President Donald Trump’s pick for deputy secretary of education, Penny Schwinn, was once a prominent figure in Sacramento’s education scene.

During her six years in Sacramento, Schwinn established a charter school and had several brief runs in local school leadership positions before taking roles in other states.

Trump announced his choice in a Truth Social post Friday, repeatedly misidentifying Schwinn as “Peggy.” He wrote that “Peggy” has a “has a strong record of delivering results for children and families” and that she is “committed to delivering the American Dream to the next Generation by returning Education BACK TO THE STATES.” Schwinn would work under Linda McMahon, Trump’s choice for the Secretary of Education.

Schwinn in Sacramento

The soon-to-be Deputy Secretary of Education is known locally for establishing Capitol Collegiate Academy, a free charter school that primarily enrolls socioeconomically disadvantaged Black and Hispanic students. According to the school’s website Schwinn still serves as a board member.

Schwinn first moved to Sacramento following three years with Teach for America and a stint in the private sector when she was hired as an administrator at St. Hope Public Schools in 2008 as a part of a fellowship which supports charter school leaders. She worked as both a teacher and the director of student achievement through 2011.

The then 26-year-old founded Capitol Collegiate Academy in 2009, also serving as its principal.

In 2012, Schwinn was elected to the Sacramento County Board of Education after a hotly contested race. That summer’s election was defined by the battle between teachers unions and school choice advocates, of which Schwinn, as a charter school founder, represented the latter. Her campaign received thousands of dollars in support from Parents for Great School Sacramento, a committee with ties to the California Charter Schools Association.

Schwinn left her SCOE post the following year to accept a six-figure administrative position at Sacramento City Unified School District. To avoid conflict of interests, she also had to give up her job as executive director at Collegiate Capitol Academy because its charter was authorized by SCUSD. Part of her job as superintendent of performance management meant overseeing the district’s charter schools, including the school she founded.

She resigned from her position one year later to accept a job with the Delaware Department of Education.

Post-Sacramento career

Schwinn spent the past decade jumping from state to state for ascending jobs in educational leadership. She is most well known nationally for serving as the chief deputy commissioner of Academics in Texas and as Tennessee’s education commissioner.

In Texas, Schwinn was embroiled in controversy when she spearheaded a no-bid contract with a private company to mine data from thousands of special education students to help create long-term plans for their educations. Following protests from special ed advocates, the Texas Education Agency terminated the contract after spending $2.2 million for services rendered.

Schwinn shepherded Tennessee’s new student-based school funding formula, a model which critics said is the “gateway to private school vouchers.”

Schwinn stepped down from her Tennessee job in June 2023 and most recently served as the University of Florida’s inaugural vice president of PK-12 and pre-bachelor programs. She was ousted following the resignation of UF President and former Republican U.S. Senator Ben Sasse.

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