The Education Interim Committee (EDIC) will hold two remote meetings the afternoons of April 30 and May 5, 2020, from 1 PM to roughly 4 PM each day to continue its interim work following the cancelation of its March 19-20 meeting.

On Thursday April 30, after hearing K-12 updates from Superintendent Arntzen, the committee will explore several topics for which it may consider seeking legislation, including:

• options for revising the first-come, first-served mechanism for awarding transformational learning grants and advanced opportunity aid under HB 351 and HB 387, respectively;
• school funding technical issues clean-up; and
• a state-funded, voluntary pre-kindergarten program for 4-year-olds.

On Tuesday May 5, the committee will learn the basics of school nutrition programs and then explore models and best practices for school breakfast programs. The committee will then turn its attention to student well-being amidst COVID-19 and school closures with a panel discussion on the topic.

The meetings will be live streamed at http://leg.mt.gov and will be broadcast on the Montana Public Affairs Network (MPAN). For more information about the meetings, including agendas with information about public participation, visit the committee’s website or contact Pad McCracken, committee staff.

Committee Website: https://leg.mt.gov/committees/interim/2019edic/

Committee Staff: padmccracken@mt.gov or (406) 444-3595