Superintendent Arntzen Reports that Montana DRIVE has Concluded

• Brian O'Leary
• September 06 2023

HELENA – Montana DRIVE just wrapped up its 44^th consecutive year of advanced driving courses. More than 500 people from Montana and Wyoming attended workshops this summer. Many school bus drivers attended the training, earning 10 of their required 15 hours of annual training. There were also 14 Montana driving instructors who attended the course, receiving 9 renewal hours for the 60 that are required every 5 years.

The Office of Public Instruction is happy to report that 9 new bus drivers attended this summer’s sessions, and 100% were successful in passing the course and obtaining their CDL. That means 9 more bus drivers for Montana’s students. Thank you to the following districts who participated in this summer’s CDL courses:

• Box Elder,
• Dutton Brady,
• Ignatius,
• Bainville,
• Denton, and
• Roundup.

“It’s a wrap for 2023 Montana Drive,” stated Superintendent Elsie Arntzen, “I appreciate the community of Lewistown for hosting our Montana Drive participants. We now have more bus drivers trained to safely shepherd our students to school. This is a win!”

There are 2,191 total bus routes in the State. The longest route in the state is Route 16 in Big Horn County at 226 miles a day or 113 miles each way. ARM Chapter 10 Subsection 7 contains the Board of Public Education’s rules on pupil transportation regulation.