Despite the bipartisan reforms implemented by the 2023 Legislature for Montana’s public school system, state lawmakers have indicated this week that they are not done yet with their endeavors to reshape education and tackle crucial issues affecting teachers and students.
Over the course of three days, members from two legislative committees dedicated to education policy and public school funding began the process of connecting the most recent session to the upcoming 2025 Legislature. It seems that the policy discussion will largely focus on a set of issues that were already examined during the previous interim, as lawmakers aim to take advantage of the interest generated among agencies and elected officials involved in public education. Representative David Bedey, R-Hamilton and chair of the Education Interim Budget Committee, emphasized the importance of fostering ongoing collaboration among these “constitutional players” as a key priority in the coming months.
Bedey said, “During the previous session, there was a tremendous amount of enthusiasm among the different players who were not part of the Legislature, and I believe that it is likely still present.”
During the week’s events, the Learning Policy Institute, based in California, presented concerning statistics regarding Montana’s challenges with teacher salaries and unfilled classrooms. The presentation highlighted a decline of almost 2,000 college students enrolled in educator programs in Montana over the last ten years. Additionally, it referenced a 2021 survey where novice teachers expressed their schools’ insufficient mentoring opportunities.
Nevertheless, Pad McCracken, a research analyst from the Legislative Services Division, emphasized that the 2023 Legislature proactively addressed numerous concerns earlier this year. They enhanced a statewide incentive program aimed at increasing teacher salaries and implemented a teacher residency program with mandatory mentorship components. However, McCracken acknowledged that evaluating the impact of these recent modifications will require patience and time.
According to McCracken, assessing whether it is making a significant impact or not is something we are only beginning to do. He mentioned that the data we receive often shows delays of two or three years, so it might be too soon to determine if there is any noticeable progress being made.
During the meeting, lawmakers received an update on the progress of a new regional career coach initiative at the Office of Public Instruction. Bedey, the presenter, anticipated that this initiative would be presented to the Legislature in the next session. Mary Heller, the leader of the Montana Ready program, informed committee members that all nine coaching positions had been filled and that these coaches would be responsible for gathering data on how districts are utilizing business partnerships and state-funded resources to promote career-based learning for students. The funding for these positions comes from one-time federal COVID-19 relief funds. Bedey emphasized the importance of collecting data to prove the program’s effectiveness, as this will be crucial when seeking state funding in 2025. He also mentioned that OPI will need to show that they are not duplicating the efforts of other state entities, such as the Department of Labor and Industry and the Montana University System.
The Legislature’s future policy debate was clearly indicated during a joint committee discussion on Tuesday about proficiency-based learning. Over the years, Montana has been gradually emphasizing the importance of students understanding classroom material, as evidenced by recent state law clarifications that measure student achievement based on comprehension rather than grade advancement. However, McCracken highlighted that this topic has been a long-standing and ongoing discussion in the state for the past decade.
During the committee meeting on Tuesday, McCracken pointed out that our system’s fatal flaw or outdated design lies in its age-based cohort and curriculum conveyor belt. He explained that students typically progress in a uniform manner, being taught addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division in a predetermined curriculum throughout the year or semester. Despite continuous assessments, this conveyor belt-like system does not halt its movement.
“The system’s fatal flaw, which could also be attributed to its outdated design, pertains to a curriculum conveyor belt that is based on age cohorts.”
Pad McCracken, research analyst with the Legislative Services Division
McCracken went on to explain the prevailing method of education in America, which involves evaluating students based on their ability to grasp certain concepts quickly. This approach results in less proficient learners being left behind as the system progresses from year to year. To illustrate his point, McCracken used a homemade wooden conveyor belt, demonstrating how the current system moves students along in a uniform manner based on their age. In contrast, a proficiency-based system would prioritize personalization by reducing the importance of time, standardization, and inflexibility.
Rep. Llew Jones, a member of the interim budget committee, representing Conrad and affiliated with the Republican party, shared his personal insights on proficiency-based systems he has witnessed in various regions across the globe.
Jones pointed out that the top performers across public, private, and charter schools worldwide have all embraced a student-centered approach to education. This approach remains neutral towards the type of school and prioritizes empowering students to take control of their own learning.
Jones also proposed that the joint committees allocate time during the interim to visit Bishop Carroll High School, a public Catholic school in Calgary that serves approximately 1,350 students and is considered to be the closest example of the kind of school they are studying. Whether this field trip takes place and the specific policy recommendations that arise from lawmakers’ ongoing assessment of proficiency-based learning will become more apparent as the 2025 session approaches. Here are some additional highlights from this week’s meetings:
- Lawmakers on the Education Interim Committee wrestled Monday with continued confusion over the status of public schools hosted on Hutterite colonies in Montana. Such schools are staffed and operated by public school districts, but geographically some reside within the boundaries of other districts, raising questions about where students are counted for per-pupil state funding. The 2023 Legislature sought to address the issue with the passage of House Bill 214, which stipulates that a district can only offer instruction at a site physically located in a separate district through a multidistrict agreement. Committee members voiced concern that two districts in eastern Montana had not yet drafted an agreement necessary for Riverview Elementary to continue operating. State Superintendent Elsie Arntzen responded that she has no authority to force such an agreement but that the Office of Public Instruction was in active conversations with the parties involved.
“This is a local discussion, and first and foremost as state superintendent, we want to educate our children,” Arntzen said. “It’s just that it seems to be difficult in this arena.”
- During a presentation to the interim budget committee Wednesday, OPI brought lawmakers up to speed on the $500 million it received in federal COVID-19 relief funds. Roughly $13.5 million of that funding was earmarked in the 2021 session for use updating OPI’s data systems, and Chief Financial Officer Jay Phillips informed the committee that OPI had successfully met a September spending deadline for that money by entering into a contract with Amazon and education software company PowerSchool. However, Bedey noted that three of the 12 positions associated with the project at OPI are currently unstaffed, and he asked if the agency was working to fill those vacancies. Phillips acknowledged that OPI is looking to recruit several of those positions but added that at least one is on a “temporary hold” due to budget constraints.
“You’re sitting with 25 vacancies right now,” Bedey said, referencing the agency’s overall vacancy rate. “Why would you have any difficulty with having funds available to have active recruitment for this essential position?”
Phillips responded that it’s not about the number of vacancies themselves but the availability of funding at OPI to fill them, prompting Bedey to ask for additional information ahead of the committee’s next meeting regarding any financial pressures that are preventing the agency from filling necessary posts.
- Wednesday’s proceedings also included a high-level discussion of a recent change to Montana’s “95 mills,” a portion of property tax revenues devoted to equalizing state funding between districts in wealthier and poorer areas of the state. The funds used to flow directly into the state General Fund, but lawmakers this year passed a bill splitting the 95 mills into a separate account. As McCracken explained, the new law also created a mechanism directing 55% of any additional revenue generated by the 95 mills toward local property tax relief.
The Montana Association of Counties has argued that the 95-mill collections should be subject to the tax caps that apply to local government budgets, which would limit collection growth as property values rise. That position is opposed by public school representatives and Gov. Greg Gianforte, who argue cutting equalization funding would force school budget cuts or higher taxes on homeowners outside tax-rich districts.
Legislative fiscal analyst Julia Pattin walked lawmakers through a series of projections of how such an approach would play out, demonstrating that capping the 95 mills may result in savings for some counties, but would likely increase local tax collections for teacher retirement funding in others. According to Pattin’s presentation, only one county — Madison — would see a tax reduction of 1% or more in fiscal year 2026 under those conditions.
- Just prior to the budget committee breaking for lunch Wednesday, Bedey took a moment to deliver a stern message to Arntzen regarding her recent claim that she has evidence of litter boxes in Montana classrooms. Typically, Bedey said, he would have blown off the issue — one that has surfaced nationally amid conservative pushback against school policies supporting students who are exploring their gender identity, and that has been repeatedly debunked. But, Bedey continued, he felt compelled to address it after hearing an unnamed state senator repeat Arntzen’s allegations at a recent public meeting. So far the only supporting information Arntzen and OPI have presented are references to claims made to her or the agency by individual Montanans. Bedey said he remains unconvinced that “what people hear on talk radio shows constitutes substantiation of something that is so irritating to the public,” and proclaimed there’s “no excuse” for forcing school districts in Montana to “prove that they’re innocent.”
“I implore the superintendent to find substantiation for these allegations and let us know and let the public know, because if there are school districts across the state that are accommodating children who want to identify as cats by putting cat litter boxes in the schools, the citizens of those districts ought to know that,” Bedey said. “But if there’s no substantiation, I strongly suggest that the superintendent put an end to this.”
