After almost three years, the Montana Board of Public Education unanimously approved a comprehensive set of changes to state regulations that oversee the standards of K-12 public schools. This marks the official conclusion of a lengthy and multi-tiered process.
Member Tim Tharp expressed his thoughts on the upcoming board vote, referring to it as the culmination of a lengthy journey. He highlighted the exceptional amount of public input received, which he deemed unprecedented. The proposed revisions specifically focused on a section of administrative rules known as Chapter 55, which outlines the accreditation process for public schools in the state. These changes encompass various aspects, such as staffing requirements, certification criteria, and expectations regarding policies and curriculum for locally elected trustees. Tharp, as the chair of the board’s accreditation committee, acknowledged the extensive feedback received from countless individuals, including teachers, administrators, school board trustees, legislators, college leaders, parents, and other Montanans.
Tharp mentioned that the official PDF document containing the unedited comments received by the Board of Public Ed alone constituted almost 600 pages. He further noted that members of the public also submitted comments directly to individual board members and actively participated by sharing their opinions during face-to-face meetings.
The process formally kicked off in September 2020 when the board voted to reopen Chapter 55 for proposed revisions. The Office of Public Instruction spent much of 2021 studying the rules and convened a 12-member task force in early 2022 to provide state Superintendent Elsie Arntzen with feedback on potential changes. At the same time, a 22-member committee began debating and drafting revisions for Arntzen’s consideration. Arntzen submitted her final recommendations to the Board of Public Education late last summer, leading to months of deliberation among members about which of those proposals to tweak, which to adopt and which to reject.
The process triggered a high-profile debate last spring over existing rules in Chapter 55 that mandate certain per-student ratios for librarians, counselors and instructional aides based on school size. Arntzen early on expressed a desire to eliminate those ratios, drawing widespread criticism and fueling an avalanche of public comment about the negative impact the elimination would have on students, staff and the quality of education in Montana. OPI’s task force largely disagreed with eliminating the ratios, and the rulemaking committee deadlocked on the issue with regard to school counselors, though it did recommend doing away with librarian ratios.
Arntzen ultimately asked the Board of Public Education to do away with the ratios entirely, but the board rejected the notion last November, citing overwhelming opposition in its decision to stick with Montana’s existing requirements.
The public’s attention was largely focused on the counseling and school library staff requirements mandated by the state in Chapter 55 revisions. However, according to Tharp, the changes approved by the board go beyond just staffing levels. Tharp specifically highlighted new graduation requirements related to financial literacy and civics classes, as well as a directive for districts to work together with families and community members to create workforce training and other college and career readiness opportunities for students.
The former was the focus of one final round of discussion Friday. During public comment, Deputy Superintendent Sharyl Allen drew the board’s attention to an ongoing legislative conversation over financial literacy in schools. House Bill 535, sponsored by Rep. Braxton Mitchell, R-Columbia Falls, proposes adding definitions for financial literacy instruction to state law, and passed the House on a pre-transmittal vote last week. Board of Public Education Executive Director McCall Flynn responded that the board will likely oppose the bill on the basis that it would set a “bad precedent” of defining instructional standards in law as opposed to rule. Tharp added that if HB 535 fails, it will likely fall to OPI to provide a definition for financial literacy for the time being, as the existing rules do not contain such a definition.
The board’s decision to adopt Chapter 55 will be handed over to Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen for publication in the Montana Administrative Register. Consequently, the updated rules will be implemented on July 1, 2023.
In an email to Montana Free Press on Friday, Tharp expressed gratitude towards the Board of Public Education and the thousands of Montanans who participated in the process. He stated that the implemented flexibilities and additional graduation requirements will greatly enhance education throughout the state of Montana. Tharp emphasized their commitment to prioritizing the needs of Montana’s students and their efforts to create the most optimal document possible.
