Superintendent Arntzen Announces Perkins V Parent Steering Committee Membership

• October 03 2023

HELENA – Superintendent Arntzen has chosen five Montana parents to serve on the Perkins V Parent Steering Committee. The purpose of the steering committee is to help implement the federal Perkins V state plan for career and technical education (CTE). The Office of Public Instruction (OPI) opened applications on September 13, 2023, and received 13 applications. The five member steering committee members are:

• Brittani Hunter, a high school parent and Laurel School District Trustee from Laurel, MT
• Ben Meyer, an elementary and high school parent representing business and industry from Stevensville, MT
• Abe Wing, an elementary school parent and teacher from Polson, MT
• Shanell Marshall, a high school parent representing business and industry from Helena, MT
• Bobbi Klingaman, an elementary, middle, and high school parent representing business and industry and Tribal communities from Harlem, MT

“Parent voices should be heard and considered in our education system,” said Superintendent Elsie Arntzen. “The Perkins Career and Technical Education steering committee is an extra step at the state level to ensure that Montana parents and community are represented in Career and Technical Education. I appreciate all of the parents that applied to be a member of this committee. Thank you for putting our Montana students first.”

Perkins V, or the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21^st Century Act, is the fifth iteration of Carl D. Perkins. The purpose of this Act is to fully develop the technical and employability skills of secondary and post-secondary education students. During the 2022-2023 school year, the Office of Public Instruction (OPI) allocated $3.2 million to 147 Montana schools. Click here to view the 2024 Montana Perkins State Plan Timeline.