Articles written by Alex Sakariassen
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State officials partly restore OPI's contracting authority
Montana’s Department of Administration last week partially restored the Office of Public Instruction’s authority to independently award contracts for third-party goods and services, stating that the agency has made “significant progress” in...
A $40 million bipartisan measure aimed at driving down health insurance costs for Montana schools becomes law
Under a new law signed by Gov. Greg Gianforte, school districts across Montana will begin working on the creation of a statewide insurance trust aimed at driving down the cost of health benefits for teachers, administrators and other public school...
Secretary of State appeals rulings that struck down new election laws
Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen filed an appeal with the state Supreme Court Tuesday challenging the rulings of a district court judge who overturned four election administration laws... Full story
New workgroup is paving the way for more election legislation in 2023
State lawmakers, county election administrators and the Montana Association of Counties have established an unpublicized informal workgroup to examine Montana’s current election processes and discuss opportunities to enhance the election system...
Education Board settles comments on new teacher licensing rules
During a special meeting Thursday, the Montana Board of Public Education combed through more than 130 public comments submitted on proposed revisions to state teacher licensing regulations — one of the final steps toward adoption of the changes nex...
Legislature rejects special session request
An effort to call a special session of the Montana Legislature via lawmaker poll failed to gain majority support last week. According to the results compiled by the Montana Secretary of State’s office after the 5 p.m. deadline, 44 legislators...
Parental rights advocates come to Arntzen's defense
A pair of public school board trustees from Missoula and Kalispell emailed a letter to state Superintendent Elsie Arntzen Tuesday refuting recent criticisms of her leadership of the Office of Public Instruction and praising her "steadfast support"...
Judge strikes down gun law on campuses
On November 30, Lewis and Clark County District Court Judge Michael McMahon struck down provisions of Montana's new "constitutional carry" law that apply to college campuses, ruling that the law violates the constitutional authority of the Montana...
The state of Montana education: State Board of Education examines shared goals and challenges for students across Montana's public K-12 and higher education systems
MISSOULA — Leaders of Montana’s K-12 and higher education systems convened on the University of Montana campus Friday to discuss strategic goals and ongoing challenges to improve the quality of education for students across the state. Addressing...
Election officials caution against rushed software rollout
County election officials are once again expressing grave concerns about Montana's readiness to transition to a new election software system, even as Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen's office... Full story
Supply chain woes land on school lunch trays
Tammy Wham can't get her hands on canned corn or whole grain muffins. Both are staples in the public school kitchen in Ennis, where Wham serves as kitchen manager - or, she quips, "head lunch lady." Wham and her staff serve breakfast and lunch to...
Public school enrollment shows fall uptick
Last fall and spring, Montana's public school system reported notable declines in student enrollment attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that trend appears to be reversing as K-12 schools across the state have returned to in-person instruction...
Montana's stake in the infrastructure plan
Earlier this month, the U.S. Senate approved a $1.2 trillion spending plan aimed at addressing critical national infrastructure needs. The bill is poised to inject billions of dollars into Montana’s highways, bridges, water systems and broadband,...
How to comply with Montana's new vaccine discrimination law
The Montana Department of Labor and Industry this week offered guidance to government agencies and private businesses on how to adhere to a new state law barring discriminating against people on the basis of vaccination status. The agency's...
Recommending new rules for schools
Over the past six weeks, two review committees convened by the Montana Office of Public Instruction have begun discussing potential revisions to state regulations governing educator licensure. So far their deliberations have focused on bolstering rec...
OPI reports $29 million in COVID funds already disbursed to schools
HELENA — On Friday, the Montana Office of Public Instruction delivered an update to the state Board of Public Education about the status of federal COVID-19 relief funds for K-12 schools. According to the figures presented by OPI Chief Financial...
Montana redistricting commission adopts congressional criteria
HELENA — Montana’s five-member redistricting commission voted earlier this month to formally adopt criteria to guide its work in establishing lines for the state’s new congressional district. A vote on criteria governing how the commission...
Union stalwart Ekblad retires
When Al Ekblad woke up on Nov. 4, 2020, his mind immediately turned to the approaching legislative session. Montana voters had just elected a slate of Republican candidates to statewide offices -...
OPI asks feds to approve COVID relief spending
HELENA - The Montana Office of Public Instruction submitted a plan to the U.S. Department of Education Tuesday outlining how it intends to spend $382 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds. The...
Taking control: City and county leaders statewide are struggling to come to terms with rollbacks of municipal authority
After months of legislative debate, Montanans are beginning to glimpse how new laws passed by the 67th Legislature are poised to impact their lives. For county and municipal leaders, those impacts amount to a notable reduction in their ability to...
Regents will take constitutional carry to court
The Montana Board of Regents announced last week it will push for a judicial review of the state's new "constitutional carry" law, which is poised to allow students and university staff to carry conce... Full story
Arntzen's State of Education address: Superintendent of Public Instruction highlights legislative priorities including special education funding and at-risk students
Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen highlighted several legislative priorities for the state's public schools Thursday, including a push to offer increased funding security for special needs students in Montana. Arntzen's statements...
Public lands: promises and peril
Throughout 2020, political contenders of all stripes made the same straightforward promise, one that's now as familiar to Montana voters as spring runoff or November snowstorms: to be a champion for public lands. This election-year refrain arrived...
Slow COVID-19 test results complicate life for public health workers and patients
In mid-June, as Montana's COVID-19 case count began its summer climb, the Missoula City-County Health Department announced it would begin testing asymptomatic frontline workers. The declaration...