Montana school system

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The Montana public school system (prekindergarten-grade 12) operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards members and superintendents. Montana has a total of 432 school districts.

The Montana state constitution requires that the state legislature provide "a system of education which will develop the full educational potential of each person." Additionally, the constitution stipulates that the state recognize the cultural heritage of the American Indians and be "committed in its educational goals to the preservation of their cultural integrity."[1]

[edit] School revenues, expenditures and budget

See also: Montana state budget
Montana's education costs are 27% of the state budget

The 2011 biennium budget, which includes fiscal years 2010 and 2011, totals $8.31 billion in total fund spending. Education accounts for approximately $2.27 (27.32%) of the total budget. FY 2010 education spending is $1.15 billion and FY 2011 education spending is $1.11 billion.[2] Instruction and support takes up the majority of the education budget at 71.9% of the total. Facilities account for 16.3% of the budget, administration for 11.6% and instruction and support for 0.3%.[3]

[edit] Personnel salaries

The student-to-teacher ratio in the 2005-2006 school year was 14.1, compared to the national ratio of 16.2. In the 2004-2005 school year the ratio was 14.3, compared to the national average of 15.8.[3]

According to the American Federation of Teachers, Montana ranked 44th in the nation for average teacher salary for the 2006-07 school year. In the 2006-07 school year the average teacher salary was $41,146, a 3.3% increase from 2005-06. Montana ranked 45th in beginning teacher salaries - $27,134, a 4.3% increase from 2005-06.[4]

School year Average annual teacher salary Average beginning teacher salary
2006-2007 $41,146 [4] $27,134 [4]
2005-2006 $39,788 [4] $25,967 [4]
2004-2005 $38,485 [5] $25,318 [5]
2003-2004 $37,184 [6] $24,032 [6]
2002-2003 $35,697 [6] $23,095 [6]

[edit] Role of unions

The main union related to the Montana school system is the Montana Education Association - Montana Federation of Teachers (MEA-MFT). MEA-MFT is the largest education association in the state. For the 2003 tax period MEA-MFT had: $4.92 million in total revenue, $4.91 million in total expenses and $2.33 million in total assets.[7]

List of local Montana school unions:[8]

[edit] Role of school boards

The State Board of Education was created in 1972. According to the state constitution the board consists of seven members, all of which are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Montana Senate.[9] Members serve seven-year terms. The governor, superintendent of public instruction and commissioner of higher education serve as ex-officio, non-voting members of the board. In 1979 a student representative was officially added to the board. The board is responsible for setting the standards of accreditation for the state's schools, create a system of teacher certifications, review teacher certificates, adopt policies for special education of handicapped and gifted and talented students and act as the governing agency for the Montana School for the Deaf and Blind.[10]

[edit] Taxpayer-funded lobbying

See also: Montana taxpayer-funded lobbying

The main education taxpayer-funded lobbying organization is the Montana School Boards Association.

[edit] Transparency

See also: Montana transparency headlines

As of November 2009 Montana did not have a statewide, official spending database online. On January 17, 2009, Montana Senator Joe Balyeat of Bozeman introduced SB 241, the "Taxpayer Right to Know Act." This bill would have created a searchable website that, among other things, would have listed information about the state's budget. However the bill died in committee.[11]

The Montana Policy Institute currently hosts a website dedicated to bringing transparency to Montana. The website provides information on state government spending. Additionally, the organization hosts a site called Schools Open Montana, which provides information related to state education spending.[12]

[edit] Reports

A 2009 study, Leaders and Laggards, conducted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for a Competitive Workplace, Frederick M. Hess of the conservative American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, and the Center for American Progress, gave Montana: "A" in academic achievement; "C" in truth in advertising about student proficiency; "D" in rigor of standards; "C" in post-secondary and workforce readiness; "D" in for its teacher workforce policies; "D" in data quality.[13]

[edit] Academic performance

In the 2007-2008 school year Montana school officials reported that 2,540 students dropped out of grades 7 through 12. Reports later revealed that the 2007-2008 school year had a total dropout rate of approximately 3.6%.[14]

The chart below details the percentage of students that met the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirements for the school years 2000 through 2008. AYP is used by the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) program to determine the academic performance of schools.[15]

School year Reading (% proficient) Mathematics (% proficient)
2000-2001 76%72%
2001-2002 75%71%
2002-2003 74%73%
2003-2004 62%57%
2004-2005 68%59%
2005-2006 78%61%
2006-2007 81%63%
2007-2008 81%62%
2008-2009 82%63%

[edit] School choice

School choice options include:

  • Charter schools: the state of Montana does not have a charter school law. According to school officials as of June 2009 there have been no requests in favor of charter schools.[16]
  • Public school open enrollment: the state of Montana has one open enrollment policies: inter-district. In other words, students are permitted to enroll in any school in any alternative district in the state.[17]
  • Online learning: in 2009, the state of Montana launched a virtual academy as a unit of the Montana university system that is available to high school students.[18] [19] The Office of Public Instruction and the Board of Education were awarded more than $2 million to create the virtual school and offer basic courses, as well as opportunities to earn college credits.[20]

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ↑ Montana State Constitution,"Article X, Section 1," retrieved November 11, 2009
  2. ↑ Montana Legislative Fiscal Division, "2011 Biennium Executive Budget," June 2009
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Montana Office of Public Instruction,"School Facts for 2009," retrieved November 11, 2009
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 American Federation of Teachers,"Montana Ranks 44th in the nation for the teacher pay," retrieved November 11, 2009
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 American Federation of Teachers,"Montana ranks 43rd in the nation for the teacher pay," March 29, 2007
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 American Federation of Teachers,"Montana ranks 45th in the nation for the teacher pay," October 6, 2005
  7. ↑ Center for Union Facts,"Montana Education Association - Montana Federation of Teachers," retrieved November 10, 2009
  8. ↑ Center for Union Facts,"Montana teachers unions," retrieved November 10, 2009
  9. ↑ Montana Constitution,"Article X, Section 9," retrieved November 11, 2009
  10. ↑ Montana Board of Public Education,"About," retrieved November 10, 2009
  11. ↑ Bill Status, Senate Bill 241, "Taxpayer Right to Know Act"
  12. ↑ Schools Open Montana,"Montana School's Open Montana Project Overview," retrieved November 11, 2009
  13. ↑ U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute,"Montana Education Report Card," retrieved November 17, 2009
  14. ↑ Montana Office of Public Instruction,"Dropout Report FY 07-08," May 2009
  15. ↑ Montana Office of Public Instruction,"Montana's NCLB Report Card," retrieved November 11, 2009
  16. ↑ Montana Office of Public Instruction,"Letter to Arne Duncan, United States Secretary of Education," July 28, 2009
  17. ↑ The Heritage Foundation,"School Choice in Montana," retrieved November 11, 2009
  18. ↑ Montana Office of Public Instruction,"20-7-1201. Montana virtual academy," retrieved November 11, 2009
  19. ↑ Virtual High School Global Consortium,"Montana High Schools and Middle Schools Embrace Online Learning," April 29, 2009
  20. ↑ Great Falls Tribune,"Virtual High School in works," October 1, 2009
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