On the Ground: Defending Public Schools

While Daines is busy covering for a pedophile, someone needs to make sure Montanans get our fair share of public benefits from the Federal taxes we pay.

In my travels across the state, I’ve meet so many folks who value Montana's public schools. In towns from Troy to Three Forks, I hear that our schools are the heartbeats of our Montana communities.

Locally-elected school boards help keep decision-making close to home so that parents and community members shape the values and direction of their schools.

Recent federal cuts to education funding are placing local control and stability at risk, disrupting programs rural students rely on. Each student in Montana gets about 30% of their school funding from federal sources, whether they live in Troy or Terry.

If the federal government walks away, the State of Montana would have to build a whole new bureaucracy just to manage, distribute, and audit these needed funds. This means spending more of our limited state budget on administration instead of students.

It's unclear who would track how our taxpayer money would be spent, who would protect small and rural schools from being left out, or how consistency would be maintained across counties if funding was given directly to states.

This is not a serious plan. This is a plan to undercut our schools in Montana.

Cutting federal support leaves Montana with more red tape and fewer resources, especially in places already struggling. If the goal is to empower local schools, we need steady funding.

Montana's schools need strong advocates to stand up for our state in Washington, not undermine the central feature of nearly every Montana community: our public schools.

Contact Daines and tell him to STOP VOTING FOR CUTS to our public schools in Montana!