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Legislative Update
Last week Governor Gianforte finalized much of the pending legislation that effects public education from the 2025 Legislative Session. The Governor signed HB2 which is the largest portion of Montana’s biennial budget and funds much of OPI. He also signed HB499 which extends the grow your own grant program. Our office will be releasing OPI’s education legislation summary book in the coming days – this will outline all the legislation that effects K-12 education, school districts, and OPI. As OPI works with our partners around the state to implement the legislation you will be able to find more information on our website. You can find information specifically about the STARS Act HERE.
Title I A
Please see the district level 2025-26 Title I A allocations in the attached table. The OPI provides these for planning purposes but please keep in mind they are preliminary. They may go up slightly when prior year unobligated funds are added into the formula. Final allocations will be loaded into the E-grants system prior to the opening of the 2025-26 ESEA Consolidated Application on July 22nd. District level allocations are provided to the OPI by the Department of Education each year, based upon U.S. Census ages 5-17 poverty counts. The OPI also factors Free and Reduced Lunch (FRL) numbers into the allocation formula for class A, B, and C districts. Overall, Montana’s total Title I A allocation was roughly equal to last year. As you review your allocation for 2025-26, please keep in mind that the following factors can affect year to year allocation numbers:
- Significant poverty count fluctuations in U.S. Census data for your district
- Significant changes in district FRL numbers
- The percentage of change in your district relative to the changes in other districts. i.e. your numbers may have changed significantly, but other district’s numbers may have changed even more
- Whether or not your FRL numbers changed significantly due to adoption of the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)
- Whether or not your district uses an alternative poverty count methodology
If you have specific questions about your allocation or would like to discuss, please contact Zach Hawkins, zachariah.hawkins@mt.gov; 406-444-3083
School Funding Interim Commission
The School Funding Interim Commission has kicked off. The OPI was actively involved in the Commission’s launch. This Commission meets every 10 years to study Montana’s school funding formula and make recommendations for changes in the next legislative session. It provides an important opportunity for local schools and communities to give feedback to state leaders about school funding, ensuring that we fulfill our constitutional promise to develop the full academic potential of each student. To get involved or follow the Commission’s work click here. There will also be regional in-person opportunities, and the Office of Public Instruction encourages active participation from all stakeholders, including parents, educators, students, and community members.
As always, don't hesitate to reach out to our office.
Best regards,
Susie Hedalen
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Additional Information
Achievement in Montana (AIM)
Assessment
Coordinated School Health
Gifted and Talented
Montana Aligned to Standards Through-Year (MAST)
Montana Autism Education Project
School Finance
School Nutrition
Special Education
Standards, Instruction & Professional Learning
Title & Federal Programs
Outside Opportunities
Are you an interpreter who works with school aged children in Montana? Do you interpret the complex language found in math and science? If so, this training is for you! The training is a blend of 1 online training and 3 in person workshops to be held at the Montana School for the Deaf and Blind (MSDB) campus in late July. The training is free for current interpreters! In addition, if you need housing accommodations, MSDB will provide you free housing during the in-person workshops. CEUs will be provided by MSDB.
This is a great opportunity for interpreters to meet the 12 clock hours of professional development as identified in ARM 10.55.718. Registration will close on July 8th!! Any questions, please reach out to pfurthmyre@msdb.k12.mt.us
Questions? Contact:
McKenna Gregg, Communications Director
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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