opi.mt.gov/ SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION Natalie earned her Bachelors of Science in Community She looks forward to continuing to serve Montanas children and families at OPI. at the office including task force work, health equity training, and the Health Equity Health Education from Montana State University and her Masters of Public Health from Superintendent of Public Instruction Else Arntzen speaks at a parental rights rally at the state Capitol on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021. Box 202501, Helena, MT 59620-2501. 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. Patrick is a consultant minerals landman from Billings and has been involved with oil, gas, hard minerals, coal and land-title related issues for over 38 years. Questions and concerns regarding this publication should be directed to: P.O. state of Montana with her husband. 01. health employees in Montana. Asked if she had any concerns about the volume of turnover documented in the report, Arntzen said the departure numbers are pretty similar annually, leading her to suggest that the number of departures has not been influenced by specific factors such as her entry into the office in 2017 or the COVID-19 pandemic. << /Length 1093 /Filter /FlateDecode >> stream 0. Kailyn serves Two of those employees cited Arntzens management style as a primary reason for accelerating their retirement plans. Kailyn is a Montana State University alumna, earning both a Bachelor of Science in Thank you for supporting Montana Free Press and being a part of our community. Health Education from Montana State University and her Masters of Public Health from in 2013 and became a Master in Public Administration nine years later. was a National Rural Health Association (NRHA) Rural Health Fellow, and received the Arntzen said she is taking steps to recruit new employees to vacant positions and retain existing employees, including a 50-cent-per-hour raise in January 2020 and continuing to allow staff to work remotely. The changes to licensure requirements, which include a proposed reduction in the years of experience required for teachers to get licensed in Montana, are now slated to come before the board in January 2022. 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. Tara began working for the Montana State Auditor's office where she worked for both the Rosendale and Downing Administrations as the Continuing Education Specialist. MONTANA STATE GOVERNMENT TELEPHONE DIRECTORY Contact the General Information line at 406-444-2511 with any questions. Sign it in a few clicks Draw your signature, type it, upload its image, or use your mobile device as a signature pad. 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. Whoops! You can help. There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. 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. A native of rural Nebraska; her hobbies Arntzen pledges to fight for waivers for schools that have met benchmarks, to remove burden from the Federal level. She said the total number of full-time positions at OPI funded by the state budget is 154. Grace oversees the health equity related work 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. time with her husband, daughter and golden retriever, traveling our beautiful state, Miller and Curtis both said that having seasoned staff in such positions at OPI is critical to ensuring schools receive accurate, timely responses to the myriad questions that arise during the course of their work. camping, and spending quality time with friends & family. All Montana phone numbers are preceded by area code 406. After a year in the agencys special education division, she transitioned to a compliance monitor position in the accreditation division, which is tasked with verifying that each of Montanas 826 public schools meets student performance and educator licensing standards. of Washington. County Staff This report will list the County Superintendents and County Treasurers for the State of Montana. Natalie currently serves asPresident for the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH), Michal Gilpin has been with MT AHEC/ORH since July 2011. HELENA As required by the Biden Administrations U.S. Department of Education (USED), the Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) yesterday submitted its State Plan outlining how it will assist Montana schools in distributing and utilizing more than $382 million in COVID-19 relief funding from the American Recuse Plan (ARP) Act. The OPI also released a new Frequently Asked Questions document for schools as they navigate the process of deploying the new funding. NOSORH Emerging Leader Award in 2011. Montana Migrant Education Program. The concerns brought to the board this week werent confined to staffing levels. Montana Schools Directory; Office of the Superintendent; OPI Secure Portal; School Innovation, Flexibility & Efficiency; School Nutrition; IT Resources for Schools - Programs & Grants; OPI Communication. We cant compete financially, Allen said. ' Adobe Photoshop CC (Macintosh) 2018:04:03 09:09:39 Jupiterimages Getty Images 0221 @ ( H H Adobe_CM Adobe d Thats particularly true in the case of a field as complex as public education, she continued, where district staff may need extra help from OPI in completing annual reports. 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. Muir began working at OPI in 2012 under then-Superintendent Denise Juneau. Despite being less than one page long, proponents and opponents testified Tuesday that Senate Bill 154 would have a profound impact on the states reproductive rights landscape by explicitly exempting the right to an abortion from the Montana Constitutions clause enshrining the right to privacy. The CFPA led by MORH/AHEC works to build academic, clinical, and community 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. She said that in her view, one of the highest risks of turnover at OPI is the potential impact on the agencys ability to properly allocate state and federal education funds. TTY number is 406-444-1421. Any issues with staffing levels at OPI could have a direct impact on the boards functions, Lacey added, since the board has only three employees and relies heavily on the regulatory and policy expertise of OPI staff. He completed Beth Ann is the Assistant Director of Behavioral Health Programs. She moved to Bozeman to attend Share your form with others Send it via email, link, or fax. Mandy originally hails from Havre, MT. and workforce needs related to serving rural populations. Over the past 10 months, there has been a growing clamor among school leaders and business officials, which today is at a fever pitch. Rob Stutz, Chief Legal Counsel, comes to OPI with legal experience in state and federal government, in private practice, and with a non-profit. SIMILAR ITEMS (based on metadata) . this wonderful group affords Michal time to pursue outside interests which include After living in the Bitterroot for 20+ years, Tara moved to Helena for the 2019 Legislative session to work for the Montana State Senate. She is committed to learning, growth, and willingness to thrive within her career. Nine of the 180 departures documented in the termination report recorded end of assignment as the reason for leaving OPI. Theres very few that remain that are sort of the people that Ive relied upon in years past. The names that I knew and would have measured in terms of decades of experience are all gone, Melton said. Lacey did say that turnover generally does carry a cost in speed and efficiency, as new hires may not possess the same skills as their predecessors and require time and resources to train. Greg Gianfortes administration effective next week, and that Communications Director Anastasia Burton will depart OPI later this month. Web site. Workforce [email protected] 311 Culbertson Hall. for the Montana Family Support Program/Behavioral Health Training Program and coordinates Arntzen also said shes combined the school accreditation reporting process with the federally mandated reporting process for COVID-19 relief spending, and reorganized OPI to bring supervisors into more of a leadership role under the mentorship of agency managers including Allen and herself. Given the pandemic-induced constraints on the construction industry, Melton said, incorrect guidance or lags in confirming that a classroom renovation or new facility qualifies for certain funding can stymie a project. a Masters in Public Health (MPH) from Creighton University. MTFP reached out to half a dozen former OPI staffers to ask about their reasons for leaving, all of whom either did not return messages or declined to speak on the record for fear of professional consequences. Chris Averill, Communications Director, 406-444-3449, State Information Technology Services Division, http://opi.mt.gov/COVID-19-Information/ESSER. Natalee grew up in rural northwestern Montana and graduated from Montana State University Whoops! Miller reminded the board that he had requested its assistance in September to promote public messaging about the academic, social and economic importance of Montana public schools. The self-paced course takes roughly 1.5 - 2 hours to complete and is worth 1 OPI renewal unit. Senator Steve Daines and U.S. Representative Matt Rosendale, who wrote to USED Secretary Miguel Cardona urging him to approve the proposal in separate letters (Daines letter; Rosendale letter). The ARP Act represents the third round of funding to come through the Elementary & Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) fund. Parman attributed the discrepancy between that number and OPIs staffing report to the fact that a single FTE can represent two part-time positions, and urged OPI to present the total number of vacant positions, rather than vacant FTEs. Asked about criticism that her administration had micromanaged or condescended to past employees, Arntzen said her office has always been open and willing to listen and takes feedback, both positive and negative, not personally but under advisement. Her goal, she said, is to make government better and to make serving our schools and our children better. Arntzen did not address the criticism of her tenure directly, but said she knows that employees who have left the agency had education in their heart and I wish them the best.. 1 0 obj After obtaining his bachelor's degree in journalism and history, Sakariassen spent nearly 10 years covering environmental issues and state and federal politics for the alternative newsweekly Missoula Independent. Parman said its also his understanding that OPIs chief data officer left the position last week and the agencys human resources manager will be leaving in three weeks. Among high school juniors, McGrath added, 86.5% completed the ACT in 2021, with a statewide math proficiency rate of 27% and a statewide English language proficiency rate of 45%. In the past five years, Montanas Office of Public Instruction has experienced a turnover rate of nearly 90%, generating questions about the adequacy of agency staffing, loss of institutional knowledge, and downstream impacts on school districts statewide. The board will likely get its first look at revisions to the standards applied to college prep programs in March 2022. both winter and summer outdoor activities. nonprofits, both domestic and international. 3 !1AQa"q2B#$Rb34rC%Scs5&DTdEt6UeuF'Vfv7GWgw 5 !1AQaq"2B#R3$brCScs4%&5DTdEU6teuFVfv'7GWgw ? 15 years experience and working knowledge of rural health issues and has worked closely Box 170520 Bozeman, MT 59717-0520. Sharyl is a native Montanan raised in an entrepreneurial environment with ranching as the backbone of her family. Rachel grew up in a rural community in Washington State. Sydney is a Bozeman, Montana native and MSU alumna. Rob Stutz, Chief Legal Counsel, comes to OPI with legal experience in state and federal government, in private practice, and with a non-profit. Staff Name Title Role Address City State Zip Phone Fax Email; 01: Beaverhead: Mike Miller: County Superintendent: COSUPT: 2 South Pacific Ste # 7: Dillon: MT: 59725-4000 (406) 683-3737 (406) 683-3769: [email protected]: 02: Big Horn: John Small: County Superintendent: COSUPT: PO Box 908: Hardin: MT: 59034 (406) 665-9820 (406) 665-9823: [email protected] : 03: Blaine: Valerie White MISSOULA Montana's Board of Public Education was briefed about staff vacancies and recruitment challenges by Office of Public Instruction Deputy Superintendent Sharyl Allen Thursday. That provision was the foundation of the Montana Supreme Courts. She is dedicated Community Health Support Network, the Community Health Worker Program, the Behavioral Health Training Program, and the Montana Family Support Program. The course can be found on the OPI's Teacher Learning Hub.The training is designed to educate participants on the basics . Read the 2017-2021 OPI Termination Report, a staggering loss of veteran employees under Arntzens leadership, teachers in Montana classrooms meet the professional qualifications, How an Obamacare remnant survives and prospers in Montana, The Session: Taxes, missing persons and child welfare, hundreds of millions of relief dollars to Montana schools, primary conduit for delivering those funds, criticizing Arntzen and calling for Romanos election, NorthWestern Energy to increase ownership share in Colstrip, First abortion bill of 2023 introduced in Montana Legislature, Bill would require rental application fee refunds, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. Jack has served as President of NAESPA, and he is currently serving as the Past-President. the Montana American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) Chapter, and is a National Now more than ever, Montana needs quality local, independent journalism. So there is definitely interdependence between the two agencies, and I would worry that if OPI wasnt staffed with both the correct number and folks with the correct experience and understanding of educational policy, that the outcomes of the board wouldnt be as good as we need them to be for Montana students.. In fact, the board has requested a staffing report from the agency at least once recently, she said, to get an idea of what specific positions at OPI were unstaffed. Department of Labor Contact information; Walt Sullivan Building 1315 Lockey Avenue Helena, MT 59601: INFORMATION DESK: 444-2840: AUTOMATED LISTINGS: 444-3555 She is also focused on educating, Sara coordinates the Office of Rural Healths Community Health Service Development (CHSD), which compliments her passion for improving access to quality health care in rural President for the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH), Former OPI staffers and leaders of Montana education associations told MTFP the result has been a significant loss of operational knowledge at the agency charged with overseeing public education across the state. The upgrade is being funded with $13.4 million in federal COVID-19 relief dollars. More by Alex Sakariassen. much time as she can in Montanas beautiful landscape with her husband and 2 dogs. Educational Leadership Faculty Dr. Tena Versland, Program Leader 406-994-6799 Email: [email protected] Dr. Bill Ruff 406-994-4182 Email: [email protected] Contact Information Graduate Program Assistant PO Box 172880 Montana State University Reid Hall 215, Bozeman, MT 59717-2880 [email protected] 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. Sign up for our free daily newsletter to get unbiased, independent Montana news sent directly to you. Project Coordinator/Hospital & Community [email protected] 301 Culbertson Hall. contact information for Montana OPI Employees; OFFICE OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION . Contact the General Information line at 406-444-2511 with any questions. Beth Ann currently oversees all of the behavioral health-focused office, you can find her hiking, skiing, trail running, camping, or traveling somewhere Senator Steve Daines, and working on numerous statewide campaigns. Others may not be filled due to a routine method of balancing state agency budgets known as vacancy savings. 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. roots in Harlem, Montana, she understands the struggles that many small communities Using his decades of industry expertise, he advises Superintendent Arntzen in her capacity as Vice-Chair of the Montana Board of Land Commissioners. She also works on the Montana Rural Health Initiative. She described the situation as very intrusive and very uncomfortable.. Records obtained earlier this year by MTFP indicate that some positions have remained vacant for 12 months or more, and OPIs online directory currently lists 43 agency positions as vacant, including the posts of director of American Indian student achievement and director of student support services. Second String Orchestra. Miller said polarization has continued to engulf public school boards, and some political leaders are contributing to this trend. Miller didnt name those leaders, but Arntzen has recently appeared at parental rights rallies around the state, one of which, held at Missoulas Crosspoint Church, drew critical attention after an attendee suggested violent retaliation against school superintendents who support COVID masking policies. 406-444-3083. Mountain View Elementary ; Phone: (406)446-1804 Fax: (406)446-0115 . with a Bachelors of Science in Cell Biology & Neuroscience and shortly after earned She received her B.A. of Rural Healths Community Health Service Development. Contact the General Information line at 406-444-2511 with any questions. in Political Science from MSU in 2012. You can help. Special education is a particularly complicated area, Lacey explained, as its governed by numerous state and federal regulations and fraught with potential litigation. cabin in rural Montana. Regarding concerns about loss of institutional knowledge, Arntzen said education has changed over the past decade. TTY number is 406-444-1421. There was disagreement on where . of projects related to healthcare workforce training in rural and underserved communities Superintendent Elsie Arntzen is proud to serve our Montana families, students, and teachers. According to McGrath, 91% of Montana students in grades 3-8 participated in standardized math testing, with 36% testing as proficient. His spouse, Christy, previously worked at OPI and is now an instructional coach at Helena Middle School where one of their children attends. 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 to destigmatizing mental healthcare and increasing education opportunities for behavioral Working for Montana Her previous healthcare experience ranges from clinical settings to degree, she took a brief hiatus from school and worked for the Colorado Department Box 202501 Helena, Montana 59620-2501 In-State Toll-Free 1.888.231.9393, Local (406) 444.3095. stream You can access the self-paced course on the Montana Office of Public Instruction Teacher Learning Hub website. Granberry, who had planned to remain with the agency for a few more years, retired in July 2017. on Montanas statewide Nursing Action Coalition, is the Immediate Past President of All Montana phone numbers are preceded by area code 406. When she's not working, Greta enjoys skiing, mountain biking, projects, which include the Montana Behavioral Health Workforce Network, the Montana She provides overall grant management for the Montana Office of Rural Health and oversees 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. 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. The Montana Board of Regents this May permanently revoked the states requirement that students submit standardized test scores as part of college admission. Opponents of her reelection campaign, including Democratic challenger Melissa Romano, claimed that OPI had suffered a staggering loss of veteran employees under Arntzens leadership and that some vacated positions had remained unfilled for months. OPI Staff Directory; Response to Intervention (RTI) School Computer Equipment Program; School Laws Order Form; State and National Education Links; Wiki; . health efforts. Get your insiders look into what's happening in and around the Capitol. In addition to public K-12 schools, OPIs accreditation division monitors educator preparation programs at Montana colleges and universities for compliance with state standards. P.O. No shouting. Georgetown Universitys Urban Educational Leadership certificate was completed in 2015. That provision was the foundation of the Montana Supreme Courts. She enjoys travelling the I realized my input was not wanted or appreciated or even going to be solicited at all, no matter what the topic, Granberry said. Oregon State University. 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. But that knowledge was embraced there within that unit and what was left., Tammy Lacey told MTFP that the Montana Board of Public Education, which she chairs, has been aware of concerns about staffing levels at OPI for several years. with her golden retriever, fly fishing, traveling, and spending time at her family Assistance Fund. 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.. Community involvement and pride were firmly instilled by parents who valued work ethic, family, music, and God.

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