Gianforte Highlights Kalispell Public Schools’ Internship Program During Roundtable with Trump’s Education Secretary
Linda McMahon stopped at Montana State University for a roundtable conversation as part of her ongoing Returning Education to the States Tour
By Mariah Thomas
Gov. Greg Gianforte lauded Kalispell Public Schools’ approach to implementing work-based learning opportunities into its curriculum during his opening remarks at a roundtable discussion with Linda McMahon, the U.S. Education Secretary, on Friday morning.
“One local educator in Kalispell told me, and I quote, ‘students don’t know what field to pursue if they don’t know it exists,’” Gianforte said. “And Kalispell has been particularly proactive in getting the Chamber of Commerce to establish internships for high school students, and I think that’s a really great innovation.”
Gianforte has celebrated Kalispell Public Schools’ approach to educating students before. He visited Flathead High School in 2023 and praised the district’s work-based learning programs and experiential education opportunities. Kalispell Public Schools first spearheaded its internship program during the 2022-2023 school year. The program includes several businesses and organizations across the Flathead Valley, which give students part-time internships. The district’s experiential learning opportunities served as a key part of its successful levy campaign this spring too.
McMahon’s conversation with students, faculty, local leaders, the governor, Superintendent of Public Instruction Susie Hedalen, MSU President Brock Tessman and Commissioner of Higher Education Clayton Christian came as part of her 50-state Returning Education to the States Tour.
That idea — to put education back in the hands of states and dismantle the Department of Education — was a campaign promise of President Donald Trump’s.
He and McMahon have both promoted the idea that doing so will allow states to implement what’s best for students and families on a community-by-community basis and get rid of so-called red tape at the federal level. Critics of the movement to dismantle the Department of Education have decried the potential impacts, arguing the move could impede students’ civil rights by removing accountability requirements schools must meet to receive federal funds.
Since taking office, Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the department. Shutting the department entirely can’t move forward without an act of Congress. Still, his administration has laid off around half the Department of Education’s staff and cut millions of dollars from education research.
At the roundtable, McMahon said education has long focused on funneling students into four-year degree programs. But, she said, the Trump administration wants to look at education differently. That means providing students with other options, like internships and the trades. She also said it includes partnering with private-sector businesses to offer students opportunities. Trump, for his part, signed an executive order in April directing federal agencies to prepare Americans for skilled trade jobs.
Gianforte highlighted several of his administration’s achievements on that front. Most recently, Gianforte launched a new 406 JOBS initiative. Led by the Montana Department of Labor and Industry’s State Workforce Innovation Board, that initiative purports to work across the public and private sectors to promote different career pathways to students.
“The bottom line is education has to be a place of innovation,” Gianforte said. “I think better is always possible and we have to not be satisfied with the status quo, but find ways to do better.”
The rest of the 45-minute roundtable discussion consisted of McMahon and Gianforte listening and responding to the stories of participants. It’s available in its entirety on Facebook.