A North Country Republican assemblyman on Monday unveiled “The Next Step,” a plan that he says will overhaul the controversial Common Core curriculum.

Meanwhile, Assemblyman Marc W. Butler, R-Newport, is calling for the state to return to North Country schools state aid funds stripped several years back through the Gap Elimination Adjustment.

“Schools have been working under tremendous pressure from limited state school aid, implementing Common Core, and inaction from the governor and the State Education Department in making the changes necessary to improve education for our children,” Butler said. “I am again calling for the legislature to take the initiative to ensure fair funding for schools, provide training and support for educators, and reform testing and curriculum to benefit students throughout the state. We’ve talked enough, action must be taken now to limit the negative impact children have been facing in the state’s struggling education system.”

“I’m happy steps are finally in place to overhaul the Common Core curriculum and the stressful high-stakes testing that accompanies it, but fixing our education system does not stop there,” said Blankenbush. “We need to eliminate the Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA) in its entirety and outline a definitive plan for the full phase-in of Foundation Aid for our school districts. Our schools are failing its students, not only because of Common Core, but because they are lacking the funds needed for essential student programs.

“Gov. Cuomo and Assembly Democrats have been learning hard lessons about creating education policy in a vacuum. I hope they learned from their mistakes and will not let these critical education reform proposals fall on deaf ears. It’s time to fully fund our schools and cultivate a new curriculum developed at the local level to give our children the education they deserve.”

Butler and Blankenbush said their proposals include:

• Eliminate the GEA and create a definitive plan for the full phase-in of Foundation Aid

• Repeal the current teacher evaluation system and empower the Board of Regents to establish, with required input from education experts, school administrators, parents and teachers, a new teacher evaluation system to be implemented statewide

• Create new state learning standards with the assistance of teachers, school administrators, education experts and parents

• Ensure all state assessments are age- and developmentally-appropriate and of the highest quality

• Increase transparency for the state’s testing program and protect students and teachers from the negative effects of state assessments until reforms are implemented; and

• Provide increased flexibility for students by providing multiple pathways, and to local school districts by giving them the discretion and resources to locally develop curriculum.

Butler represents the 118th Assembly District. It includes a piece of southern and central St. Lawrence County from Fine to Norfolk.

Blankenbush’s 117th Assembly District covers parts of western St. Lawrence County, including Gouverneur.