Elsie Arntzen

Montana public school students whose families receive Medicaid benefits will be automatically enrolled in free and reduced-price meal programs during the next school year.

Former vice president Mike Pence makes an unannounced visit to the Capitol. New restrictive voting laws are back in effect. Democrat Cora Neumann rails against "rich outsiders." Schools superintendent Elsie Arntzen wants to cut the number of required school counselors.

Montana education officials adopted some new language for a teachers’ code of ethics, resulting in objection from the governor and superintendent of public instruction.

Montana’s largest public employees union helped launch a petition Wednesday condemning the state’s chief of public instruction. It’s the latest volley in a growing controversy over Elsie Arntzen’s leadership.

Montana’s school superintendent faces criticism from administrators of the state’s largest public school districts who say they’re ‘disappointed’ in her leadership. They signed a letter last week detailing what they say is a chronic lack of administrative support from Arntzen’s Office of Public Instruction. They also complain her partisan politics undermine the work of local educators.

The superintendents of all eight of Montana’s AA school districts wrote a letter last week expressing “disappointment” and “no confidence” in Montana’s Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen. Missoula School Superintendent Rob Watson says frustrations with OPI have intensified over the past three months.

A group of Republican state lawmakers, school board trustees and citizens have signed a letter in support of Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen. It follows a separate letter signed by the superintendents representing Montana’s eight AA school districts, which expressed disappointment in Arntzen’s leadership.

The heads of several Montana school districts have written a letter expressing “disappointment” and “no confidence” in state Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen.

Pandemic-related declines in public school enrollment are showing signs of reversing. Preliminary data released Tuesday by state education officials show public schools saw a 2.5 percent enrollment increase this fall over last.

Less than half of Montana high school juniors and students in third through eighth grade met subject proficiency standards last school year, according to new statewide assessment results.