Volume XLI                                 SEPTEMBER 2018

No. 277

Public Education and Politics 

by Laurie Barron, SAM President

Public Education and Politics:  a combination of words that can cause anxiety, to say the least.  

As we begin to prepare for the upcoming legislative session, I reached out to Governor Steve Bullock and State Superintendent Elsie Arntzen to ask them about their thoughts on public education, and both continue to pledge their support for Montana’s public schools.  As I begin my sixth year as the proud superintendent of the Evergreen School District in Kalispell, I am reminded of how fortunate we are in Montana to have access to our elected officials, and I truly appreciate the time each of them took to answer my questions about public education in Montana.

I asked each of them the same five questions.  Those questions and their answers are below.

1.  What is your most rewarding aspect of working to support and promote public education?

Governor Bullock:  “It is inspiring to see the innovative work happening in classrooms all across our state. One of the best parts of my job is visiting schools as I travel around our state and I am continually impressed. I am impressed with the supportive environment that teachers at Bozeman’s Bridger Academy have created for students who don’t fit the mold of the regular high school, the student group in Livingston that is helping to solve global challenges by reducing food waste (including collecting lunch scraps to feed a local pig!), and the small, rural school in Plevna committed to educating students for the high-tech jobs of the future. As I visit these classrooms, it is clear to me that the teachers and administrators in our public schools provide incredible opportunities for Montana students to learn and grow.”

Superintendent Arntzen:  “The most rewarding part of my job is being able to work with students and schools all across Montana. Having taught for 23 years in Billings Public Schools, it is an honor to take my experience to a statewide level. The opportunity to work with statewide education advocates is equally important to me. I host monthly meetings with all of our partners in education including SAM, MREA, MFPE, OCHE, MASBO, MTSBA, MQEC, the Small Schools Alliance, legislative services, the Governor’s office, and others. In a roundtable format, we discuss the most important issues facing Montana’s public education system and how we can work together to solve them.”

2.  What is your primary goal regarding public education for the legislative session?

Governor Bullock:  “Last session, Montana made its first-ever investment in public preschool for four-year-olds, but we are one of only six states that has not made this a permanent commitment. We know that when children have access to high-quality early childhood education, they enter kindergarten ready to learn, are less likely to repeat a grade or need special education and are more likely to graduate from high school. To me, investing in preschool is a no-brainer and an investment that we can’t afford not to make. While we had some success last session when we secured, with bipartisan support, the small pilot program that is up and running in 17 communities across the state, the pilot expires next year and there is a need for a permanent funding stream. I think that the demand from families to access STARS preschool and the results for children as they head off to kindergarten prepared to learn speak for themselves. As we go into the next session, I will continue to advocate for expanding access to high-quality, free public preschool for all.”

Superintendent Arntzen:  “Each new legislative session brings opportunities and challenges. I look forward to ensuring that the state upholds its obligations to our local public schools and that further fiscal burdens aren’t transferred to local taxpayers. There will be many pieces of legislation which will have an impact on education. My primary responsibility is advocating for the education budget and ensuring that it is equitable. We must serve all Montana students.”

3.  What do you think will be the biggest challenge facing public education in the legislative session?

Governor Bullock:  “Like last session, if the legislature does not take a serious look at our state’s revenue structure, we will be looking at a tight budget. Montana’s economy has seen healthy growth in recent years, including record personal income growth. However, our economy today is not the resource-based economy that our revenue structure was based on. It is far past time to consider how we can capture the strong economic growth of our state to ensure that the basic functions of state government – including providing a great public education system for our kids and our future – are funded.  We can also expect attacks to public education, which I will vigorously oppose. I believe that public education is one of our great equalizers and I am grateful to be sending my children to the same public schools that my wife Lisa and I attended growing up here in Helena.”

Superintendent Arntzen:  “Funding is always the biggest challenge before the legislature. We must ensure that students come first. Funding must be equitable and responsible to all Montana students and taxpayers. We will also continue engaging on the most important issues facing our schools including safety, school climate, special education services, mental health awareness, suicide prevention, and academic achievement.”

4.  In preparing your agenda related to education for the legislative session, what supports do you believe are most critical?

Governor Bullock:  “In addition to increasing access to high-quality public preschool, which will ensure that all students enter kindergarten ready to learn, it is critical that schools have access to 21st century technology and the high-speed broadband to utilize those tools. It’s important that rural schools have tools to recruit and retain teachers and that all teachers, regardless of their geographic location, are supported, valued and provided with opportunities for continued professional development. Finally, as school shootings, school violence and mental health crises fill the headlines on a seemingly daily basis, it is critical that students, families and school communities have access to support networks and services to keep them safe.”

Superintendent Arntzen:  “Supports which are closest to individual students are the most critical. I will continue advocating for the Digital Academy which provides equal access to a high-quality education regardless of a student’s geographic location. Personalized learning, Special Education, and CTE are also crucial to ensuring that all students graduate high school ready for college, careers, or the military. Indian Education for All is unique in Montana and we continue to be national leaders for other states to model. Again, school safety, school climate, and mental health awareness must be at the top of all education discussions. Coordinating with our teacher prep programs is key to success in these areas.”

5.  Next May, following the legislative session, what do you believe are the most important educational issues that you will continue to support for Montana’s public school children? 

Governor Bullock:  “Following the next session and as I finish my term as Governor, I will be working to ensure that that the historic investments that we have made into our public K-12 schools during my tenure are protected and that the momentum around preschool, work-based learning, dual enrollment, computer science education and broadband access for schools continues.”

Superintendent Arntzen:  “In my above answers, I have hit on my four key initiatives: Montana Hope, Montana Teach, Montana Learn, and Montana Ready.  Montana Hope is the wrapping students in the whole child approach to education, Montana Teach promotes teacher leaders, Montana Learn drives the focus on academic achievement, and Montana Ready invests in students to be community, college, and career ready. I promise to continue serving Montana’s public schools to ensure that all Montana students have the opportunity to succeed.  Our ESSA work encompasses all of this. [I] appreciate the input that you and other SAM members offered throughout the process and continue to offer. We are really working towards student growth through ESSA in the coming months and years.”

In a busy summer season, our Governor and State Superintendent were both gracious with their time and positive with their approach to supporting public education. Hopefully some of their comments will help ease some of those anxieties regarding public education and politics in the coming legislative session.

I am honored to serve as your president of the School Administrators of Montana this year.  I hope to see many of you at your SAM affiliate conferences throughout the year.  If I can ever be of assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact me at [email protected]  Also, be sure to plan now to join SAM and your affiliate organizations in Helena on Monday, March 18, 2019 for the Public Education Day of Advocacy, where you can see Governor Bullock, Superintendent Arntzen, and your legislators as we advocate together for their continued support of public education.

Respectfully,

MASS/MCASE Fall Conference 2018!

September 17-18

GranTree Inn - Bozeman

Monday, September 17:

• Keynote Speaker - Dave Schuler, AASA National Superintendent of the Year
• Federal Update - Noelle Ng, AASA Associate Executive Director - Policy & Advocacy 
• Breakout Sessions - 
• Joe Eradi, Daniel O'Donnell, Ashoke Menon, Jerry Laughery, Theresa Baldry, Verne Beffert, Frank Podobnik, Tal Goldin, Elizabeth Kaleva

Tuesday, September 18:

• Keynote Speaker - Jody Urquhart
• MASS and MCASE Business Meetings

Click HERE to register!

 Broadband for Montana   Schools Program - Funding Available

The Governor’s Office, Office of Public Instruction, Department of Commerce, and School Administrators of Montana are excited to announce our continued partnership with the national non-profit EducationSuperHighway on the Broadband for Montana Schools Program.

Over the past three years, our work with EducationSuperHighway has resulted in increased Internet speed and scalable connections for thousands of students across the state. West Valley School District and Yaak Elementary School, for example, both took advantage of the services offered through the Program, applying to upgrade to high-speed fiber infrastructure capable of fully supporting their digital learning plans.  

There are two critical opportunities that your district may want to take advantage of this year:

FIBER/BROADBAND CONNECTIONS

In 2017, Governor Bullock and the Legislature secured a $2 million appropriation through House Bill 390 to serve as a “state match” by leveraging additional funding from the Federal Communications Commission’s E-rate program. The remaining $1 million in this funding pool must be used this year. If you are seeking to upgrade to a fiber broadband connection like West Valley and Yaak, we encourage you to contact the Department of Commerce to explore your options and learn how to access this funding source. Please visit  http://comdev.mt.gov/Programs/BROADBAND or email [email protected] to learn more.

INTERNAL NETWORKS AND WI-FI

The effectiveness of broadband coming to a building is only as good as the internal network and Wi-Fi within the building. That is why in 2014, the FCC made $150 per student of funding for Wi-Fi and internal connections upgrades available over five years. Montana schools have $4.1 million left to spend. Those districts that have not spent any of their E-rate Category 2 funds in the last five years and those that started spending in 2015 must act this year before these funds expire. EducationSuperHighway will contact you in the coming weeks to make sure you have everything you need to upgrade your schools.

Both the Department of Commerce and EducationSuperHighway stand ready to help you take advantage of these funding opportunities. All assistance is provided free of charge.

We look forward to working with you to ensure every classroom in the state has the bandwidth necessary to take advantage of the promise of digital learning.

Thank you,