Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

I've been vocal against the federal Department of Education and when I gets to Congress, I'll work tirelessly to get rid of the unconstitutional department.

Conservative Principles in Education

Senator Glenn Grothman has been vocal in his concerns about the trend towards top-down, federal control of our education system. Unfortunately, this approach has been supported by both Republicans and Democrats in the past. The result of the federal government's overreach into education has been lackluster student achievement outcomes, a widening workforce skills gap, and the decline of America's educational effectiveness compared to other countries. The one-size-fits-all approach has proven ineffective in addressing the individual needs of children and will continue to put the success of the next generation in jeopardy.

Glenn believes that a strong, effective school is responsive to the needs and values of its community while giving students the educational preparedness to achieve their goals. By involving parents and giving them choices for the children's educational future, we take the decision-making power away from high-level bureaucrats and put it where it should be -- in the hands of parents and local communities.

Opposition to Common Core

Glenn is in strong opposition to the implementation of the Common Core State Standards in Wisconsin, frequently called just "Common Core." The top-down federal control of our education system is not only an egregiously wrong approach to education, it's in opposition to the United States Constitution.

Glenn has repeatedly voted against Common Core and all of its various components (including the student databases - see Student Privacy directly below), and he has sponsored legislative proposals to repeal Common Core in Wisconsin. He will continue this fight in Washington.

Student Privacy

Glenn has consistently voted against the government collecting personal information and data from students in state-funded schools. These databases, called "Student Information Systems," are part of the implementation of Common Core, which Glenn strongly opposes. Unfortunately, many Republicans voted for these initiatives and therefore they are currently in place in Wisconsin. Glenn will work tirelessly to repeal the "No Child Left Behind" program and stop the collection of data from your children.

School Choice

Glenn has also been a vocal advocate for school choice. He believes that all children should have access to a quality education. For this reason, Glenn authored legislation providing a refundable tax credit to parents of children in private schools. Ultimately, Glenn was able to secure an income tax deduction for parents with children in private school. This accomplishment has been widely regarded as a huge step forward for school choice in Wisconsin.

Student Debt

Glenn has grave concerns for the nation's college students and recent graduates. Massive student debt weighs down recent graduates' ability to have a family and participate in the economy. Glenn has been a vocal opponent of all tuition increases in Wisconsin and has advocated for cuts in tuition and student fees. When in Congress, Glenn will take action to introduce proven, free-market principles into the higher education system. By allowing student debt to be restructured under bankruptcy like most other debts, universities will be forced to take a students' ability to repay their loans into consideration when setting the price for tuition.

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