State of Montana Newsroom
Superintendent Elsie Arntzen Hires IDEA Fiscal & Reporting Manager, Danni McCarthy, as State Special Education Director
HELENA – Superintendent Elsie Arntzen has hired Danni McCarthy 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 is comprised of School Improvement, Continuing Education and Technical Assistance, Early Childhood Education, Data Systems and Reporting, Stipend Programs, Dispute Resolution, and the Early Assistance Program.
Students with disabilities make up 14% of our total student population, over 21,100 students from ages 3-21. Many of these students are enrolled in rural public schools and are served by 21 special education cooperatives. Cooperatives provide related services and traveling special education teachers. The cooperatives help alleviate some of the special education and related services expenses.
“Danni McCarthy’s experiences as a teacher and throughout her tenure in OPI’s Special Education Unit has made her uniquely qualified to take on the role of State Special Education Director,” said Superintendent Elsie Arntzen. “I know that Danni’s approach to serving special education students will reflect my Montana Hope initiative, which focuses on the whole child approach to learning.”
“Our students with disabilities are my number one priority,” said Danni McCarthy. “I look forward to working with our school districts, cooperatives, parents, and other stakeholders to achieve positive outcomes for our students in Montana.”
Danni graduated from Carroll College with a degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Special Education. She graduated from Northwest Nazarene University with her Education Specialist Degree in Educational Leadership. Danni comes into this job with 20 years of experience in the field of special education. She was a special education teacher for 7 years and has been with OPI’s special education unit for 13 years in various roles, most recently as the fiscal and reporting manager.
For more information, please contact Patrick Cates, Student Support Services Senior Manager at patrick.cates@mt.gov or 406-594-9993.
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