Superintendent Arntzen Opens Teacher Incentive Program Applications Through December 1

• Brian O'Leary
• October 01 2024

HELENA – Superintendent Arntzen has opened applications for the Teacher Incentive Program, better known as the TEACH Act, through December 1, 2024, per § 20-9-324(3), MCA. The Teach Act was established during the 2021 legislative session to incentivize and enhance competitive base pay for early-career teachers. The 2024-2025 school year will be the fourth year for the TEACH Act. Districts must submit separate applications for each school, or Legal Entity, applying for the program.

“Montana is ranked amongst the lowest starting salaries for teacher pay in the country,” said Superintendent Elsie Arntzen. “The Teacher Incentive Program helps Montana schools become more competitive when recruiting teachers in the first three years of their careers. More must be done to heal the divide between teacher pay and administrator pay, including lowering the cost of licenses for our hard-working teachers.”

Districts must complete the application for the Teacher Incentive Program funding to demonstrate:

• 2nd and 3rd class districts: Base pay equal to 10 times the Quality Educator Component amount for the application year.
• 1st class districts: Base pay requirements above and base pay not less than 70% of average teacher pay.

Districts must identify educators in the first three years of the educator’s teaching career and hold a class 1,2,4,5,6 or 7 license. Principals and superintendents should ensure that all teacher licenses are up to date before applying. All licensing and verifications must be complete by the December 1, 2024 deadline. If the district is eligible, additional instructions will be sent to the applicant via email.

There will be a virtual training session for districts on October 8, 2024, at 10:00 AM via Zoom.

If you have questions, or for more information, please contact Laci Novark at (406) 444-4401, or Autumn Belmont at (406) 444-9852, or contact the Office of Public Instruction School Finance Unit at opischoolfinance@mt.gov.