State of Montana Newsroom
Superintendent Arntzen Seeks Parent Feedback on Education Savings Account
HELENA – Superintendent Arntzen is asking Montana parents and families to fill out a short Education Savings Account (ESA) Family Interest Survey to help the Office of Public Instruction understand how many families may be interested in applying for the ESA program. During the 2023 legislative session, HB 393 was passed to establish a Montana Special Needs Equal Opportunity Education Savings Account Program to provide flexibility for parents in their child’s education.
“As the daughter of a special education teacher, I understand the importance of providing personalized learning opportunities to children of all abilities,” said Superintendent Elsie Arntzen. “The Education Savings Account is another tool Montana parents and families can use to help their students achieve academic success. This innovative program reflects Montana’s constitutional promise of providing educational excellence to all.”
Qualified students are those identified as a "child with a disability" under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), 20 U.S.C 1400, et seq, and may be eligible for reimbursement of allowable education expenses. To qualify, students must meet eligibility requirements and would not be enrolled in a Montana public school during the 2024-2025 school year. In Montana, there are over 21,000 children between the ages of 3 and 21 who receive special education services, which is about 14% of the student population.
The federal IDEA covers 14 disabilities:
- autism
- deaf-blindness
- deafness
- emotional disturbance
- hearing impairment
- intellectual disability
- multiple disabilities
- orthopedic impairment
- other health impairment
- specific learning disability
- speech or language impairment
- traumatic brain injury
- visual impairment
- developmental delay