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The OPI is providing this newsletter every month for an update on current events and ongoing education-related issues in Montana. The next Navigator will be sent to you in
June 2023.
For previous editions of the Navigator click here.
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Thank you for your service to all Montana families and schools as the 68th Legislative Session ended on May 2, 2023 Sine Die! As always our staff here at OPI are here to provide you with education materials you may need!
Pease visit out website for additional information and updates opi.mt.gov
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Legislation
 Total number of Introduced Bills - 1698
Total number of Introduced and Unintroduced Bills - 4643
Total number of Introduced and Unintroduced Education Bills - 312
Total number of Introduced Education Bills - 126
Currently 64 Education bills are still in process,
of which our staff is working on 28 school finance bills.
As of May 12th, the Governor has signed 478 bills and vetoed 7 bills.
68th End-of-Session Wrap-Up
 To read the End-of-Session Wrap-Up, please click here.
Who: Legislative Council
When: May 18, 2023, 10 a.m.
Where: Capitol, Room 137
Leadership of the Montana Legislature gathers in Helena May 18 to review the recent session and start the work that takes place in between sessions.
The 10 a.m. meeting includes a review post session review of legislative processes including bill drafting, communications, and technology. The council will also assign interim studies to committees to work on in the coming months.
Current and planned renovations to legislative areas in the capitol are also on the agenda.
The Legislative Council is a statutory, bipartisan, legislative committee established in 1957. The Council is composed of the Speaker of the House, the President of the Senate, the Minority leaders of each chamber, and four members chosen by the Speaker of the House, and four members chosen by the Senate Committee on Committees, respectively two from the majority party and two from the minority party in each chamber.
It provides ongoing leadership, direction, and foresight for the efficient operation and improvement of the Legislative Branch. It is the administrative committee for the Legislative Services Division and the administrative committee that submits the Legislative Branch budget each session.
The agenda and more information are availible at: https://leg.mt.gov/committees/admincom/lc/
Superintendent Arntzen's Legislator Awards
 
Join us in celebrating the last day of the session
Awards for Influence in Education
The 68th Legislature has adjourned Sine Die! There were many pieces of legislation that put our Montana parents and students first. I gave 19 legislators awards for their great work in championing education - thank you to you all!
(Not pictured: Rep. Bedey, Rep. Phalen, Sen. Beard, Sen. Fuller, and Sen. O'Brien)
April / May 2023 Press Releases
For more information, please contact Brian O’Leary, Communications Director at Brian.O’Leary@mt.gov or 406-444-355.
Superintendent's Message
Montana is home to over 6,200 military-connected children with a parent currently serving in the United States Military. There are nearly 3,800 active duty military members in Montana and over 5,700 National Guard and Reserve members. Montana Purple Up! We celebrated on April 27, 2023, in Great Falls to honor Montana’s 2023 Purple Star Schools and Purple Star Champions.
Montana’s 2022 - 2023 Purple Star School Awardees are:
- Montana School for the Deaf and Blind
- Great Falls High School - Great Falls Public Schools
- Chief Joseph Elementary School - Great Falls Public Schools
- Meadow Lark Elementary School - Great Falls Public Schools
- Early Learning Family Center - Great Falls Public Schools
The 2022- 2023 Purple Star Champion Awardees are:
- Brian Holbein, Lt. Col (R) JROTC Teacher at Great Falls High School
- Michael Wonch, MSgt (R) JROTC Teacher at Great Falls High School
- Col Christopher Karns, Mission Support Group Commander, Malmstrom AFB
Teacher of the Year Updates
Congradulations to Montana Teacher of the year 2023 Catherine Matthews
Catherine would love to connect with other educators around the state. She can be reached at catherine.matthews@bsd7.org.
Nominate the 2024 Teacher of the Year!
Superintendent Arntzen is asking all Montanans to nominate 2024 Montana Teacher of the Year candidates. The Montana Teacher of the Year award recognizes teachers who:
- elevate student success by celebrating teachers who honor individual student strengths and each child’s unique abilities
- empower classroom innovation by recognizing teachers who are responsive to the complex realities that define Montana’s diverse and unique classrooms across the state
- enhance pathways to teacher leadership by creating teacher ambassadors at the local, state, and national levels to connect classrooms to the community
All Montanans are encouraged to fill out the simple nomination form before May 12, 2023. Teachers may self-nominate through the form as well. All nominated teachers will be contacted and asked to fill out an application. Applications can be sent to MTTOY@mt.gov.
The 2024 Montana Teacher of the Year timeline is:
- May 12, 2023 Nominations due
- June 23, 2023 Applications due to MTTOY@mt.gov
- July-August 2023 Applications reviewed by committees
- Mid-September 2023 Finalists selected
- Mid-September 2023 Finalists interviewed by state committee, MT TOY selected
- October 2023 National Teacher of the Year Application Due to CCSSO
- February 2024 MT TOY begins duties and NTOY activities
2023 Montana Presidential Scholars.
Join me in congratulating our 2023 Montana Presidential Scholars. These two students reflect the very best of our Montana teachers and schools. A big thank you to all parents, families, and communities for supporting the academic success of our Montana students!
Special Education at the 2023 Joint Stakeholder Meeting.
Speaking to our partners in Special Education at the May 10, 2023 Joint Stakeholder Meeting. This meeting provides an important opportunity for OPI staff to work with Montana’s educational stakeholders to improve the academic outcomes for all students with disabilities. Thank you to all who showed up to put Montana students first!
Superintendent Elsie Arntzen’s recommended changes to Chapter 55 School Accreditation were approved by the Montana Board of Public Education (BPE) during the March 9-10, 2023 meeting. These recommendations included adding half a unit of financial literacy or economics and half a unit of civics or government to the existing graduation requirements. The effective date for the new rule, which will be found in ARM 10.55.905, was set for July 1, 2023. After receiving feedback from school districts, Superintendent Arntzen consulted with BPE and requested that the graduation requirements be extended to 2025 to give schools time to implement these changes.
The BPE held a meeting on May 11-12, 2023. The Board voted unanimously 7-0 to accept the Accreditation plan! This means that the graduating class of 2026 will be the first class required to complete half a unit of financial literacy or economics and half a unit of civics or government to graduate from Montana public schools.
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Innovations for Montana Students
Chapter 55: School Accreditation
Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief Funds - ESSER
Review Committee composed of clerks and superintendents from across the state along with OPI staff designed a data collection process to ensure that the US Department of Education (DOE) received the correct information for the data collection. Thank you to the review committee as they were instrumental in helping to make sure that notices and data collection forms adhered to DOE requirements. The team also worked to provide a system of guidance to ensure an easier process for collecting and inputting the data.
As of April 21, 2023, all districts had submitted their data. Shout out to district clerks and superintendents who worked to collect data to OPI.
Testing is underway for quality assurance to guarantee that all data will be submitted to the DOE on time.
As a reminder, ESSER II must be expended by September 30, 2023, and ESSER III must be expended by September 30, 2024.
Each month school board trustees are sent a monthly allocation report for ESSER funds. These reports can be found here.
The state-wide ESSER allocation through March 31, 2023, is:
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For more information on ESSER please click here or contact Wendi Fawns at wendi.fawns@mt.gov.
Montana Alternative Student Testing (MAST) Pilot Program
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The final testing window for the first year of the MAST Pilot Program closed on May 5, 2023. The public comment window for the Field Test Flexibility Waiver for the '23-'24 School year ends on April 28, 2023, at 5:00 PM. The waiver will be submitted to the US Department of Education by May 5, 2023. This waiver will allow districts participating in the MAST Pilot Program for the 2023-2024 school year to opt out of the SBAC assessment so that there is no double testing.
Thank you to all of our districts and teachers who participated in MAST this year. During the 2023-2024 school year MAST will be expanding to grades 3-8. To participate please contact Krystal Smith at Krystal.Smith@mt.gov.
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Training for Guest Educators and Support Staff
Superintendent Arntzen is partnering with Frontline Education to provide professional development training for substitute teachers and educator support staff. This training consists of 13 courses requiring 20 hours to complete and can be translated into university credit toward an education degree. Guest educators, or substitute teachers, will be better prepared to guide a classroom and can work toward becoming licensed educators. Montana joined two other states, North Dakota and Missouri, in offering this professional development to guest educators.
According to §10.55.716 ARM, substitute teachers in Montana “shall complete a minimum of three hours of training…must have received a high school diploma or have attained a passing score on the general education development assessment” and have passed a fingerprint-based background check. Frontline Substitute Teacher Training covers the following:
- Substitute Teacher Fundamentals
- Leadership
- Professionalism & Ethics
- Bullying Prevention
- Legal Obligations
- Classroom Management
- Instructional Strategies
- Working with Students with Special Needs
- Working with At-Risk Students
All training is free and available on the Teacher Learning Hub.
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Questions? Contact:
Questions? Contact:
Brian O'Leary, Communications Director, (406) 444-3559
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.
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