Kelly’s childhood in Dickinson, North Dakota, inspired in him a passion for the outdoors. In the summers, he could be found on Lake Sakakawea and during the fall he was bow hunting in the badlands.
After graduating from Dickinson High School in 1995, Kelly attended the University of North Dakota but continued to grow his roots in Dickinson, returning home in the summers to coach the Dickinson Roughriders American Legion baseball team. Kelly earned a bachelor’s degree from UND in 2001 and a law degree from UND law school in 2003.
You can never take away a good education, and a good education is the surest sign of future success for individuals.
Primary and Secondary education, known better as grade school and high school, is primarily the responsibility of state and local governments. Congressman Armstrong strongly supports local control over education decisions and opposes a one-size-fits-all approach from Washington, D.C.
Congressman Armstrong believes that parents, community leaders, teachers and other education professionals, actively engaged in the decision-making process at the local level, are the best individuals to administer our education system. He is also a strong supporting of parents' rights to educate their children at home as well as private and parochial schools. He opposes efforts to infringe on the education rights of parents.
Post-secondary education, such as technical colleges and four-year universities, also operates best when local officials, business leaders and educational professionals work together to meet the needs of the state and region. This is especially important for technical colleges, which teach individuals skills, such as welding, that can immediately lead to a job.
Congressman Armstrong is working to empower local technical colleges and universities to meet the needs of their students and communities and removing federal overreach that drives up costs and does not lead to better outcomes.