, which will take over operational responsibility for defaulted federal student loan collection and support efforts to help borrowers return to repayment. This marks one of nearly ten interagency partnerships finalized over the past year as ED seeks to downsize and transfer programs to other executive branch departments.

"As a mother and grandmother, I know firsthand that we only get one opportunity to educate and help our children reach their full God-given potential. That is exactly why the Trump administration is returning education to the states and ushering in the largest expansion of education freedom in American history," McMahon said. "This tour has reached millions of families across our great nation, emphasizing the vital role parents play in their child’s life — not bureaucrats in Washington."

McMahon has consistently maintained that the agency functions primarily as a "pass-through" for federal grants rather than a governing body over local curricula, noting that the agency's role under federal law is frequently misunderstood.

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Later this month, McMahon will conclude her tour in Tennessee, delivering a keynote focused on rebuilding public trust, addressing administrative oversight and reviving academic standards in higher education, ED officials confirmed.