Montana Office of Public Instruction

Office of the Superintendent

Elsie Arntzen is Montana's Superintendent of Public Instruction

November 26, 2019 

Happy Thanksgiving! Please stay safe and enjoy time with family and friends this holiday season.

Update on DPHHS Rules Affecting Schools

At the meeting of the Interim Legislative Committee on Children, Families, Health, and Human Services on November 14^th, Legislators requested additional information on DPHHS’ proposed rule changes to MAR 37-873 and did not allow the proposed rules to go into effect. Therefore, DPHHS did not meet the deadline to implement the rules and will have to start the process over again. The OPI previously expressed concern about the costs to schools to implement the broad proposed rule changes and the lack of education stakeholder involvement. Going forward, the OPI and schools will have a seat at the table.

ESSA Amendments and Report Cards

After public input and stakeholder consultation, the OPI submitted two amendments to Montana’s state plan under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act on November 25^th to the U.S. Department of Education. If approved, these amendments will provide a more accurate assessment of English Learners and ensure that each district in Montana receives at least $10,000 for Title IV-A programs. Additional information can be found on the OPI ESSA webpage.

The OPI previously planned to release updated ESSA report cards in December. Due to an internal evaluation of how Targeted calculations are made and recent guidance from the USDOE, the report cards will not be out in December. The new release date is scheduled with the first-time release of per-pupil school finance expenditure data in February.

2020 Legislative Week

The Legislature is sponsoring a Legislative Week in January when all legislators will be invited to Helena. The purpose is to bring legislators together to provide opportunities to receive some additional training and share information. It is being held in conjunction with the study in Senate Bill No. 310 that is looking into annual sessions. You can find more information HERE.

Superintendent’s Office November Events

• Montana Advisory Council on Indian Education meeting
• Board of Land Commissioners meeting
• Legislative Interim Committee meetings
• Board of Public Education meeting
• Council of Deans of Education meeting
• Board of Regents meeting
• Council of Chief State School Officers Annual Policy Forum
• Visit with Lockwood School Leaders
• John Deere Ag Expo to support Montana FFA