Committee: Education Interim Committee
Author: Pad McCracken
Posted on July 3, 2018
The Education Interim Committee met in Helena on June 14-15, adopted several committee bill drafts related to cleaning up school funding laws, and directed staff to prepare several other drafts as the conclusion of the 2017-2018 Interim approaches. The committee also outlined its final meeting of the interim, scheduled for September 12-13 in Helena.
The meeting began Thursday morning with staff updates on policy efforts in other states related to school attendance and work-based learning. The committee requested some brief followup on these topics in September. The committee then learned about various initiatives related to K-12 education including ongoing implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the latest federal reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Representatives from the Office of Public Instruction (OPI), the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education (OCHE), and EducationNorthwest told the committee of a collaborative effort to survey teachers to learn more about recruitment and retention issues. Other K-12 topics included afterschool programs, school safety, and stipends for National Board Certified Teachers. The morning concluded with a visit from members of the Montana Advisory Council on Indian Education.
Following lunch, the committee explored student mental health issues and the Comprehensive School and Community Treatment program, which is administered by DPHHS and leverages Medicaid dollars to provide mental health services for students coordinated by public schools. Representatives from DPHHS, OPI, school districts, education cooperatives, and licensed mental health centers participated in the discussion.
The committee then reviewed its requests from March related to the House Joint Resolution No. 1 study: several bill drafts addressing special education funding and a draft letter to education entities related to gifted and talented programs. The committee revised the letter and then directed staff to send it out with a request for a response and appearance at the September meeting to continue the discussion. The committee also directed staff to merge two bill drafts related to special education funding that would increase state support for special education and direct more money to special education cooperatives, as well as add the special education payment to other funding components that are adjusted for inflation. The committee will review this bill draft in September. The committee asked staff to work with Sen. Tempel on an issue related to special education cooperative boundaries and “remote classrooms” in his district. The committee may follow up on this issue in September.
The afternoon concluded with a review of several bill drafts making technical corrections to school funding laws. After public comment and discussion, the committee adopted all of the drafts. The committee also directed staff to prepare an additional draft correcting age ranges related to the definition of “pupil” in statute to include 5-year-old kindergartners.
Friday morning the focus shifted to higher education, and the committee was pleased to have the opportunity to visit with two new campus leaders in the Montana University System: President Seth Bodnar of the University of Montana and Chancellor Dan Edelman of Montana State University–Billings. Both leaders shared priorities for their respective campuses and remained at the table for a discussion that followed on student financial aid. The committee reviewed a progress report from its Subcommittee on State Financial Aid Programs and discussed possibilities. Ultimately, the committee requested that the subcommittee meet again over the summer to bring back for the full committee’s consideration in September a bill draft revising current state programs and implementing a “three-prong approach” including programs for need-based aid, merit-based aid, and aid incentivizing students to pursue degrees reflecting workforce needs. The subcommittee is scheduling a meeting for early August; please check the committee website for details.
The morning wrapped up with updates and discussion on several related topics. First, the committee explored the state of broadband connectivity for Montana K-12 schools, including state-funded grants to leverage federal E-Rate money for improving connectivity. Then, Bob Currie, Director of the Montana Digital Academy, provided an update on the online courses offered to K-12 students across the state through the Academy. Finally, both Mr. Currie and Amy Williams with OCHE presented to the committee on the state of dual enrollment in Montana and efforts to ensure robust and widespread access.
Video, audio, and minute logs of the meeting are available via www.leg.mt.gov.
The committee will hold its next meeting on September 12-13 in Room 152 of the Capitol. For more information visit the committee’s website or contact Pad McCracken, committee staff, at padmccracken@mt.gov or 406-444-3595.
