Superintendent Elsie Arntzen Hires Butte Central High School Principal JP Williams as State Special Education Director

• Brian O'Leary
• March 25 2022

HELENA – Superintendent Elsie Arntzen hired JP Williams as the Office of Public Instruction’s (OPI) State Special Education (SPED) Director. The SPED Director is responsible for managing the OPI’s special education unit, which serves 19,156 students between 3 and 21 years old. Special education students account for 13.2% of the total student population in Montana.

Students attend Montana public schools, private schools, and special education cooperatives. There are 21 cooperatives in Montana that serve rural students with disabilities. Cooperatives are made up of the public school districts within the cooperative’s boundaries, which help alleviate funding restrictions and special education teacher recruitment and retention issues. There are 1,098 teachers with a special education endorsement in Montana classrooms.

“JP Williams has the range of knowledge and skills necessary to lead our Special Education Unit,” said Superintendent Elsie Arntzen. “The leadership under JP and our team at the OPI will aid in the partnership of parents and teachers supporting all of our students’ abilities.”

“I am very excited to help Superintendent Arntzen and Governor Gianforte lead Montana educators through the recovery from the pandemic,” said JP Williams. “I believe there will be an immediate improvement at OPI and for all educators and school leaders in Montana. I want to celebrate student and teacher success.  When it comes to helping schools and families in Montana, you better believe I'm going for the win.”

JP Williams has been in school leadership for 10 years and is in his 17^th year as a professional educator. Currently, JP serves as the Principal of Butte Central High School in Butte, Montana. His focus has been on developing the Public/Private educational partnership at the state level with OPI and the Governor’s office. JP also served as the Chairman of the Office of Public Instruction Special Education Advisory Committee in the 2020-2021 school year. Now in his fourth year of service to the committee, JP continues to serve as a member of the OPI Montana School Safety Advisory Committee and is deeply committed to youth advocacy across Montana. JP believes every student, in every classroom, deserves every opportunity to learn.    

For more information, please contact Jessie Counts, Student Support Services Senior Manager, at jessica.counts@mt.govor (406) 444-4706.

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