U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today led a group of his colleagues in introducing the “Academic Partnerships Lead Us to Success Act” or the “A-PLUS Act” to give local leaders and parents more say over how their tax dollars are spent on education.
“Education tax dollars belong closer to Montana classrooms–not in the hands of D.C. bureaucrats,” Daines said. “Montana parents and teachers know what Montana students need best. Congress should empower state and local leaders to have more of a say in the classroom and allow Montanans to better utilize their tax dollars spent on education.”
“I have worked to add many flexibilities and innovations to our Montana education system during my time as State Superintendent,” Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen said. “Our Montana schools thrive on local control, and the APLUS Act acknowledges that local control on the federal level. A big thank you to Senator Daines for putting Montana students and schools first by reintroducing this flexible legislation.”
Read the bill HERE.
Senators Ron Johnson (Wis.), Rick Scott (Fla.), Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.), Ted Cruz (Texas), Ted Budd (N.C.), Bill Hagerty (Tenn.), Tim Scott (S.C.), Marco Rubio (Fla.) and Joni Ernst (Iowa) joined Daines in introducing the bill.
Daines also joined his colleagues in introducing a Senate resolution marking January 22 through 28, 2023 as “National School Choice Week” in order to highlight the importance of providing Montana parents and families more flexibility and choice in educating their children.
Background:
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.
This bill has been endorsed by Heritage Action and FreedomWorks.
Daines introduces this bill in the Senate at the beginning of every new Congress.
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Contact: Rachel Dumke, Blake Kernen