Education

A nearly century-old private college in Great Falls is on the ropes as it confronts a massive budget deficit. The University of Providence lost funding from the hospital system that supports it. Administrators are now laying off staff and changing course offerings in a bid to stay afloat. Montana Free Press reporter Matt Hudson is following the restructuring and joined MTPR’s Austin Amestoy with details.

The first results from Montana’s new standardized test show fewer than half of elementary-school students statewide are meeting math, reading and writing standards. The first year of testing had a rocky rollout.

State auditors are studying how efficiently the state education department sends out funding to schools. The study is part of an effort to reform how the state funds education.

State education leaders have picked the next Montana Teacher of the Year. The award recognizes excellence in the classroom. This year's recipient is culinary arts teacher Kortney Douma of Belgrade High School. She joined MTPR's Austin Amestoy to talk more about the award and what it's like to merge the kitchen and the classroom.

When public schools face deep budget cuts, art and music programs are often the first to be slashed. A new nonprofit in Missoula is hitting the road with a mobile pottery studio to help fill the gaps.

Montana’s top education official this month sent a letter to schools telling them to “stay compliant” with state and federal laws. The letter from Superintendent of Public Instruction Susie Hedalen references concerns schools are teaching diversity, equity and inclusion and gender identity. But it stops short of explaining what prompted those concerns. MTPR’s Austin Amestoy spoke with the Superintendent to learn more.

Big Sky Resort plans to use wastewater for making snow. Hemorrhagic disease may be killing deer in western Montana, FWP says. State releases resources on abuse and human trafficking education for teachers.

Many early-career teachers in Montana received an unprecedented salary bump this year. A new state law made the raises possible.

A Helena law firm says the state isn’t meeting its constitutional obligation to provide a quality education. Missoula schools are the first to sign on to a potential lawsuit over the issue.

How much does it cost to teach a child in Montana, and what’s the right way to pay the bill? That’s the question a group of lawmakers and education advocates will attempt to answer over the next year and a half. MTPR’s Austin Amestoy sat down with host Elinor Smith to explain why finding the answer could be easier said than done.