State Superintendent Message
I hope that everyone had a relaxing and peaceful spring break. Now, as we move into the last half of the spring semester and towards graduation, we must all be mindful as our youth prepare for the next step in their journey. We are working with partners across our state to make sure every student is Montana Ready to go into the workforce. Montana has invested deeply in ensuring students at every level have been given the equal opportunity to pursue success beyond education. This is vital to the continued prosperity of our state and our nation.
 Please watch: State of Education Speech
CSCT, Student Mental Health - Number of Schools on MOU Update
As of March 21, 2022, 56 school districts have signed the MOU.
In February, 47 claims were submitted, and 29 claims were released.
In March, 50 claims were submitted, and 41 claims were released.
For more information, please contact Deputy Sharyl Allen at sharyl.allen@mt.gov or (406) 444-5648.
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Student Mental Health Committee
The Montana Student Well-being Advisory Committee (MSWAC), a group consisting of diverse stakeholders such as the Montana School Counselors Association, state agencies, tribal, rural, and urban partners, non-profits, school administrators, and school staff is expanding its scope around mental health and wellness for students. MSWAC is seeking additional participants including students, parents, state agencies, family engagement organizations, health providers, workforce development organizations, and others. The expanded MSWAC will be introducing new task force committees to focus on workforce development, youth voice, statewide mapping of mental health and wellness resources, CSCT, and family engagement; with a focus on evidence-based and data-informed practices. MSWAC will utilize the Youth Behavior Risk Survey, the Montana Prevention Needs Assessment, and other relevant data to inform the creation of a strategic plan, goals, and outcomes. The MSWAC leadership team is actively reaching out to new stakeholders and partners.
Mental health and wellness resource mapping are underway, and the Youth Voice Taskforce is taking shape to elevate student voice across Montana. Through partnerships with students, parents/caregivers, and schools, we are working to collect student voice video submissions to gather students’ experiences and suggestions to strengthen school-based delivery of mental health and wellness services. For more information, please visit our School Safety Student Voice webpage.
For more information, please contact Jamey Peterson at jamey.petersen@mt.gov or (406) 444-0773.
Federally Mandated School Report Cards
The fourth year of issuing the federally mandated public school report card required by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Individual schools received their data on March 11 before the public data was released on March 18. The state report card holds data from the previous school year, 2020-2021, and is displayed in an accessible digital report card. There is an individual report card for each of Montana’s 825 schools plus a report card for our 402 school districts.
The federal government required the state-wide assessment without any relief or waivers as in the previous year. Each report card shows data on:
- student achievement scores in math and reading
- student growth in math and reading
- student enrollment
- per-pupil expenditure at local/state, and federal (The federal allocation of Covid relief dollars is not reflected)
- educator qualifications
- graduation rates
The federal requirement for accountability designation as Comprehensive, Targeted, or Universal was carried forward from 2019. The previous annual state accreditation status for schools was also maintained.
Additional information about the differences from the previous year’s report card can be found here.
For more information, please contact Dr. Julie Murgel, Chief Operating Officer, at julie.murgel@mt.gov or (406) 444-3172.
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School Quality Task Force and Negotiated Rulemaking
Superintendent Elsie Arntzen has opened a Negotiated Rulemaking Committee (NRC) on School Quality for revisions to Chapter 55 Montana school accreditation standards, which guide student learning success. School accreditation standards include rules on curriculum, class sizes, teacher and staff qualifications, Indian Education for All, and student learning assessment to ensure all students receive a quality education.
The negotiated rulemaking process is required by § 20-7-101, MCA, when changes to school accreditation rules occur. The NRC’s recommended changes to the school standards of accreditation will be presented to the Board of Public Education (BPE) in July 2022. The cost associated with the changes, an economic impact statement, will be sent in September 2022 to the Education Interim Committee and then to the 2023 legislative session.
The NRC meets:
- March 17, 2022 (In-Person, Helena) 10:00AM - 5:00PM. To view the recording, click here.
- March 18, 2022 (In-Person, Helena) 8:00AM - 2:00PM. To view the recording, click here.
- April 13, 2022, 3:30PM - 5:00PM
- April 20, 2022, 3:30PM - 5:00PM
- May 2, 2022 (In Person, Helena) 10:00AM - 5:00PM
- May 3, 2022 (In Person, Helena) 8:00AM - 2:00PM
- May 9, 2022 (In Person, Helena) 10:00AM - 5:00PM
- May 10, 2022 (In Person, Helena) 8:00AM - 2:00PM
- May 18, 2022, 3:30PM - 5:00PM
- May 25, 2022, 3:30PM - 5:00PM
- June 6, 2022, 3:30PM - 5:00PM
- June 16, 2022 (In Person, Helena) 10:00AM - 5:00PM
- June 17, 2022 (In Person, Helena) 8:00AM - 2:00PM
Please watch this video on the Negotiated Rulemaking Committee.
For more information, please contact Julie Murgel, Chief Operating Officer at julie.murgel@mt.gov or (406) 444-3172.
School Quality Survey
The OPI in partnership with our School Quality Taskforce developed this School Accreditation Survey. The OPI formed the task force to make initial recommendations for ARM Chapter 55 Accreditation Standards revisions to the Superintendent of public instruction and the negotiated rule committee. More information about the work of the school quality task force and the negotiated rule committee can be found here.
The task force asks all members of our education community (Families, students, faculty, staff, trustees, community members, and others) to complete the survey to provide multiple perspectives on how school performance, staffing, policies, or programs items satisfy minimum quality requirements established by the state.
Your data will be confidential and only used to inform the task force on recommendations or revisions for accreditation rules. Thank you!
A link to the survey can be found HERE. This survey closes on April 3, 2022.
For more information contact Tristen Loveridge, Project Manager, at Tristen.belnap@mt.gov or (406) 444-5643.
Flexibilities to Teacher Licensing Public Comment
Public comment on Superintendent Arntzen’s recommendations for flexibilities on teacher licensing is open until April 8 at 5:00 PM. The Board of Public Education will vote to adopt the licensing flexibilities during the meeting on May 12 and 13, 2022.
Through new and innovative licensing revisions, Superintendent Arntzen is removing red tape and putting Montana students and teachers first. Emergency authorizations of teacher licenses have doubled since 2020, which highlights the need for flexible and innovative revisions to Montana teacher licensing rules. Some of the revisions include:
- 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
Please read more about the flexible and innovative changes to teacher licensing rules.
To submit public comment on flexible teacher licensing, please send it to bpe@mt.gov.
For more information, please contact Dr. Julie Murgel, Chief Operating Officer, at julie.murgel@mt.gov or (406) 444-3172.
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Completion Diploma Steering Committee
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The 2021 Montana Legislature passed HB 556 (2021) establishing a Montana proficiency-based diploma for Montana residents who have exhausted the possibility of earning a high school diploma. Now in statute at § 20-3-110, MCA, the Legislature required the Superintendent to establish the eligibility and qualification requirements for a state diploma by administrative rule. |
Superintendent Arntzen has convened a steering committee to help craft a proposed rule. The committee includes Rep. Ken Walsh, sponsor of HB 556, as well as representatives from Montana Youth Challenge and Pine Hills. The Superintendent expects the rules to be in place for a state diploma by the end of this school year.
Public comment about the state diploma requirements is welcomed and encouraged throughout the rulemaking process. The formal public comment process will be initiated in April when the rulemaking proposal is filed. Keep an eye out for further information about this exciting program to recognize the accomplishments of Montana’s youth!
For more information, please contact Rob Stutz, OPI Chief Legal Counsel, at rob.stutz@mt.gov or (406) 444-4399.
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April is Military Child Month
April is the Month of the Military Child! Please join us by inviting community members and families to celebrate our military-connected students as prepare for Purple Up! Day. Montana’s Purple Up! Day is April 12th this year.
There are many opportunities across the state to recognize our military-connected families and honor their sacrifices. Please see the flyer below for events the Montana Army National Guard is partnering with communities all across Montana to celebrate military-connected students. We invite you to participate and invite friends and families to join in on the fun. For some of the more rural areas, please sign up for a MTARNG Camp in a Box or create your own activity to celebrate school-wide. Click here for elementary, middle school, and high school military child packets with ideas on how your school can celebrate the Month of the Military Child.
For more information, please contact Jessica Flint, Communications Program Specialist, at jessica.flint@mt.gov or (406) 438-3400.
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OPI Announces New Special Education Director
JP Williams is the new State Special Education Director. JP Williams has been one of Montana’s most dynamic transformational administrators in the state since returning home in 2018. JP has been in school leadership for 10 years and is in his 17th year as a professional educator. JP has been a standout school leader in Montana for his work on suicide prevention and crisis management during the pandemic. JP is married to Jamie Williams who has been in elementary education for 25 years and is a graduate of MSU Billings. Jamie and JP have three daughters Alex, Jordan, and Kauri.
Currently, JP serves as the Principal of Butte Central High School in Butte, Montana. His focus has been on developing the Public/Private educational partnership at the state level with OPI and the Governor’s office. He has been responsible for developing one of Montana’s premier high school Dual College Enrollment programs in partnership with the MUS system offering a full Associate’ Degree program at the high school level. JP also served as the Chairman of the Office of Public Instruction Special Education Advisory Committee in the 2020-2021 school year. Now in his fourth year of service to the committee, JP continues to serve as a member of the OPI Montana School Safety Advisory Committee and is deeply committed to youth advocacy across Montana. Another endeavor of JP’s has been serving as a member of the Carroll College Equity and Diversity Task Force, which focuses on ensuring equitable educational opportunities and partnerships for students and faculty at the college and university level across the state of Montana.
Prior to service in Montana, JP worked from 2005 to 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada for Clark County School District. Serving as an instructional leader in the Indian Education Program and Special Education Department. JP was also a liaison for the CCSD Department of Equity and Diversity. JP holds master’s degrees in Special Education (UNLV 08’) and School Administration (NSU 15’). JP is currently preparing his thesis in School Leadership to receive a Doctoral of Educational Leadership from MSU – Bozeman.
JP has spent the majority of his career working in public and private schools supporting teachers and helping students who are diverse learners. In years that are more recent, JP’s leadership work has focused on creating student and family engagement partnerships in schools that build and maintain high levels of trust and credibility in school practices and school leadership. JP believes every student, in every classroom, deserves every opportunity to learn.
For more information, please contact Jessie Counts, Student Support Services Senior Manager, at jessica.counts@mt.gov or (406) 444-4706.
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OPI Summer Institute
SAVE THE DATE:
OPI Summer Institute – June 20 – 24, 2022
WHERE:
Montana State University- Bozeman
The OPI Summer Institute is five days of learning and professional conversations around a variety of educational topics. The Summer Institute has a long-standing history of sessions around a tiered framework for behavior, academics, and mental health. Session topics include:
- Multi-tiered System of Support (MTSS)
- Diagnostic Tools, Data, Assessments, Statewide Assessment
- Literacy, Writing, Mathematics, Science & Social Studies
- Culturally Linguistically Responsive
- Family and Community Engagement, Youth Voice
- Integrated Mental Health
- Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
- School Climate, Counseling, Leadership, School Safety
- Special Education
Summer Institute Vision and Mission
- To promote a sustainable system using effective data collection alongside decision-making procedures and evidence-based practices to improve student outcomes in the areas of social/emotional/behavioral competencies and academic achievement for ALL students.
- To provide quality training to Montana school personnel in promoting a positive and safe school climate that provides a multi-tiered system of support for students, families, and staff focusing on social/emotional/behavioral competencies and academic achievement.
Learn more about the OPI Summer Institute
For more information, please contact Tammy Lysons, CETA Unit Manager Tamara.Lysons@mt.gov or (406) 431-2309
Funding Opportunities for Districts
On November 5, 2021, the US Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (H.R. 3684), known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The Act became law on November 15, 2021 (No: 117-58). The law invests nearly $1 trillion in:
- rebuilding roads, bridges, and rails
- expanding access to clean drinking water
- ensuring every American has access to high-speed internet
- tackling the climate crisis and advancing environmental justice
- investing in communities, both urban and rural.
The following are two programs that may have funding opportunities for local districts. The Office of Public Instruction (OPI) will continue to review the law and as more information becomes available or other relevant programs are identified OPI will inform districts.
Secure Rural Schools
Federal Agency – Department of Agriculture
Funding Amount - $585,000,000
Funding Mechanism – Grant/Financial Assistance
Recipients – States and Counties
Description - The Secure Rural Schools program provides critical funding for schools,
roads, and other municipal services to more than 700 counties across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Title XII requires DOE to establish a program to oversee demonstration projects authorized under this division or the Energy Act of 2020. In addition, the title extends the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000.
Next Milestone – Estimated application opening date, 2nd quarter 2022.
Grants for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Improvements at Pubic School Facilities
Federal Agency – Department of Energy
Funding Amount - $500,000,000
Funding Mechanism – Grant
Recipients – Consortium of One Local Education Agency and one or more schools, Non-profits, For-profits, and Community Partners
Description – To provide competitive grants to make energy efficiency, renewable energy, alternative vehicles, and alternative fuel vehicle infrastructure improvements. Title V establishes requirements and incentives related to increasing energy efficiency in homes, commercial buildings, manufacturing facilities, public schools, nonprofit buildings, and federal buildings.
Next Milestone - An official Request for Information is expected to be published in
March 2022. The opportunity to apply for funding is expected to be open in the Fall of
2022.
For more information, please contact Jay Phillips, Chief Financial Officer, at jphillips3@mt.gov or (406) 444-4523.
Service Academy Days
Montana’s Congressional Delegation is hosting the 2022 Academy Days. Representatives from the Service Academies will be there to answer questions and connect with students who are interested in applying to a service academy:
- April 23 from 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM – Missoula. The Academy Day will be held at the Schreiber Gymnasium at the University of Montana.
- April 30 from 9 AM to 11 AM – Billings. The Academy Day will be held at the American Legion located at 1540 Broadwater Avenue.
For more information, please contact:
50th Anniversary of the Montana Constitutional Convention 1972-2022
Lt. Gov. Juras, Superintendent Arntzen, and members of the Indian Education for All Unit, Mike Jetty, Zach Hawkins, Stephen Morsette, and Don Wetzel, celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Montana Constitutional Convention.
Click the links below to see updates from OPI's units.
Achievement in Montana (AIM)
Assessment
Career, Technical and Adult Education
Coordinated School Health
Educator Licensure
Elementary & Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER)
Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools (EANS)
Indian Education for All (IEFA)
Montana Autism Education Project
Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS)
School Finance
School Nutrition
Special Education
Standards, Instruction & Professional Learning
Title & Federal Programs
Traffic Education
Transformational Learning & Advanced Opportunities
Tribal Relations & Resiliency
Questions? Contact:
Brian O'Leary, Communications Director, (406) 444-3559
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.
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