Montana Office of Public Instruction

Spending to educate public school students in Montana increased by more than $1,200 per pupil during the last year.

The Montana Office of Public Instruction says about 19% of school districts in the state are taking part in a new incentive program to raise starting teacher pay next year.

Providing a mental health service for high-needs students has become more complicated for Montana’s school districts. Some are opting for other services that advocates and mental-health providers say are inadequate.

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

A program providing mental health services to public school students is close to running out of temporary funding. State and public school officials are still working out a new funding structure to keep providing services.

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.

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.

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.

Montana officials this week said they’ve found a solution to fund a school mental health program that has been on shaky ground for more than a year. It is still unclear how many schools will be able to keep the program going.

A new state report outlines that Montana teens are experiencing increasing rates of depression and other mental illnesses.