OPI May Navigator

As of May 11, 2022, 57 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.

In April, 49 claims were submitted, and 47 claims were released.

Leading Data Modernization from HB 630 and HB 632. Superintendent Elsie Arntzen welcomes Chris Sinrud as the Office of Public Instruction’s (OPI) Chief Information Officer. Chris is very excited to be a part of the OPI team. He plans to hit the ground running to improve the tools used for our students, educators, and administrators across the State of Montana. Improvements will align with the goals of Hope, Teach, Learn, and Ready.

Chris grew up in Hamilton Montana, graduated from Carroll College with a business/computer science degree in 1989, and completed a stint in the United States Army where he realized he truly loved Montana; Montana is his home. Chris has three sons with which he is grateful to have great relationships. Family means the world to him. Professionally, Chris has been a part of some amazing teams writing software, building world-class networks, and having built and maintained lifelong relationships along the way. Chris learned that he loves working in the tech industry which is ever-changing. He is excited to expand his career so that he can make an impact on the next generation.

Superintendent Elsie Arntzen welcomes Mary Heller as the Office of Public Instruction’s (OPI) Montana Ready Coordinator. Montana Ready is one of four initiatives that Superintendent Arntzen championed when she was elected as state superintendent in 2016. Montana Ready focuses on Career and Technical Education (CTE) to create partnerships with industries, the military, and the university system to develop Montana’s workforce.

The Montana Ready Coordinator will help strengthen the Workforce Learning Program in CTE at the OPI. Other duties include working closely with the Governor’s office, Department of Labor and Industry, and stakeholders to grow workforce development in our K-12 schools. The coordinator will focus on building relationships between the public and private sectors.

Mary has been a secondary education teacher, an administrator for state and federal regulations at oil refineries, and a Legislative Assistant in the United States Congress. Mary has also been the Director of the Career Center and Industry Relations at Montana State University-Northern, the State Director for SkillsUSA Montana, and a member of the Montana Board of Public Education. Mary will start her new position in June.

The Montana Alternative Student Testing (MAST) Pilot Program is an initiative taken by the Office of Public Instruction (OPI) to radically modernize, improve, and ease federally mandated end-of-year student assessments. The Federal Government requires that all school systems conduct student assessments with a single massive end-of-year assessment which occurs each spring.

The MAST program is developing pathways to modernize the traditional testing system while preserving local control, easing the burdens on teachers and administrators, and ensuring that the federally mandated summative assessment can provide both flexibility and actionable data. The OPI is developing future pilots through contracts with New Meridian, the Center for Assessment, and Education First. The goal of the MAST Program is to provide a complete methodology for developing a summative assessment system more amenable to our school system, and that will pass federal peer review.

The MAST program includes several phases of piloting, peer review, analysis, and study. Ultimately, the program will develop a peer-reviewed defensibility proposal for the Federal Government that will:

• utilize a through-course model of student testing
• break up the single end-of-year-summative into an autumn, winter, and spring assessment
• measure student growth, development, and maintain scholastic standards that we Montanans can be proud of

The OPI is seeking stakeholder input and support to develop new innovative assessment methods that will improve our student and teacher learning experience. This new school year, in the Fall of 2022, the pilot system will be used in select districts and reviewed by the United States Department of Education.

For more information, please contact Dr. Trenin Bayless, Project Manager, at trenin.bayless@mt.gov or (406) 444-3449.

You may have seen stories in the news recently about lead testing water supplies in public schools. The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) and Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) would like to provide a status update and direct you to important sampling and communication resources. As a reminder, all accredited K-12 schools in Montana are required to conduct periodic lead testing under Administrative Rule 37.111.832, adopted into law on January 17, 2020. The initial round of testing was to be completed by December 31, 2021.

 Why Test for Lead?

Lead is a poisonous heavy metal that can affect almost every organ and system in the human body, often with irreversible effects. The Center for Disease Control, American Academy of Pediatrics, and World Health Organization all state that there is no safe level of lead exposure. High lead levels can cause multiple and irreversible health problems, which include learning disabilities, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), developmental or cognitive delays, growth stunting, seizures, coma, or, at high levels, death. Exposure to even low levels of lead can cause reduced IQ, hearing impairment, reduced attention span, and poor classroom performance.

Testing water in schools is important because students spend a significant portion of their days at school, and likely consume water in this location. Many schools and childcare facilities are housed in old buildings with aging plumbing fixtures, fittings, pipes, and solder that contain the lead, which can leach into the drinking water. Even new plumbing may not be entirely free of lead.

 What Have Tests Shown So Far? As of April 2022, just over 60% of schools have conducted their first round of sampling, with many more in the process. Overall, test results have revealed that about 9% of samples have been in “Bin 1” – the highest concentrations – and have had to be immediately shut off. Another 20%, in “Bin 2,” have needed repairs or upgrades. Of the schools that have submitted official results, 78% found at least one exceedance. Elevated lead concentrations have been found in different types of fixtures ranging from classroom sinks and kitchen sinks to drinking water fountains, bathroom sinks, and various miscellaneous fixtures.

 Resources DEQ has put together a step-by-step guide to testing which can be found on their water quality website, https://deq.mt.gov/water/programs/dw-lead. Additional resources include, but are not limited to, parent newsletters, a press release template, and guidance on developing a flushing program. Technical assistance to help identify plumbing inventory and draft a floor plan is available through two contractors, Montana Rural Water Systems and Midwest Assistance Program. Contact Greg Montgomery with DEQ to inquire about these technical assistance opportunities.

Funding

DEQ has a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to cover the laboratory costs from the initial testing. The laboratories send the invoice directly to DEQ for payment.  There is also funding available for lead remediation. The Office of Public Instruction manages a lead remediation reimbursement program that schools can apply to get up to $1,000 per school.  Funding is limited and is first come/first serve. Elementary & Secondary School Emergency Relief funding can also be used to address lead remediation activities (fixture replacement, filters, etc).  DEQ has received notification that additional remediation funding is coming from the EPA. A timeline and amount is yet to be determined. 

For more information on testing and reporting, contact Greg Montgomery, DEQ Lead Reduction in School Drinking Water Rule Manager.  

Greg Montgomery (406) 444-5312 DEQleadinschools@mt.gov

For more information, please contact Chief Financial Officer Jay Phillips at jphillips3@mt.gov or (406) 444-4523.

HELENA – Superintendent Elsie Arntzen and the Office of Public Instruction (OPI) are continuing to offer students nutrition assistance programs. The state-administered National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs and the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) are federally funded by the United States Department of Agriculture.

Since 2020, the onset of the pandemic, OPI sought and was granted waivers to provide lunch and breakfast school nutrition regardless of income eligibility. These federal waivers conclude at the end of this school year.

Beginning in June, SFSP will continue nutrition services without income eligibility requirements. SFSP sites may include pools, parks, community centers, or schools. Eligible sponsors include private or nonprofit schools, organizations, and local government agencies. No application is necessary; when children arrive at a community SFSP site, they receive a free meal. Site sponsors are reimbursed at a set rate for meals served to children. 

“We are appreciative of the many partnerships with Montana communities that provide our children and families’ nutrition during the summer,” said Superintendent Elsie Arntzen. “This summer program continues to serve all of our Montana students.”

Blackfeet Community College will be hosting an International Blackfoot Research Conference, on June 14th-16th, 2022. The theme for this year's conference is "Gifts of Scarface - Culture as Medicine."

This conference will feature the traditional research processes of the Blackfoot, while also honoring Westernized (and other) methods of research. The conference is an opportunity for the Blackfoot Confederacy to unite and celebrate educational sovereignty, through the sharing of knowledge among bands, yet under the unification of one nation.

To register, please click here.

For more information, please contact Dr. Karla Bird, President of Blackfeet Community College, at karla.bird@bfcc.edu or (406) 338-5441 Ext. 2202.

AT&T is participating in the FCC’s Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF), which is an approximately $7.17 billion program that helps schools and libraries provide the tools and services their communities need for remote learning. ECF is providing relief to millions of students, school staff, and library patrons and will help close the Homework Gap for students who currently lack necessary Internet access or the devices they need to connect to classrooms.

For eligible schools and libraries, the ECF Program covers reasonable costs of:

• laptop and tablet computers
• Wi-Fi hotspots, modems, routers, and broadband connectivity purchases for off-campus use by students, school staff, and library patrons.

The FCC announced a third application window in the Emergency Connectivity Fund to help schools and libraries in the upcoming school year. The third application window will open on April 28 and close on May 13.

The third application filing window will provide ECF support for eligible equipment and services received or delivered between July 1, 2022, and December 31, 2023, to help address the unmet connectivity needs of students, school staff, and library patrons during the upcoming school year.

The Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) is the administrator of the ECF Program and will review applications. Interested schools and libraries can find more information and apply at www.emergencyconnectivityfund.org [emergencyconnectivityfund.org] or www.fcc.gov/emergency-connectivity-fund [fcc.gov]. [fcc.gov]

For assistance, please an AT&T education expert at ECF@att.com.

Representative Marta Bertoglio’s HB 246 amended several education statutes to increase learning opportunities for students. Among the amendments, § 20-7-118(d), MCA, now allows students to attend school in a nearby district offering offsite instruction when the student’s home district does not provide offsite instruction in an equivalent course. This flexibility, when approved by the offering district’s trustees, benefits both students and districts through greater course involvement. “Montanans resolved during the pandemic to find innovative ways for students to further their educational opportunities,” Superintendent Arntzen stated. “I very much appreciate Representative Bertoglio’s commitment to enshrining that flexibility into state law.”

The 2021 Montana Legislature passed HB 556 (2021) establishing a Montana proficiency-based diploma for Montana residents who require an alternative path to completing their education.

Superintendent Elsie Arntzen filed a notice of proposed rulemaking with the Secretary of State’s office regarding a Montana State diploma. Then, public comment was received. OPI has drafted with minor changes and will file a  completed adoption notice the week of May 17^th, with publication by May 27^th. The effective date will b on June 10^th.

“The new Montana state diploma will create an innovative approach for students to become Montana Ready,” said Superintendent Elsie Arntzen. “The state diploma does not replace the traditional high school diploma but offers another opportunity to showcase learning success. This diploma will support the unique learning and life experiences of individuals.”

Thank you for serving our Montana students and families for serving on the Senate Education Committee. Our sincerest condolences go out to Senator Mark Sweeney and his family. Sweeney served as a manager in the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks from 1980 to 2012. He has also worked as the broker and owner of Montana Blue Ribbon Real Estate. Since 2010, he has operated a natural resources management consulting firm. Sweeney was an unsuccessful candidate for the Montana Public Service Commission in 2012 and the Montana House of Representatives in 2018. He was elected to the Montana Senate in November 2020 and assumed office on January 4, 2021.^[3] 

At the time of Sweeney's death, he was running for the Democratic nomination in Montana's 2nd congressional district for the 2022 election.