Arntzen Secures Commonsense Flexibilities for Montana Teachers and Students

• Chris Averill
• July 16 2021

HELENA – At the request of Montana State Superintendent Elsie Arntzen, the Board of Public Education yesterday gave its approval to all of the commonsense flexibilities that the Office of Public Instruction (OPI) requested to benefit Montana’s school districts and the students they serve.  Of note, the Board concurred with the OPI’s recommendations on the following items:

• Allowing the School District plan required by the U.S. Department of Education under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) for use of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) III Fund dollars to be considered as the Continuous School Improvement Plan (CSIP) for the 2021-2022 School Year;
• Granting a one-year extension for Montana provisional license holders and third-year internships; and
• Extending the School Year 2020-2021 Accreditation Status of all school districts through the 2021-2022 school year, and in essence providing a two-year accreditation cycle for districts.

“The changes that the OPI sought from the Board of Public Education will remove burdens from school districts and instead provide flexibility so they are focused on teaching and learning,” said Superintendent Arntzen.  “This opens the door to innovation on behalf of our Montana students, and reduces the compliance burden for the schools that serve them.  I thank the Board for listening and taking this positive and constructive action.”

By approving the Federal School District ARP-ESSER Plan as the CSIP for the 2021-2022 school year (ARM 10.55.601(3)), this will allow school districts to have a single plan to meet the demands of continuous improvement of learning for Montana students while providing relief from multiple plans with the same intended outcome. Districts would not be required to submit corrective plans to deviations, as the federal School District ARP-ESSER Plan requires 6-month updates.  As such, where workforce challenges, serving subgroups, and other requirements by the federal government are not met, the updates would appear in the LEA plan. For public school districts declining these funds and private schools that are accredited, the continuous school improvement plans as outlined in ARM 10.55.601(3) is still required.

Additionally, Montana educators have been contacting the OPI requesting license extensions for various reasons relating to the pandemic. Examples include: having to quarantine, taking leave to care for a family member, being out sick themselves, issues taking the Praxis exam, and the demands of asynchronous and synchronous teaching. The OPI’s request for a one-year expiration extension for Montana provisional license holders and third-year internships set to expire on 6/30/2021 addresses:

• Class 5 (3-year provisional license)
• Class 5A (1-year provisional license)
• Third-year internships (internships are issued in one-year intervals for a total of three-years)
  
  

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Contact:

Chris Averill, Communications Director, 406-444-3449