BILLINGS — Montana U.S. Senate candidate Tim Sheehy says he supports gutting the U.S. Department of Education.
Mr. Sheehy, a Republican, held a rally Monday at Bearded Viking Mead Company in Columbus, where he spoke about immigration, health care and veteran care, before taking questions about education.
MTN was given three minutes to ask four questions at Sheehy’s meeting after Sheehy declined requests to participate in both a debate and a one-on-one interview. The only other candidate who did not participate was Green Party candidate Robert Barbe, who could not be contacted.
“I’ll tell you what that means,” Sheehy said when asked about a quote from a Daily Montanan article proposing cutting $30 billion from the Department of Education. There’s also a warrant, and I don’t think it’s necessary for the federal Department of Education to tell parents how they need to educate their children. ”
America’s vote: Montana Senate race
Mr. Sheehy is running against Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, who is running for a fourth term. Tester’s office said he was unavailable for an interview due to time constraints.
Billings School District 2 School Board Chairman Scott McCulloch has been in education since 1977 and has served on the school board since 2018. He defended federal agencies.
“The Department of Education has said that the federal government believes that education is important, as important as health and human services, as important as the military,” McCulloch said.
Sheehy is among other Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, who have pledged to abolish the Department of Education, which primarily focuses on setting educational standards and monitoring school performance.
“The idea that a democracy can function without public education becomes a more flawed concept with each passing day,” McCulloch said.
Defunding the Department of Education requires action from Congress, Sheehy said, but does not necessarily mean the end of public education.
“It’s school choice. If you want to homeschool, it’s public school, it’s private school, (and) it’s charter school,” said Sheehy, who advocated switching to a block of grant funding for schools. said.
Six percent of Montana K-12 parents transferred their children to private schools last year, according to U.S. Census data.
“While block grants have some benefits, they also have drawbacks when it comes to our education system,” McCulloch said. “If you just send us a chunk of money, how do we know that the money is being spent wisely?” Will the program ever receive funding? ”
Sheehy and many other Republicans who have voiced concerns about the Department of Education say they are focused on the materials provided in public schools, but many educators like McCulloch disagree with the idea. I am objecting.
“All of a sudden we’re talking about the idea that there’s actually an intention to somehow politicize social studies in schools,” McCulloch said.
“Throughout my years as an elected official, in the state Legislature and as the state superintendent, I have been a strong supporter of states’ rights. Montanans are best served by the government closest to them. I believe that the federal government should more closely reflect the strong local accountability nature of our great state. All children make up our great state. We are as unique as our community, and our focus on strong local control reflects this uniqueness.”
MTN News also requested an interview with Republican Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen, who declined, but did issue a statement.
“Throughout my years as an elected official, in the state Legislature and as the state superintendent, I have been a strong supporter of states’ rights. Montanans are best served by the government closest to them. I believe that the federal government should more closely reflect the strong local accountability nature of our great state. All children make up our great state. We are as unique as our community, and our focus on strong local control reflects this uniqueness.”
