Montana Gov. Gianforte announces pro-parent education agenda: 'Lifetime teachers'

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte unveiled a pro-parent agenda on Tuesday while joined by students, parents, teachers and administrators for a roundtable discussion on education.

Joined by four parents at the roundtable, Gianforte said that "parents deserve to have their voices heard."

"Parents are our kids’ first and lifetime teachers," Gianforte said. "As they educate their kids at home, they deserve to have their voices heard and to be a part of their kids’ education."

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During the roundtable, the governor stressed the importance of "individualized learning, civics education, parental involvement in education, and providing Montana educators the resources they need to succeed."

Furthermore, Gianforte said he wants to address the teacher shortage throughout the state by working with lawmakers to add more incentives to increase entry-level teacher pay for school districts. 

"We all want what’s best for Montana kids and believe they should receive the best possible education, so they may reach their full, outstanding potential. Let’s support individualized learning, civics education and other innovative approaches to education. Let’s ensure parents are involved in their kids’ education and teachers have the resources they need to help our kids thrive," Gianforte said. 

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Responding to Gianforte’s new move to push parental involvement in education, America Federation For Children Senior Fellow Corey DeAngelis said he is "happy to see Governor Gianforte signaling support for parental rights in education." 

"The governor should take the plan a step further and call to fund students directly and empower families to choose the education providers that best meet their needs and align with their values. School choice is the only way to truly secure parental rights in education. Tweaks to the existing system can be steps in the right direction, but they ultimately fail to fix the root of the problem," DeAngelis said.

"The one-size-fits-all public school system, by definition, will always fail to meet the needs of every individual family," he added. "That's because parents disagree about how they want their kids to be raised and to be educated. The only way forward through freedom rather than force is to fund students directly and empower families to choose the education providers that best meet their needs and align with their values."

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The issue of education has become a top concern among voters heading into the midterm elections. Therefore, governors and lawmakers across the country have been making strides to address parents’ concerns. 

Chief among them is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who pushed a Parental Rights Bill and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who established new guidelines on prioritizing parents' rights when dealing with transgender students.

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This came after educators and school board officials across the U.S. have drawn ire from parents who were concerned about progressive curriculum, COVID lockdowns, and the discussion of gender identity in the classroom.

Such conflict has reignited the debate on how much control parents have over their children's education and prompted top lawmakers to act.