State of Montana Newsroom
Superintendent Arntzen Begins Implementation of the Required School Board Trustee Repository
HELENA - Superintendent Arntzen is opening an online portal for school districts to provide current information about their school board trustees as directed in HB 811, sponsored by Representative Marta Bertoglio. The required information collected will be available on October 1, 2023, on the front page of the Office of Public Instruction’s (OPI) website. The purpose of the new repository is to enhance public awareness and involvement in school district governance.
The school trustee repository must include:
- a list of current trustees, including the terms the trustees are serving and, if applicable, the trustee’s district;
- contact information for current trustees;
- if the board of trustees maintains a website, a link to the website; and
- contact information for the school district clerk.
According to § 20-3-307, MCA, information is required to be updated within 14 days following the qualification and oathtaking of a newly elected trustee or for the filling of a vacancy on the board.
“This is about government transparency,” said Superintendent Elsie Arntzen, “Access to locally elected school board trustees should not be confined to three minutes at the microphone once a month in a school board meeting. This new legal repository reflects my Montana Hope initiative, which includes family and community engagement to promote a partnership for our children’s education.”
The repository is a collaborative effort between OPI and school districts for Montana communities. The portal for data entry will be available to school clerks on September 15, 2023.
For more information, contact Barb Quinn, Financial Manager in School Finance, at barbara.quinn@mt.gov, 406-444-3249.
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