On Friday, representatives from various organizations focused on providing career-based opportunities for students gathered before lawmakers, seeking additional funding to support their initiatives throughout the state.
The groups, known as Career and Technology Student Organizations or CTSOs, focus on a broad swath of industries including agriculture, hospitality, construction and health care. Since 2013, the state has allocated roughly $550,000 annually to support the work of such organizations in preparing K-12 public school students to enter Montana’s workforce. Now those seven CTSOs are advocating for a $1.5 million bump in state funding through House Bill 382, an investment they attest will help address the state’s ongoing workforce shortage.
In introducing his proposal to the House Appropriations Committee Friday, Rep. Greg Oblander, R-Billings, noted that the added dollars would also help CTSOs extend their reach to students outside the public school system. According to a fiscal note prepared for the bill, each CTSO would receive $75,000 to fund a state director position, and the remaining dollars would be allocated equally among all seven existing CTSOs.
Oblander stated that there has been no request for a raise since 2013. However, the purpose of our discussion today is to explore the possibility of securing extra funding. The aim is to expand the program into non-public, internet, and home schools, thereby granting more students the chance to avail themselves of the valuable opportunities provided by CTSO.
Last month, the House Education Committee reviewed HB 382, a bill that introduces new reporting requirements to monitor the allocation of funds for CTSO. During this hearing, nearly twenty individuals who are either current or former members of CTSO testified in support of the bill. They shared personal experiences of how their involvement in CTSO provided them with valuable opportunities such as apprenticeships, competitive events, and job-shadowing experiences. As an example, Aspyn Bowman, a senior at Billings West High School and a member of Health Occupation Students of America (HOSA), mentioned that her membership enabled her to shadow professionals in twelve different healthcare fields and witness four surgeries, including a hip replacement and a lower leg amputation.
Bowman expressed deep gratitude to lawmakers, sharing, “Having had the opportunity to witness this at such a tender age fills me with immense gratitude. Despite spending years studying medicine and anatomy through diagrams and books during my high school journey, it was truly awe-inspiring to witness it come to life right before my eyes.”
Last month, several organizations expressed their support for HB 382, including the Montana Chamber of Commerce, Blue Cross Blue Shield, the Montana Hospital Association, the Montana Contractors Association, the Montana Federation of Public Employees, and the Montana School Boards Association. There were no opposing testimonies. The bill successfully passed through the House Education Committee with unanimous support and received strong bipartisan backing during the House floor vote, advancing with an initial vote of 89-11. It is now scheduled to be reviewed by the House Appropriations Committee on Friday.
Supporters from HOSA, SkillsUSA Montana, and the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA), along with other Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs), mainly focused their testimony on Friday on the financial implications of HB 382 for career education in the state. They argued that the Legislature’s investment would result in a “skilled workforce.” DECA State Director John Stiles provided an estimate to committee members, stating that with a CTSO enrollment of 10,754 students in the 2021-22 school year, the $1.5 million allocation in HB 382 would amount to approximately $0.93 per student per week.
“Our students are acquiring more than just skills; they are developing the ethics, leadership, and global awareness needed to succeed in the 21st-century economy,” Stiles commented. “Upon graduation and entry into the workforce, we are funding the initial chapter of their success story.”
Sen. Barry Usher, R-Laurel, also rose in support of what he casually referred to as career and technical education’s “underfunded little sister.” And Brody Romano, a senior at Helena’s Capital High School and member of SkillsUSA Montana, offered lawmakers a few specific examples of how his group hopes to make use of added funds, including funding a summer leadership conference and covering membership fees for students who otherwise couldn’t afford to participate.
The appropriations committee members placed significant emphasis on the level of industry funding allocated to CTSOs and the suggested equal distribution of state funds to these organizations. Leaders of these organizations reassured lawmakers that local hospitals and other private sector entities do contribute financial resources to support CTSO initiatives, partly due to their recognition of the skilled workforce that these efforts will eventually produce. However, Katie Meier, the State Director of HOSA, highlighted the fact that schools in smaller rural communities may not have access to similar opportunities for external support, thus emphasizing the crucial role of state funds in these cases.
Meier stated that the small fire departments and ambulance departments lack the financial capability to contribute funds in support of the children. Moreover, these departments frequently face difficulties in hiring enough EMTs and other staff. Meier emphasized that in these rural areas where there is a pressing need for such services, there is no significant donor available to provide substantial financial support.
As for the proposed funding split among CTSOs, Rep. Bill Mercer, R-Billings, asked why those allocations weren’t based on an individual organization’s annual performance. CTSOs are already scored by the Office of Public Instruction based on a variety of metrics, including membership growth. In response, Stiles informed the committee that the CTSOs jointly agreed to evenly divide the money between them in part to avoid getting “stuck in the weeds” of determining how OPI should settle whether they’ve met certain goals. HOSA Vice Chair Kali Wicks followed up by arguing that the organizations have had difficulty with scoring and adequate funding in the past.
Wicks expressed concerns regarding the lack of information on the scoring process and instances where individuals have been deprived of the appropriate funding due to accidental errors. Consequently, they believe that the current approach is the most suitable course of action.
HB 382 will be considered by the House Appropriations Committee at a future date. After that, it will proceed to the House floor for a final vote before being sent to the Senate.
