Education

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.

Helena voters approved two school bonds by a few hundred votes, unofficial results showed Wednesday. A new high school, elementary school and extensive renovations are on the way.

The Trump administration has ordered states to change school curricula or lose funding for pregnancy prevention programs. The administration wants language related to "gender ideology" removed. It’s a move in line with other actions aiming to remove legal recognition for transgender and nonbinary people.

Last school year, the state implemented a new standardized test designed to make sure students are meeting state and federal requirements. But teachers say the rollout has been a mess.

Montana was one of the last states in the nation that allowed schools to disenroll students with disabilities once they turned 18, according to nonprofit Disability Rights Montana. Advocacy director Tal Goldin says the organization sued the state earlier this year to end that policy. It won this month when Montana opted to settle the suit.

Helena voters next month will decide the fate of a more than quarter-billion-dollar public school bond. District officials say their buildings are crumbling, and without new facilities or major improvements, students and teachers could be forced to make painful compromises. Helena Independent Record education reporter Sonny Tapia has been following the story and joined MTPR’s Austin Amestoy with more.

The U.S. Department of Education Friday released billions of dollars in funding previously approved by Congress and withheld by the Trump administration. Montana schools were considering staff and program cuts to make up for the state's $26 million slice of funds.