Your membership makes this and all our other local reporting possible. OPI is the primary conduit for delivering those funds, and is tasked with ensuring that school districts adhere to the guidelines set for COVID relief spending. Indoor & Outdoor SMD Screens, LED Displays, Digital Signage & Video Wall Solutions in Pakistan Nutrition And Physical Activity Program. Sign it in a few clicks Draw your signature, type it, upload its image, or use your mobile device as a signature pad. projects, which include the Montana Behavioral Health Workforce Network, the Montana Community Health Support Network, the Community Health Worker Program, the Behavioral Health Training Program, and the Montana Family Support Program. Welcome to the State of Montana newsroom, where breaking news in Montana State Government is posted for various state agencies. Montana Rural Education Association Executive Director Dennis Parman challenged the OPIs assessment of vacancies during public comment Wednesday while speaking on behalf of the Montana Public Education Center, which represents six state education associations including the Montana Federation of Public Employees and the School Administrators of Montana. underserved Colorado. his bachelor of science in cell biology and neuroscience and later graduated with It is time to put our Montana students first and focus on a local control system that Bridging the Communication Between Schools and Families, HiSET (Formerly GED)/HiSET Options Program, Educator License Options & Requirements Information, Earn Professional Development Units Online, Educator Licensing & Preparation Task Forces, Acceleration and Evidence-Based Instruction, Montana Alternative Student Testing Pilot Program, School Innovation, Flexibility & Efficiency, IT Resources for Schools - Programs & Grants, Achieving Educational Excellence Through Local Control, School Administrators of Montana Vacancy Postings. Prior to working at MORH/AHEC, Just award-winning local journalism for the people, by the people. The Montana Office of Public Instruction. Contact your agency IT staff to make changes to the following telephone listings. health employees in Montana. kVdF#fX1W\9:F?*Jf2]cMmhR@k0|X3X$u*y},7GM n Emmy5Ye!:mZ_ul;G/5xd. Over the past 10 months, there has been a growing clamor among school leaders and business officials, which today is at a fever pitch, Parman said. I was just sort of made to feel like excess and unwanted baggage, not a valued member of a team by any means.. News apps are nice, but how many stories might you be missing? Montana Schools Directory; Office of the Superintendent; OPI Secure Portal; School Innovation, Flexibility & Efficiency; School Nutrition; IT Resources for Schools - Programs & Grants; OPI Communication. Superintendent Elsie Arntzen is proud to serve our Montana families, students, and teachers. Every time we went to have a conversation with that leadership, we had to repeat ourselves, which became very frustrating, Muir said. She is dedicated Health Education from Montana State University and her Masters of Public Health from include skiing, hiking, biking, golf and music. So I think its consistent every year., According to the termination report, OPI has seen 44 staff departures in 2021, one of which was attributed to an employee death. Kailyn serves Records obtained by Montana Free Press this week show that 180 employees have left the Office of Public Instruction since Superintendent Elsie Arntzen first took office. OPI has an additional 20.5 modified positions that are tied to various grants, as well as 27.5 so-called proprietary positions that work in multiple areas of the agency, such as budget analysts and grant coordinators. We have teachers in rural Montana who are still waiting to have their licenses processed.. That provision was the foundation of the Montana Supreme Courts. Second String Orchestra. Welcome to the Directory of Montana Schools. state of Montana with her husband. Retirement from Montana's independent nonprofit news source. No name calling. She singled out the vacant special education director position in particular, informing the board that OPI has advertised it three separate times without fielding a single qualified candidate. [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI] Working for Montana Muir also became frustrated with what she characterized as frequent and repetitive questioning regarding her divisions responsibilities and processes. The self-paced course takes roughly 1.5 - 2 hours to complete and is worth 1 OPI renewal unit. He transitioned into freelance journalism following the Indy's abrupt shuttering in September 2018, writing in-depth features, breaking Driven by the motto: If opportunity doesnt knock, build a door. The overarching concern is having a reasonable expectation of getting timely, accurate and helpful technical assistance from the Office of Public Instruction, and this appears to be no longer possible.. on Montanas statewide Nursing Action Coalition, is the Immediate Past President of He transitioned into freelance journalism following the Indy's abrupt shuttering in September 2018, writing in-depth features, breaking opi.mt.gov/ SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION The Directory of Montana Schools is produced by the Montana Office of Public Instruction, Elsie Arntzen, Superintendent. Working for Montana and earned her Bachelor of Science from MSU in Anthropology in 2014. English testing participation in those grades was 92%, with 46% testing proficient. Asked about Parmans statements, Arntzen said she couldnt offer a response since hed delivered them before she arrived at the meeting. level. Schools can access regularly updated ESSER resources, including guidance and information on weekly Q&A sessions, on the OPIs website at: http://opi.mt.gov/COVID-19-Information/ESSER. As of Nov. 5, the accreditation division was down to one staff member, with three other positions, including accreditation administrator, vacant. The upgrade is being funded with $13.4 million in federal COVID-19 relief dollars. No shouting. 03. Asked by Board Chair Tammy Lacey about the status of the roughly nine other vacancies listed in the report, Allen said some of those positions have been shifted or modified within the agency, requiring updates to their job descriptions prior to announcing them as open. The agency has since hired a headhunter to aid in its search, Allen said, but potential in-state hires among retired education professionals have been reluctant to come back to work for fear of jeopardizing their state retirement plans. Regarding concerns about loss of institutional knowledge, Arntzen said education has changed over the past decade. Telephone: (406) 994-6501 Email: [email protected] Undergraduate Programs. Jennas work experience includes serving as a Field Representative for U.S. Natalee grew up in rural northwestern Montana and graduated from Montana State University OPI also attempted to recruit nationally and received only one resume, she added, saying the wage the agency is able to offer isnt competitive enough. was a National Rural Health Association (NRHA) Rural Health Fellow, and received the Central Office Staff by System; County Staff; Legal Entities; Legal Entities - Expanded; Legal Entities by Fiscal Year; Nonpublic Accredited Schools; School Directory History; School Supervisory Staff by County; School Supervisory Staff by District; School Supervisory Staff by System; Schools; Systems; Systems - Expanded; Title I Schools; Return to OPI Portal The former position has most recently been involved with the effort to upgrade OPIs data systems, which are used for a variety of purposes including processing teacher licenses. to destigmatizing mental healthcare and increasing education opportunities for behavioral SUPERINTENDENT'S OFFICE. In that role, Granberry oversaw a handful of agency divisions, including those responsible for managing special education and federal assistance for low-income students. OPI Website: http://www.opi.mt.gov E-Grants Website: https://egrants.opi.mt.gov . in April 2015. About a third of the office is currently working from home, she added. Earlier this spring, Superintendent Arntzen submitted comments on USEDs Interim Final Requirements, which lay out the agencys implementation strategy for the relevant sections of the ARP Act that appropriated funding to our nations schools. Arntzens comments were the only from any state educational agency nationwide that proposed solutions to fix the challenges embedded in the Interim Final Requirements. If those issues remain uncorrected in the final rule, Arntzen will pursue a variety of waivers to help minimize the burden on our local educational agencies (LEA). These LEAs are required to produce two Federally mandated plans related to how they will spend their allocated dollars, and how they plan to bring students back to the classroom safely. However, the Federal rule does not mandate that an LEA adopt the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidance, but only requires that the LEA describe in its plan the extent to which it has adopted the key prevention and mitigation strategies identified in the guidance. Many schools in Montana were open throughout all or much of the 2020-2021 school year, and have already returned students to school safely, Arntzen noted. They should be afforded the opportunity to focus on other matters, and have a waiver instated for the requirement to update the plan every six months, with stakeholder input, until September 30, 2023. Montanas State Plan received support from U.S. Jan 14, 2022. Upon completing her undergraduate School Staff The Montana Asthma Control Program and the Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) designed the Creating Asthma Friendly Schools training for school staff in 2016. Share your form with others Send it via email, link, or fax. 3 !1AQa"q2B#$Rb34rC%Scs5&DTdEt6UeuF'Vfv7GWgw 5 !1AQaq"2B#R3$brCScs4%&5DTdEU6teuFVfv'7GWgw ? Board member Susie Hedalen, who previously served as a deputy superintendent under Arntzen, added that in addition to recruitment, its important to consider retention-based considerations such as job satisfaction as well. And Montana School Boards Association Executive Director Lance Melton pointed out that delays in receiving such guidance can have consequential ramifications on districts and, by extension, the students they serve. A bill under consideration by the Montana Legislature aims to ease the burden of rental application fees on apartment-seeking Montanans by specifying that landlords and property management companies must reimburse unsuccessful applicants for any fees not used for specific expenses like credit checks. County Staff This report will list the County Superintendents and County Treasurers for the State of Montana. Educator Licensure (Certification Program) 444-3150. Alex Sakariassen is a 2008 graduate of the University of Montana's School of Journalism, where he worked for four years at the Montana Kaimin student newspaper and cut his journalistic teeth as a paid news intern for the Choteau Acantha for two summers. Natalie currently serves as. Assistance Fund. Community involvement and pride were firmly instilled by parents who valued work ethic, family, music, and God. Beth Ann is the Assistant Director of Behavioral Health Programs. in 2013 and became a Master in Public Administration nine years later. Tara has four amazing children and three beautiful grandchildren. Sara grew up in rural Montana and graduated from Montana State University with a Bachelor working on campus in 2006. of Washington. Natalie, as the Assistant Director of the Montana Office of Rural Health, brings nearly 7 0 obj Arntzen pledges to fight for waivers for schools that have met benchmarks, to remove burden from the Federal level. Whoops! Melton and Miller both said anecdotally that the level of turnover indicated in the termination report is higher than anything theyve seen at OPI under previous administrations. DIRECTORY CONTENTS State Directory Agencies Thats what that report shares with me. Earlier this month, Montana Free Press received data from OPI in response to a records request showing that 180 employees have left the agency since January 2017, when state Superintendent Elsie Arntzen first took office. Curtis said shes heard atrocious stories from individuals about a toxic work environment at OPI. It takes good teamwork at OPI to make these processes work in terms of the distribution of money.. Kirk Miller, executive director of the School Administrators of Montana, said hes noticed significant turnover in staffing at OPIs licensing division, which is charged with ensuring that teachers in Montana classrooms meet the professional qualifications set by the state. Sign up for our free daily newsletter to get unbiased, independent Montana news sent directly to you. It was here that she was immersed and fell in love with Full Honors in Political Science, Economics, and Liberal Studies with Minors Executive Assistant/Deputy Communications Director. The OPI staff administer a number of federally funded programs and provide a variety of information services, including the information systems necessary to assess student achievement and the quality of Montana's elementary and secondary school systems. 4 0 obj Melton added that many OPI staffers whose experience he used to rely on have left the agency, but that he has still been able to depend on a few key personnel including Deputy Superintendent Sharyl Allen to answer questions from his organizations members. Contact your agency IT staff to make changes to the following telephone listings. cabin in rural Montana. in Health Administration (DHA). Natalie currently serves asPresident for the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH), making healthcare more accessible and affordable to rural communities. Edit your form online Type text, add images, blackout confidential details, add comments, highlights and more. Natalee is passionate about We cant compete financially, Allen said. In his free time, Josh enjoys In addition to public K-12 schools, OPIs accreditation division monitors educator preparation programs at Montana colleges and universities for compliance with state standards. MSU starting in 1991 in the accounting office of the MSU Bookstore. All of this stuff is highly detailed, Quinlan said. Home of the Rams. The amount of turnover revealed in the report speaks to allegations leveled against Arntzen in advance of the 2020 election. Sign up for our free daily newsletter to get unbiased, independent Montana news sent directly to you. within the state. Withroots in Harlem, Montana, she understands the struggles that many small communities << /Type /Page /Parent 8 0 R /MediaBox [0 0 612.0 792.0] /Contents 7 0 R /Annots [ 6 0 R ] /Resources << /ProcSet 1 0 R /XObject << /Im4 4 0 R >> /Font << /F3 3 0 R /F5 5 0 R >> >> >> There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Montana Migrant Education Program. vN_HF"{ueE$gYU)VUiTf9BJXz[6V,h#[pygl)3,AZ(i)snFLCf(.~)[fitYZJ:@R"$)1aeGmGm`ctk`uu .=R'p)=Z`d8E\(b)z_Vg?Eur!H?CBYzKW{U*UaT*K{ ] i &?G(`nT,06P! J>sF%a}=TybR}-s71O]6iF59 HM'{$/1A|+[O3\w@E\+bDo>{8(LV]Uf1oX5Lm(D)=^f+mUvK280j]V*q\\qs0IcG}d>CXNFFW)C%cP,C(!KTFh"{[/o'B1x0~P4nVK,Jvv [wWtx9~zN^;~x|":{vd"\IBLSnV8#o-'+'1OFh]I 2 0 obj Educational Leadership Faculty Dr. Tena Versland, Program Leader 406-994-6799 Email: tena.versland@montana.edu Dr. Bill Ruff 406-994-4182 Email: wruff@montana.edu Contact Information Graduate Program Assistant PO Box 172880 Montana State University Reid Hall 215, Bozeman, MT 59717-2880 edgrad@montana.edu Anna was raised in Colbert, WA, and came to Helena to attend Carroll College. health efforts. More by Alex Sakariassen. Jenna brings a history of being actively involved in Montanas education system and advocacy on behalf of parents and children. Beth Ann currently oversees all of the behavioral health-focused this wonderful group affords Michal time to pursue outside interests which include Granberry started at OPI in September 1989, serving as a division director for more than 20 years before assuming the assistant superintendent of education services post in August 2016. Workforce Coordinatorjosh.hunsaker@montana.edu406-994-5653Room 304 Culbertson Hall. She previously worked at Shodair Childrens Hospital for 5 years. Centralized Services Division 1227 11th Ave., Helena, MT 59601, PO Box 202501 Helena, MT 59620-2501 Division Administrator: Deann Willcut, 406-444-2563 E-Grants Coordinator: Karla Beagles, 406-444-0764 E-Grants Security Specialist: Mindi Askelson, 406-444-0768 Please reload the page and try again. of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences in 2012. Every dollar helps your family, friends and neighbors access reliable, relevant local reporting. You can also find an employee by name by going to the State of Montana Employee Directory at https://pubdir.mt.gov/. Madalyn Quinlan worked at OPI for 27 years and served as chief of staff to three state superintendents prior to her appointment to the Board of Public Education in 2019. 02. She added that 14.76 of the vacant FTEs are currently at varying stages of the recruitment process for new hires. She has a long history with If the answers no, where that things right in front of you and you can grab it or not based upon the answer, and that no is incorrect, youve lost an opportunity, Melton said. A support document for our Montana policymakers and leaders, Happy New Year from Superintendent Arntzen. P.O. She moved to Bozeman to attend During his public comment before the board Wednesday, Parman put the vacancy issue into context, explaining that members of Montanas public education system have experienced increasing difficulty getting timely responses from the agency. HiSET (Formerly GED)/HiSET Options Program, Educator License Options & Requirements Information, Earn Professional Development Units Online, Educator Licensing & Preparation Task Forces, Acceleration and Evidence-Based Instruction, Montana Alternative Student Testing Pilot Program, School Innovation, Flexibility & Efficiency, IT Resources for Schools - Programs & Grants. Kirk Miller, executive director of the School Administrators of Montana, said he's noticed "significant turnover" in staffing at OPI's licensing division, which is charged with ensuring that teachers in Montana classrooms meet the professional qualifications set by the state. When you donate to Montana Free Press, you are helping build a newsroom that serves the people of Montana, not advertisers or special interests. At the MORH/AHEC, she works as the Program Coordinator and holds a Master of Public Health Health Systems, Management, and Policy from MONTANA STATE GOVERNMENT TELEPHONE DIRECTORY. Rob Stutz, Chief Legal Counsel, comes to OPI with legal experience in state and federal government, in private practice, and with a non-profit. Maie Lee Jones is a Cuban-Jamaican-American citizen, competent professional, and polyglot with a broad set of skills. She lived in nearly a decade. with her family. Our students are our most precious resource and the future of this great state. Sign up to get our reporting sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Allen also noted that schools, government agencies and private businesses are all increasingly struggling to find workers, and that OPI is not isolated or insulated from that phenomenon. Board member Mary Heller echoed that, saying, we all know we dont pay our teachers enough. Her previous healthcare experience ranges from clinical settings to In response, the party narrowed the scope of its request and on Aug. 26 hand-delivered a payment of approximately $2,000 to OPI. The Montana Board of Public Education (BPE) at their Nov. 17 meeting rejected a proposal by the Office of Public Instruction (OPI) to strike student-to-staff ratios for counselors, librarians and . Contact the General Information line at 406-444-2511 with any questions. You cant be nimble when you dont know whats happened in the past or how things have been handled in the past, so theres always a slowdown in the actual work, for that person and within that department.. Project Coordinatornatalee.wheeler@montana.edu406-994-6858Room 309 Culbertson Hall. In previous rounds, Montana received more than $41,000,000 (ESSER I) and $170,000,000 (ESSER II). Through the Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools (EANS), the state also received nearly $20 million for home and private schools. Two-thirds of the ESSER III funding has already been released to schools; once USED approves the State Plan submitted today, the OPI will be able to release the remaining one-third, or roughly $126 million. A bill under consideration by the Montana Legislature aims to ease the burden of rental application fees on apartment-seeking Montanans by specifying that landlords and property management companies must reimburse unsuccessful applicants for any fees not used for specific expenses like credit checks.

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