|
The OPI is providing this newsletter to legislators every six weeks to keep you updated on current events and ongoing education-related issues in Montana.
The next Navigator will be sent to you on April 1st. Keep informed of our new developments and tribal specialists.
 Click to read Superintendent Arntzen’s editorial – The Choice of Mental Health Services is Now
Comprehensive School and Community Treatment Program (CSCT)
As of February 17, 2022, 47 school districts have signed onto the CSCT MOU. Our website is updated every Monday with a current list of districts. DPHHS and OPI worked with districts that had Board meetings past the February 11th deadline and accepted MOUs through the 15th. If the participating district submitted the match payment in addition to the signed MOU by the 15th OPI and DPHHS released submitted January claims for reimbursement.
|
The legislature moved the administration of Medicaid-Medicare and CHIP services in schools to the OPI. Services have included, but are not limited to, School-Based Outpatient Therapy services, CSCT, and Medicaid-Medicare appeals by schools on audits. In addition, the OPI has pursued grants to support mental health services in schools, such as the SAMSHA grant. The SAMSHA wraparound grant services end March 31, 2022. SAMSHA currently provides referrals to:
- mental health services
- navigation of resources
- coordination of services
- development of professional and natural supports
- one-on-one family and youth mental health planning
- motivational interviewing to engage youth and families in setting goals
- training for principles of wraparound services delivery community-wide
- suicide intervention training for students, schools, and communities
- trauma-informed care/restorative practices and relational circle training for schools and stakeholders
- development of system-wide mental health supports
- community-wide crisis response team development and family and youth engagement in the mental healthcare decision-making systems.
More of our Montana Schools are looking to expand School-Based outpatient therapy (SBOT) services. Districts report that this is a simpler model for them than CSCT and does not require an intergovernmental transfer (IGT) of funds to serve children and families. CSCT has gone through changes, and with the new IGT model, 43 districts have an IGT-MOU in place. This represents 87% of the districts with CSCT services at the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year. During the first claims cycle that required districts to provide the state match - 29 districts submitted the district match to meet the necessary Center for Medicaid-Medicare services state-mandated match in order o receive federal funds for claims.
The OPI is pleased to announce the employment of Crystal Hickman as our School Mental Health Support Services Coordinator. One of the first significant goals she will coordinate is developing a field team to work on school-based mental health solutions for our students. The first session of this team is March 16, 2022.
The next monthly meeting with districts offering CSCT services is Monday, February 28, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. Support also continues to be provided to districts individually.
For more information, please contact Deputy Sharyl Allen at Sharyl.allen@mt.gov or (406) 444-5658.
In response to the 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), the OPI partnered with the Montana School Counselor Association to host a virtual workshop on February 1 that featured internationally recognized national youth suicide prevention expert, Dr. Scott Poland. The 158 attendees were provided with information on suicide prevention, proactive response, and school mental health worker self-care.
“Montana school counselors are working tirelessly to promote safety, emotional well-being, and caring, compassionate school climates that allow every student to thrive. We are so grateful to partner with OPI on bringing Dr. Scott Poland to provide new tools and support to those working on the front lines every day. Thank you for recognizing the critical role that school counselors play and for providing this essential training.” – Reneé Schoening, Executive Director of the Montana School Counselor’s Association.”
Superintendent Elsie Arntzen and Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced the theme for this year’s National Missing Children’s Poster contest, “Bringing Our Missing Children Home.” The contest is open to all Montana fifth-grade students. This is the 13th year that Montana students have participated in the contest. The 2021 winner was Claire Swanson from Ms. Kim Gilligan’s class at Townsend Elementary School.
Students must meet the following criteria:
- Original and handcrafted art
- 8 ½ x 14 inches
- Include the words “Bringing Our Missing Children Home”
- Include a written application, which includes a description of the poster and a brief biography of the artist
- Submitted by February 28, 2022
The posters cannot contain digitally produced images, collages, cut-outs, or stamping. The poster will be judged on originality, creativity, the use of color and materials, and the reflection of the contest theme. The written application will be judged on clarity, comprehension, and grammar.
“Our Montana students are our state’s most precious treasures. A loss of any child is a loss to any Montana community,” said Superintendent Elsie Arntzen. “I encourage all 5th-grade students to bring awareness to our state’s missing children program.”
“One missing child is too many. The Montana Department of Justice is committed to bringing home missing children and prosecuting their predators, so they’re put behind bars where they belong,” Attorney General Knudsen said. “This contest is a good reminder to young Montanans to be mindful of their surroundings online and in-person while bringing awareness to this important issue.”
The winner of this year’s contest will receive a cash prize of $100, celebrate with Superintendent Arntzen and Attorney General Knudsen, and be entered into the national contest. The national poster winner will win a trip to Washington DC and will participate in the National Missing Children’s Day ceremony on May 25, 2022.
In Montana, 69 children have been located through 51 AMBER Alerts since 2003. The Montana Department of Justice issues AMBER Alerts through CodeRed. To view the current list of missing Montanans and for more information on AMBER Alerts and Montana’s Missing Persons programs visit https://dojmt.gov/missing-persons/.
Submit posters and applications to:
Montana Department of Justice Missing Persons Clearinghouse 2225 11th Avenue PO Box 201406 Helena, MT 59620
 |
|
Superintendent Elsie Arntzen has introduced recommendations to the Board of Public Education (BOPE). Parents, community leaders, and teachers are asked to participate in commenting on hiring flexibilities to ensure quality teachers lead our community classrooms. Current Montana teacher shortages demand this change to remove barriers in obtaining teacher licenses and hiring qualifications. Streamlining the process will attract teachers with multiple pathways and skills. |
The proposed changes to increase recruitment of teachers:
- Equalizing alternative teacher preparation pathways
- Earning multiple endorsements to expand credentials
- Increasing access for expired licensees to reenter the classroom
- Flexibility of initial license competencies through a test, portfolio, or verified GPA
- Acceptance of lifetime licenses
- Increasing Career Technical educators by accepting diverse degrees, allowing associate degrees, and work experience equivalencies
- Allowing school counselors to pursue administrative licenses
- Providing license reciprocity from other states for military spouses and dependents
- Recognizing licenses for nationally board-certified teachers
Read more comprehensive changes to ARM Chapter 57.
For more information, please contact Dr. Julie Murgel at julie.murgel@mt.gov or (406) 444-3172.
Superintendent Arntzen has created the Montana Teacher Residency Demonstration Project. This first-of-its-kind undergraduate program in Montana will help recruit, prepare, support, and retain K-12 teachers. This innovative new teacher preparation will provide a stipend for a full year in-classroom experience, possible district-provided housing, and teacher leader coaching to ensure student success.
The Montana Teacher Residency Demonstration Project is a full-year program that prepares education undergraduate majors to be effective teachers. The resident teacher, through classroom coaching by an effective teacher-leader, with support from the university and community, is a model for success for retaining quality teachers. The Montana Teacher Residency Demonstration Project begins in the fall of 2022 with a minimum of 8 demonstration schools, 16 resident teachers, and 16 teacher-leaders.
The program will begin with a two-week summer institute, followed by a year of residency under a teacher-leader in a school setting. The resident will participate OPI-sponsored summits during the year while successfully completing undergraduate coursework toward a bachelor’s degree from the Montana University System. Residents receive a stipend during the residency year, partial tuition support, and district-provided housing. Resident teachers will commit to teaching in a Montana high-needs school district for a minimum of two years.
For more information, please contact Deputy Sharyl Allen at Sharyl.allen@mt.gov or (406) 444-5658.
Negotiated Rulemaking is a formal proceeding following Montana law that embraces the recommendations from the School Quality Task Force and the Superintendent. These recommendations and a taxpayer economic impact will flow to the Board of Public Education. After the Board's review and approval, with multiple opportunities for public comment, the Montana legislature is requested to fund the proposed amendments.
“I welcome Montana families, parents, and teachers to be part of the conversation on what defines a quality education in Montana public schools,” Superintendent Arntzen stated. “There has been much learned for needed flexibilities in these past two years of uncertainty. Let's embrace local control by actively listening to our Montana communities through this process of putting our Montana students first.”
For more information, please contact Dr. Julie Murgel at julie.murgel@mt.gov or (406) 444-3172.
From our schools, as of February 2022, a total of 305 applications for ESSER grant funding have been approved under ESSER I, and 310 have been approved under ESSER II.
- There have been 317 ESSER applications submitted under ARP ESSER, with 290 approved.
- The total expended budget by School District or LEA is $32,320,046 for ESSER I, $42,805,536 under ESSER II, and $14,610,536 under ESSER III.
- For more information, visit the information page on the OPI website or call Jeff Kirksey, MSED., OPI’s ESSER Program Manager, at (406) 444-0783.
The state of Montana received the CRRSA Emergency Aid to Nonpublic Schools (EANS) I award in the amount of $12,816,385 and received the ARP EANS II award in the amount of $12,063,324.
- It is estimated that the total awarded under EANS I will be $6,522,933, with the remainder reverting to the Gov. Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER).
- The EANS II award is still open for new applicants to submit an Intent to Apply. Information is available on the website. These are the parameters for the EANS II funds that nonpublic schools must meet to qualify for this award:
- Ability to show they are servicing a population that meets at least a 40% poverty level, and
- Living in an area in Montana that has been severely impacted by COVID.
More information will be available per school district allocation for your legislative purposes.
For information contact Wendi Fawns at wendi.fawns@mt.gov.
 
The Montana Indian Language Conference will be held March 8-9, 2022, by the University of Montana in conjunction with the Chippewa Cree Tribe Department of Indian Education, the Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribal Education Department, Fort Peck Tribes Language and Culture Department, and MSU Bozeman Center for Bilingual and Multicultural Education.
For more information, please contact Don Wetzel at dwetzel2@mt.gov or (406) 444-4527 or
Mr. Jonathan Eagleman at eaglelodge22@gmail.com.
 |
|
HB556 is a bill introduced by Kenneth Walsh that will provide students with an alternative means of earning a high school diploma. The Superintendent of Public Instruction is creating a process for students to demonstrate proficiency of high school content standards through alternative means. The OPI will provide rulemaking and an immediate effective date. |
For more information, please contact Rob Stutz at rob.stutz@mt.gov or (406) 444-4399. |
|
 |
Questions? Contact:
Dennison Rivera, Communications Director
Brian.O'Leary, Deputy Communications Director
Dr. Trenin Bayless, OPI Project Manager, (406) 444-3449
Tara Boulanger, Legislative Liaison, (406) 444-2082.
The OPI is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, require an alternate format, or have questions concerning accessibility, contact the OPI ADA Coordinator, 406-444-3161, opiada@mt.gov, Relay Service: 711.
|
