U.S. SENATE—U.S. Senator Steve Daines today reintroduced the “Academic Partnerships Lead Us to Success Act” or the “A-PLUS Act” to give Montanans more say over how their tax dollars are spent on education.
“Montana parents and teachers know what Montana students need best,” Daines said. “We should empower state and local leaders to have more of a say in the classroom, and keep DC bureaucrats and the federal government out of it.”
“‘The A Plus Act’ is about more than removing burdens and giving schools flexibility. The ‘A Plus Act’ is about preserving local control and the Montana way of life. The need to provide flexibility to our schools should be more clear now than ever. I want to thank Senator Daines for his commitment to empowering our local leaders, students, and their families,” said Montana Superintendent Elsie Arntzen.
The “A-PLUS Act” would give states greater flexibility in allocating federal education funding and helping academic achievement. It would reduce the administrative and compliance burdens on state and local education agencies, and ensure greater public transparency about the use of federal education funds and student academic achievement.
Under the “A-PLUS Act”, states would be allowed to obtain federal education funding in the form of block grants. States could choose to participate or they could continue to administer their education programs in the current manner.
To read the full bill, click HERE.
Senator Daines introduced this legislation with Senators Rubio (Fla.), Rick Scott (Fla.), Johnson (Wis.), Blackburn (Tenn.), Hagerty (Tenn.), Lummis (Wyo.), Sasse (Neb.), Cruz (Texas) and Tim Scott (S.C.).
This bill has been endorsed by the Heritage Foundation, Freedom Works, and the American Federation for Children.
Background:
Daines introduced the “A-PLUS Act” in 2019, 2017 and 2015.