Education

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.

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.