Board of Public Education fields applications for 12 more public charter schools

Proponents of 12 proposed public charter schools in Montana appeared virtually before the Board of Public Education Wednesday seeking state approval to launch their efforts for the 2025-26 school year. The applications constitute the second round of proposals submitted under a new law passed by the 2023 Legislature.

To date, that law has resulted in the approval of 19 public charter schools across the state, all but one of which began operations this fall. Two of the applications up for review by the Board of Public Education this week were resubmissions of earlier proposals that failed to obtain board approval last spring, with backers having made alterations in response to previous board feedback. All schools approved under the new law must comply with the bulk of state laws governing public K-12 schools, and so far, all of the applications the board has green-lighted have come from existing public school boards seeking to secure additional state funding to support more tailored educational programs.

One of Wednesday’s repeat applicants is looking to buck that trend and, if approved, become the first standalone public charter school district in Montana. The proposed Yellowstone Experience School, or YES, would be a year-long Montessori-style K-12 school in Livingston with five multi-age classrooms serving a minimum of 130 students. YES would operate as a separate district within the physical boundaries of the current Livingston Public Schools district, with its own locally elected board and administrators. Backers said 63 students have already signed statements saying they intend to enroll.

“We are looking at a $5 million start-up fundraising to support our budget,” YES governing board Chair Emily Post told the board, acknowledging the financial challenges associated with establishing a brand-new school district. “We have applied to two charter nationwide advocacy foundations and that’s for $1.2 million. We will need other grant support. That is something where we’ll need to be voraciously looking for funds because that’s part of our five-year budget.”

Over the past year, Post and other local residents behind the YES effort have struggled to gain traction with the Livingston Public Schools Board of Trustees, which voted in October to deny approving the charter application. That development left backers to bring the proposal to the Board of Public Education directly, where they fielded questions regarding their ability to understand and comply with various financial, staffing and state accreditation challenges. 

Members of the board questioned whether the new charter school would be able to levy the local tax dollars necessary to access state education funding, and Post acknowledged the group is frequently asked how it plans to meet its staffing needs in light of high costs of living and an ongoing statewide teacher shortage. Board Chair Tim Tharp also pointed out that Montana law requires that a public school board be composed of seven elected members, all of whom must be qualified electors from within the district. The YES application, he continued, listed only six founding board members, several of whom live outside the proposed district.

The second repeat application came from a group in central Montana seeking to establish a linked network of school sites on Hutterite colonies operating under a unified charter. The proposed Liberty Academy Charter School would be governed by the existing Liberty Public Schools Board of Trustees and, with guidance from an advisory council, offer in-person public instruction for K-8 students on as many as six colonies. Those lessons would be delivered by state-licensed teachers and include a focus on English language learning. 

“On-site instruction would be provided using a curriculum already in place that would focus on providing culturally rooted personalized ESL instruction,” governing board chair David Hofer said, urging the board to “finally afford those 66 students an opportunity they so deserve to receive a public school education that meets their educational needs.”

The Liberty Academy proposal arose from ongoing challenges to the delivery of public education on Hutterite colonies in central and eastern Montana. For decades, public school districts have provided on-site instruction for colony students through interlocal agreements. Recent concern about districts providing such services on colonies located inside the boundaries of a different district prompted the 2023 Legislature to revise how state education funds flow through those agreements.

Liberty School Superintendent Dan McGee told board members the changes prompted several colonies to seek instruction from private sources this fall, and argued that the Liberty Academy proposal would pave the way to returning public school education to those colonies. McGee also said the delivery of on-site instruction for Hutterite students is a critical alternative to transporting them to centralized public schools where “cultural disconnection and emotional trauma” can hinder their academic success.

Board members again raised several questions regarding the instructional and logistical aspects of Liberty Academy, including whether the state-backed curriculum in those classrooms would be separate from cultural and religious lessons relevant to Hutterite society. Hofer assured the board that colonies had no interest in public school teachers delivering such instruction, and McGee noted those lessons would remain part of separate German school curriculum led by colony members. 

“The teachers that we have hired, they are not in the classroom during that instruction,” McGee said. “[Students] go to a separate classroom for their German instruction with a religious base.”

The remaining 10 charter applications presented a mix of fresh proposals for schools focused on virtual learning, trades-based education or alternative instructional approaches for youth at risk of not obtaining a high school diploma. They originated from existing school boards in rural and urban communities throughout Montana: Butte, Hardin, Florence-Carlton, Lewistown, Libby, Laurel, St. Ignatius, Ronan, Park City and Lockwood. The Lewistown Public Schools’ proposal envisioned a regional career and technical education hub that would bridge high school trades courses with post-secondary and industry opportunities to expand Montana’s workforce. Applications from Park City, Butte, Laurel, St. Ignatius and Libby featured elements of career exploration and trades-centric education as well.

Many of the districts seeking approval of those charters also cited an interest in using virtual instruction to tap into local homeschool populations in their surrounding communities. Florence-Carlton School Superintendent Todd Fiske told the board his district is already contracting with a state-approved digital learning platform starting next semester and sees expanded virtual offerings through the proposed SOAR Academy as a way of “reengaging” families who have left the public school system to educate their children in a home environment.

According to Montana’s Office of Public Instruction, the number of homeschool students statewide spiked during the first full school year of the COVID-19 pandemic before dipping slightly, but remains above pre-pandemic levels and shows signs of gradual growth. OPI’s latest homeschool enrollment estimate for fall 2024 was 8,179 students. Agency spokesperson Brian O’Leary noted that figure does not include data from Gallatin County, which reported the third-highest homeschool enrollment last school year behind Flathead and Yellowstone counties.

Having reviewed all 12 of the latest public charter school applications, the Board of Public Education will continue accepting public comment on the proposals ahead of a scheduled work session Jan. 23. The following day — Jan. 24, 2025 — the board will vote whether to approve or deny each application.