State of Montana Newsroom
Superintendent Arntzen Announces 20 Participants in the Teacher Residency Demonstration Project
HELENA – Superintendent Elsie Arntzen is proud to announce that 20 teacher residents have been placed in 12 Montana school districts for the 2022-2023 school year. The residents are part of the first Teacher Residency Demonstration Project. The resident program is a one-year paid student teaching experience during the fourth year of undergraduate studies for education majors. Residents will be paired with a teacher-leader, and receive a stipend, district-provided housing, and partial tuition support. Resident teachers will also commit to teaching in a Montana school district for a minimum of two years.
The 12 participating school districts are:
- Cayuse Prairie K-8 District
- Victor K-12 District
- Trout Creek K-8 District
- Sunset Elementary District
- Woodman Elementary District
- Lodge Grass K-12
- Wyola K-8
- Pryor K-12
- Poplar K-12
- Browning K-12
- Frontier Elementary District
- Great Falls Public Schools
Of the 20 residents, 18 are students at the University of Montana Western and two are students at the University of Montana.
“The residency program is another one of my innovative solutions for filling our Montana classrooms with quality educators,” said Superintendent Elsie Arntzen, “Our students benefit from teachers who have a foundation in the community they serve. I am very appreciative of our 12 Montana school districts that are hosting these teacher residents.”
The residents receive a $14,000 stipend from the Office of Public Instruction’s (OPI) Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds that were set aside for workforce redesign. A partial tuition waiver of up to $3,000 is also available to residents that are not already receiving full tuition support. The Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education is also providing tuition waivers to residents that qualify. The teacher-leaders that work daily with each resident will receive a $6,000 stipend. Teacher-leaders participated in OPI’s first Teacher Leader Academy.
The Comprehensive Center Network will be providing an ongoing evaluation of the Residency Demonstration Project.
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