By the #s: 22.5 million meals provided to K-12 public school students last year
According to OPI, 22.5 million meals served to K-12 students in 2022 were supported by $83 million in state and federal funding.
Latest education Reporting
Montana lawmakers debate Board of Regents authority
The House Judiciary Committee heard testimony Monday on a bill that proposes amending the Montana Constitution to grant lawmakers certain authority over the university system. Debate over House Bill 517 was partly rooted in two 2021 laws since deemed unconstitutional.
Board of Public Ed formally adopts new school quality rules
Rule changes approved by the Montana Board of Public Education Friday add new financial literacy and civics requirements for graduation, expand family and community engagement in career and college readiness, and preserve ratios for school counselors and librarians.
Education policy at the Legislature’s half-way mark
The 2023 Legislature has already advanced a host of bills impacting public school teachers, parents and students in Montana. What’s still alive at halftime, and what didn’t make the cut?
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MORE EDUCATION REPORTING
Bill would expand access to Native tuition waiver
A House bill making its way through the Legislature would revise a tuition waiver available to Native American students by expanding the program’s eligibility criteria so more people could qualify. Some state and education administrators are concerned about the financial cost of the waivers.
House advances dueling charter school bills
A pair of Republican-led charter school proposals have passed their initial votes on the House floor, one of them tied to a sprawling educational reform package. It’s the first time in at least two decades that even one charter pitch has made it this far.
Bill calling for accountability in Montana’s Native education moving through Legislature
Windy Boy’s bill would require the Office of Public Instruction and the state’s public schools to create and manage a report that details exactly how that school incorporated Indian Education for All into its classrooms.
Sex ed drives raft of public education proposals
Concerns about sex education in Montana’s K-12 public schools have fueled a series of proposals about what gets taught and how parents are notified, with much of the debate rooted in a controversial law passed by the 2021 Legislature.
Legislature revisits education tax credit debate
After a single school district claimed more than half of Montana’s tax-credit-eligible contributions in 2022, lawmakers are searching for a fix. But so far, Democrats and Republicans remain divided on what that solution should look like.
Making the case for Gallatin College
For the second session in a row, Montana State University’s $38 million request for a new Gallatin College building failed to make the governor’s proposed budget. President Waded Cruzado and local supporters aren’t giving up.
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MORE EDUCATION REPORTING
Lawmakers eye changes to teacher retirement system
Among the growing number of proposals designed to address Montana’s teacher shortage is House Bill 117, a measure designed to increase how much re-employed retirees in classrooms can earn without risking their retirement benefits.
From public lands to Montana classrooms
Just ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, state Superintendent Elsie Arntzen issued a celebratory announcement that she’d accepted $46.3 million from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. Her message came complete with a photo of a large novelty check made out to “Montana’s K-12 Schools” and emblazoned with the image of a remote state-owned…
Bozeman school board approves cuts, will ask voters for tax increase
The elimination of teaching positions could result in fewer elective classes and bigger class sizes with less teacher attention.
What teacher licensing looked like in 2022
After spiking in the second year of the pandemic, the number of new teacher licenses and emergency teaching authorizations issued by the Office of Public Instruction fell last year. That’s just one of the takeaways from a report released Friday.
Arntzen hosts parental rights speakers in Capitol
Superintendent Elsie Arntzen held a “celebration of parents” in the Capitol Rotunda Monday, inviting a group of speakers focused on sex education concerns and increased parental involvement in public schools.
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