Rounds Cosponsors Bill to Restore State and Local Control of Education

Pat Powers

Rounds Cosponsors Bill to Restore State and Local Control of Education

A-PLUS Act Allows State & Local Government to Opt Out of Onerous Federal Education Requirements

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) joined Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mt.) and others to introduce the Academic Partnerships Lead Us to Success (A-PLUS) Act, the first step to eliminating the Department of Education. The A-PLUS Act restores state and local control of education by giving them the option to decline participation in the prescriptive and onerous requirements of federal education programs and focus that funding on solutions that meet their community needs.

“I’ve worked with President Trump to return K-12 decision-making back to the states and local school boards. Since ending the federal mandate requiring states to adopt the Common Core State Standards, the A-PLUS Act is the next step that will expedite the transfer of power and decision making away from the federal bureaucracy and back to South Dakotans – where it belongs. Our legislation provides flexibility by allowing local governments to opt out of onerous federal guidelines and requirements. We have to get Washington out of the way, especially when it comes to raising our youth. While the votes are not there today to successfully eliminate the Department of Education, this is a good step to bring education decision-making back to state and local governments.”

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7 thoughts on “Rounds Cosponsors Bill to Restore State and Local Control of Education”

  1. I wonder if any Dems will get behind this? Most likely not as they believe in the Central Government and total control; in other words, brainwashing. This would be a great step to improving education in government schools.

  2. This does not fit Rounds policy positions when he was Governor. This legislation needs to be vetted. Plus this would be only one small step in the right direction. If opting out means lost of federal funding, then local control would be only words, not reality. The “brainwashing” at teacher colleges would also have to be addressed.

    1. Steve, I have no idea how you reach this assertion. Governor Rounds was the most aggressive Governor in my life-time at trying to get federal waivers on a host of policy questions. In fact, his credibility at having been a Governor is an asset to getting this passed.

  3. I’m all for putting Betsy DeVos out of a job but shutting down the DoE seems like a bad move.

  5. I think it’s sad seeing teachers like CAH say teachers would teach better if they got more money.

  6. Education is a national security matter. It’s too vital to turn over to states to cheap and to bigoted to turn out young scholars worthy of moving to Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington.

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