Education
Lawmakers consider two bills to regulate transgender youth
A Whitefish Republican wants to ban transgender athletes from competing in K-16 sports — a move a federal judge blocked in a similar bill from Idaho. Idaho District Court Judge David C. Nye said Idaho’s bill “stands in stark contrast to the policies of elite athletic bodies that regulate sports both nationally and globally” when […]
Pandemic pinches enrollment throughout Montana University System
When the pandemic hit the Treasure State in March, Montana campuses started preparing for the worst. Montana State University in Bozeman budgeted for a $12.3 million drop in tuition revenue from a high of $145.1 million the previous fiscal year, or an 8 percent slide, according to data from the Montana Office of the Commissioner […]
Gianforte’s budget to boost new teacher pay
Teachers in Montana run roughly in the middle of the pack when it comes to average salaries across the country, according to education officials here. But new teachers? In the Treasure State, rookies take home the smallest paychecks of those in all other states. Thursday, education officials who represent schools and educators said Gov. Greg […]
Court: ‘No reasonable expectation of privacy’
The Montana Supreme Court opinion dismissing a former soccer coach’s claim the University of Montana violated his privacy when it released information from an audit of his cellphone underscores a long-held legal principle in the Treasure State, according to a lawyer with expertise in open government. “If a public employee occupies a position of public […]
‘Tuition freeze’ a priority for Dems; GOP leader said it’s unlikely
When Allison Reinhardt testifies at the Capitol for the 2021 Montana Legislature, she’ll advocate on behalf of some 40,000 students. Among their needs? Food. “Our food pantry, ‘Bounty of the Bridgers,’ has been hard pressed lately because there are so many people who are food insecure right now, especially in family and graduate housing,” said […]
Judge tosses newspaper lawsuit, rules school district didn’t violate First Amendment
ROUNDUP – A Musselshell County Judge has ruled that Roundup Public Schools didn’t violate a media company’s First Amendment rights when it barred reporters and broadcasters from attending girls’ volleyball games. Judge Randal I. Spaulding denied the Yellowstone County News a preliminary injunction, which would have forced the district to allow the media company owning […]
Montana Superintendent Arntzen announces federal relief for schools
Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen announced Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Education has confirmed Montana will receive around $170 million from the December 2020 congressional funding bill in the form of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds, or ESSER II. This new COVID-19 relief funding is four times more than the $41,295,230 […]
Guns on campus in Montana?
A bill that would allow people to carry guns on Montana campuses and another bill to change the way community colleges get money are already creating heartburn for higher education officials.
Small media group challenges getting booted from covering rival’s sports events
BILLINGS—Sports rivalries run deep in any high school. Now, a court battle in central Montana may take it to a different level. Yellowstone County News and its sister radio station, KFHW, have been stymied from covering school sporting events at Roundup High School, a rival of several of the high schools in the newspaper and […]
Montana Board of Public Education appointments up in the air
Retired judge Jeremiah Lynch and educator Sharon Carroll, the most recent appointments to the Montana Board of Public Education, have competition for their board seats. Last year, Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock appointed Lynch, of Missoula, and Carroll, of Ekalaka, to the board overseeing public education, but they have yet to be confirmed by the Senate; […]
Arntzen is 1st GOP superintendent of public instruction to win 2nd term in nearly 30 years
Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen took her oath of office outdoors Monday in front of the Montana Capitol. “I am honored to continue the great work of putting Montana students and families first through my Montana initiatives of ‘Hope, Teach, Learn, and Ready,’” said Arntzen in a prepared statement she provided in advance of […]