Investing in Public Education

As a former teacher, and school board member, Jon knows first-hand how important public education is to Montana. Jon knows that greater access to higher education improves lives and boosts Montana’s economy. That’s why he’s fought tirelessly to protect local control of Montana’s schools, to expand educational and job training opportunities for all Montanans, and for the resources rural schools need to compete.

From Head Start to post-secondary education, Jon has been an advocate for Montana’s students. And when Washington bureaucrats got in his way, he let them have it.

Jon has stood up for Montana against Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. When DeVos threatened the University of Montana’s TRiO program over a formatting error, Jon held her feet to the fire and delivered for Montana students. And Jon is battling DeVos at every turn as she tries to privatize our public schools. Jon knows voucherizing schools might work in downtown Chicago, but it won’t work in Chinook.

Jon’s fought to make a college degree attainable for any Montanan who is ready and willing to do the work. He’s pushed for year-round Pell grants in order to help more Montanans finish college on time and without mountains of debt. And he’s worked tirelessly to ensure our veterans get full access to their G.I. Bill benefits.

Jon’s goal is to expand education opportunities for all Montanans, including those who don’t want or need a college degree. He’s hosted blue-collar jobs roundtables across the state and worked with community colleges to deliver vocational training for Montanans.

Jon wants all Montanans to have access to good-paying jobs and education is critically important to achieving that goal.

Like out-of-touch billionaire Betsy DeVos, Matt Rosendale doesn’t get it. He supports vouchers and charter schools, which pull federal funding away from public schools, but do not have the same accountability. He’s even voted against bipartisan education funding at the state level, including to improve school infrastructure. But why should we expect a developer from Maryland to be looking out for Montana’s children?

He’s not looking out for Montana’s students – he’s following the Koch Brothers’ lead. He’s called for ending federal funding for higher education. In the legislature, he voted against scholarships for Montana veterans and engineering students, and voted against funding critical infrastructure in the state university system.