Vivek Ramaswamy Drops Game-Changing Idea to Shake Up Public Education
This is the way.
Vivek Ramaswamy, biotech entrepreneur, and former presidential candidate, is turning heads in his race for governor of Ohio with a bold new education plan: implement merit-based pay for all public school teachers, principals, and administrators.
“Pay for performance. That’s what businesses do. There’s no reason we shouldn’t be running our public schools in the same way,” Ramaswamy said during his Hannity performance on Thursday night.
WATCH:
Join 100K+ Substack readers and 1.6 million 𝕏 users who follow the work of Vigilant Fox. Subscribe for top-tier news aggregation and exclusive stories you won’t find anywhere else.
Under his proposal, Ohio would become the first state in the nation to tie public educator salaries directly to performance—not tenure, seniority, or union-negotiated scales.
Instead, teachers would be reviewed through a combination of peer feedback, parental assessments, and student outcomes, with the goal of rewarding true excellence in the classroom.
“The best teachers in the country right now, sadly, are underpaid,” Ramaswamy said. “We need to fix that—but fix it through meritocracy.”
He also gave credit to former President Donald Trump for helping set the stage for this kind of reform. Earlier today, President Trump signed an Executive Order to return power over education to states and local communities. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon stated that this action aims to “empower states to take charge and advocate for and implement what is best for students, families, and educators in their communities.”
“Thanks to President Trump’s bold actions today, we can lead the way,” Ramaswamy said.
Teachers’ unions have fought against merit-based pay for years, claiming it’s too subjective or unfair. But for parents and taxpayers who are tired of watching excellence get buried under bureaucracy and seeing their children falling behind, the idea of rewarding great teachers—and holding underperformers accountable—simply makes sense.
Dear subscribers! Thank you so much for your continued support as I work to turn this Substack into a full-fledged, independent news hub. If you missed what happened today, be sure to check the archive for all the latest headlines and breaking stories.
For paid subscribers, new exclusive content just dropped. Your support makes all of this possible.
The money earned here gets reinvested into growing and improving this Substack. If you value the work being done, consider upgrading your subscription. It’s the best way to support what we’re building—and it unlocks instant access to exclusive stories.
Thank you again for being part of this community. Let’s keep going strong.
I was an elementary school teacher for a decade to begin my working career. I was the first in the school every morning and the last to leave. I coached every team, directed choirs, plays and musicals, took kids on camping trips and various weekend tournaments and I was the lowest paid person on my staff, simply because of seniority. I received exceptional ratings every year, but those don’t translate into financial rewards. I loved teaching, but I couldn’t afford to do it anymore. I went into the private sector and worked 30 years in the energy industry, where merit pay (bonuses, stock options, etc.) can greatly exceed annual salary. I loved working with kids, but I don’t regret moving to the private sector.
Teachers who enjoy teaching are more involved and tend to have better outcomes. Anyone who has had school aged children can identify the "best" teachers. Reward them!