Dr. Stephen Pruitt testified today before Senate committee regarding implementation of K-12 education reform legislation
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell met today with Kentucky Commissioner of Education Stephen Pruitt in his office in the United States Capitol. Commissioner Pruitt is in the Nation’s Capital to testify before the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee regarding the implementation of K-12 education reform legislation, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which passed Congress with strong bipartisan support last year and was signed into law by the President.
Senator McConnell meets with Commissioner Pruitt in the U.S. Capitol.
“I appreciate Commissioner Pruitt’s leadership on behalf of the children and families in Kentucky and his commitment to improving the quality of education in our state,” Senator McConnell said. “ESSA, the most significant K-12 education reform in well over a decade, replaced a broken law with conservative reforms that will help students succeed instead of helping Washington, D.C. grow. I enjoyed meeting with Commissioner Pruitt and discussing what Kentucky will achieve under a law that fully empowers them to do what's right for their students. I also look forward to working with Commissioner Pruitt and others to ensure that the Department of Education is enacting ESSA in exactly the way that Congress intended.”
ESSA restores state flexibility in education and limits the ability of the administration to legislate through regulation. It empowers states to build innovative approaches to strengthen education in states like Kentucky, and it seeks to stop federal bureaucrats from imposing the kind of top-down, one-size-fits-all requirements we have continued to see under the Obama Administration that we all know threaten that progress. ESSA also puts education decisions back in the hands of those that know what is needed most – parents, students, teachers, and local and state officials.
“I appreciate Senator McConnell’s support of ESSA and his concern over the integrity of its implementation,” Commissioner Pruitt said. “Our goal is to provide a world class education to all students in the Commonwealth, and to ensure each one has the opportunity to fulfill his or her dreams, become a productive member of Kentucky’s workforce and contribute to progress of this great nation.”
Earlier this year, Senator McConnell met with Dr. John King, Secretary of the Department of Education, to discuss his plans for implementing ESSA. During the meeting, Senator McConnell urged Dr. King to implement ESSA as intended by Congress. As the Department of Education continues to implement ESSA, Senator McConnell will review the regulations closely with the priorities and concerns of Kentuckians in mind.
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