Press Releases

Today, Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) delivered the following statement, as prepared for delivery, at a field hearing in Richmond, Michigan titled “Deployed, Not Disqualified: Defending Servicemembers in Our Schools”:

"Military servicemembers deserve our highest respect and our deepest gratitude for their service to our country. When servicemembers are deployed—leaving behind their jobs, their families, and their communities to serve in harm’s way—they should have our full support. And when military members return home, their communities and their employers should welcome them back with open arms.
 
"That should be common sense.
 
"Unfortunately, too many servicemembers face professional obstacles because of their military service—both while they are deployed and when they return home. Some have even faced outright employment discrimination, including in our nation’s school systems.
 
"This Committee has received troubling reports of elected school board members facing criticism, harassment, and intimidation because their military service required them to deploy. We have also seen numerous reports of teachers losing their jobs or being denied pay raises because they were deployed.
 
"That is inexcusable.
 
"No American serving overseas defending our country should return home to find local officials using their absence to attack them. Our schools should welcome servicemembers home, not criticize or penalize them for serving.
 
"In fact, we should want more servicemembers and veterans in schools. Students benefit from role models who know the meaning of sacrifice and service, who understand what it means to perform a duty honorably, and who appreciate the importance of defending liberty for future generations. Those are qualities our education system should seek out and celebrate.
 
"Honoring military service also means listening to military families about the challenges they face and the support they need.
 
"And one issue we cannot overlook is education. As we will hear today, a 2025 survey found that military members ranked education as the second-most important issue affecting their families, second only to economic concerns.
 
"That should matter to policymakers. Military families make extraordinary sacrifices for this country, and we should ensure those sacrifices do not put their children at an educational disadvantage. That includes giving military parents the freedom to choose the educational option that best meets their children’s needs. And when military parents are empowered to select the best education options for their children, our communities stand to benefit as well. These are parents who can bring a spirit of service to school boards, classrooms, volunteer organizations, and school leadership.  
 
"At a time when test scores are declining, too many students are disengaged, and too many school systems seem more interested in political indoctrination than education, our schools need teachers, superintendents, and school board members who are committed to rigorous instruction, high expectations, and American ideals.
 
"Servicemembers and veterans are uniquely equipped to contribute to that mission. They understand teamwork. They understand accountability. They understand excellence and integrity. And perhaps most importantly, they understand what it means to put mission before self.
 
"Military service in our schools should be a cause for celebration, not discrimination.
 
"I’m proud to support our servicemembers, and I’m profoundly grateful for their service and sacrifice. I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today about what schools, communities, and government can do to better serve those who have served all of us."