American Family Association opposes the confirmation of Penny Schwinn

(June 3, 2025) – WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Americans Family Association is asking U.S. Senator to vote "No" on the confirmation of Penny Schwinn as the Deputy Secretary of Education.

"The 2024 presidential election delivered a powerful mandate to Washington. Despite this clear directive from the American people, D.C. insiders are pushing to install lifelong bureaucrat Penny Schwinn as the deputy secretary of education," wrote AFA President Tim Wildmon in an email to supporters. "Contact Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) and ask him to vote NO on the Penny Schwinn nomination."

Sen. Tuberville serves on the powerful Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (the "HELP" committee).

There Tuberville will get to vote on whether or not Penny Schwinn's nomination will go to the full Senate for a final confirmation vote.

"Senator Tuberville has a choice to make: side with the education bureaucrats by supporting Penny Schwinn ... or stand with parents, conservatives, and constitutional principles by blocking the Schwinn nomination," Wildmon continued.

The hearing is on Thursday, June 5.

According to the American Family Association:

"In Texas, public records requests reveal that Schwinn worked with radical pro-abortion groups for the development of "health education" standards completely out of step with conservative principles."

"In Tennessee, Schwinn pushed invasive "child wellbeing checks," which posed a threat to personal property rights and parental rights, contrary to the principles of the Trump administration, as well as the U.S. Constitution."

"Schwinn also issued waivers allowing school districts to use "Wit & Wisdom" curriculum, which includes elements of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and Critical Race Theory (CRT); this is reportedly a violation of Tennessee law. In a case that is still ongoing, Schwinn was sued by Moms for Liberty Tennessee over the use of this inappropriate content."

"Finally, Schwinn has been tied to several contracts that raise questions and possibly violated state laws. In Texas, reports the Houston Chronicle (07/20/20), the U.S. Department of Education required Texas to repay a no-bid contract facilitated by Schwinn "after state auditors found the agency violated purchasing rules." In Tennessee, Schwinn issued an $8 million contract to a New York-based company that employed her husband."

"Penny Schwinn is not a conservative," Wildmon wrote. "She is not a reformer. She is a bureaucrat who will obstruct President Trump's promised vision for American education."

Penny Schwinn (age 43) is an American educator and former Commissioner of Education for the U.S. state of Tennessee. She was appointed by Governor Bill Lee on January 17, 2019 and sworn in on February 1, 2019. She resigned in May 2023.

She originally is from Sacramento, California. She has a Bachelor's degree from the University of California at Berkeley, a Master's degree from Johns Hopkins University, and a doctoral degree in Education Policy from Claremont Graduate University. She worked as a high school history and economics teacher in Baltimore, Maryland. She also worked in education in South Los Angeles as well as the private sector. She served on the board of education for Sacramento County, California. She worked as a principal and board member before becoming the Assistant Secretary of Education for Delaware. She also served as the Deputy Commissioner of Standards and Engagement, Deputy Commissioner of Special Populations and Monitoring, and Chief Deputy Commissioner of Academics at the Texas Education Agency.