Education

signed · Montana · Senate May 16, 2025

SB 350: Revise participation in extracurricular activities

SB 350 revises Montana's education laws concerning extracurricular participation for home school students. The bill allows school districts or athletic organizations to restrict a home school student's ability to participate in extracurricular activities if that student is not a United States citizen or not a resident of Montana. Previously, such restrictions were generally prohibited solely based on the student's home school enrollment. All other existing rules, such as home school students meeting the same participation standards as full-time students, remain in effect.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationRestricts homeschool students' extracurricular access based on citizenship/residency, limiting educational participation for a specific group.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Education

signed · Montana · Senate May 13, 2025

SB 182: Generally revise MT Indian language preservation program

SB 182 revises the Montana Indian language preservation program to strengthen the state's commitment to preserving American Indian cultural integrity and languages. The bill provides greater flexibility for Montana tribes to partner with various educational entities, including public, nonpublic, and tribal schools, and postsecondary institutions. It encourages integrating program efforts with school district immersion programs and emphasizes collaborative professional development and the use of existing tribal language materials. The Office of Public Instruction administers the program, distributing funds equally to participating tribal governments who submit applications detailing their language preservation strategies.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill integrates language preservation with school curricula and partnerships, enhancing educational access and cultural curriculum in K-12 and higher ed through tribal-school collaborations.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

vetoed · Montana · House May 13, 2025

HB 462: Encourage academic excellence through high-quality instructional materials

HB 462 aimed to enhance academic excellence by revising education laws related to curriculum and instruction. It would have established a process for the Superintendent of Public Instruction, in collaboration with a committee and an external nonprofit partner, to identify and recommend high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) during content standard revisions. Contingent on legislative funding, the bill would have provided reduced-cost access to these recommended HQIM and aligned professional development for school districts choosing to adopt them. This initiative sought to support teachers and improve curriculum for students across the state.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill establishes process to identify/recommend high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) and provides reduced-cost access, directly enhancing curriculum quality and educational access per topic description.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Education

Track

signed · Montana · House May 13, 2025

HB 567: Revise education laws related to multidistrict agreements

HB 567 revises education laws to increase flexibility for school districts to enter into "multidistrict agreements" for jointly funding and operating programs and services. These agreements allow two or more districts to share resources, staff, and services, and can now include private entities. Beginning in 2027, the bill offers a 50% increase in the total quality educator payment to school districts that establish comprehensive countywide multidistrict agreements encompassing all districts in a county. The aim is to enhance efficiency and resource sharing among districts across various functions like administration, instruction, and special education, without increasing local taxes.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill increases state funding via 50% educator payment boost for districts with countywide agreements, directly advancing school finance within state budget allocations.92% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill provides 50% increased funding for districts with countywide agreements, enhancing resource sharing and educator support through expanded multidistrict collaboration.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Montana · Senate May 13, 2025

SB 181: Generally revise Indian education for all laws

SB 181 generally revises Montana's Indian Education for All laws to strengthen the state's commitment to preserving American Indian cultural integrity. The bill requires all certified school personnel and students to receive instruction in American Indian studies, emphasizing tribal consultation and the use of Indian language and cultural specialists. It places additional accountability and reporting requirements on the Board of Public Education, the Office of Public Instruction, and school districts, particularly regarding the financial oversight of state funds for these programs. This legislation aims to improve the delivery and accountability of American Indian education across Montana's public education system.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationRequires all school staff/students to receive American Indian studies instruction, strengthening cultural curriculum integration and accountability per bill summary.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Montana · Senate May 13, 2025

SB 278: Revise education laws to support advanced opportunities

SB 278 revises education laws to enhance "advanced opportunities" for qualifying students in grades 6-12. The bill establishes and defines "Advanced Opportunity Facilitators" to coordinate learning opportunities between school districts, students, families, and external organizations. School districts employing these facilitators can use a portion of their existing Advanced Opportunity Aid to pay them and receive additional Quality Educator Payments for these positions. This aims to support individualized pathways for career and postsecondary educational success for students.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationEstablishes Advanced Opportunity Facilitators, uses existing aid + adds payments to expand access for grades 6-12, directly enhancing educational opportunities.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Education

vetoed · Montana · Senate May 12, 2025

SB 258: Revise school funding laws to clarify the legislature's authority related to inflationary adjustments

SB 258 clarifies the state legislature's authority regarding how public school funding is adjusted for inflation. It amends existing law that outlines how the Superintendent of Public Instruction calculates an annual inflation factor for various school entitlements, which is capped at 3%. This bill explicitly states that the legislature can, through its appropriation and lawmaking authority, provide inflationary adjustments that differ from these standard calculations and may exceed the 3% cap. This affects the financial resources allocated to public schools across the state.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationRemoves 3% cap on inflation adjustments, enabling potential increases in school funding authority per legislative discretion.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Education

Track

signed · Montana · Senate May 8, 2025

SB 486: Revise equal opportunity education savings account funding

SB 486 revises the funding mechanism for the Montana Special Needs Equal Opportunity Education Savings Account program. Currently, resident school districts are required to remit a portion of their state education aid to the Office of Public Instruction (OPI) for students participating in the program. This bill allows a school district to elect to have the OPI pay this remittance amount in the first year a student participates in the program within that district. If this option is chosen, the OPI will later reduce the school district's state aid payment by the initial amount, adjusted for inflation, once the student is no longer participating in the program in that district.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill revises funding mechanism to facilitate participation in special needs education savings accounts, expanding access for students with disabilities within school finance framework.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Montana · Senate May 8, 2025

SB 245: Provide for human trafficking awareness training for school bus drivers

Senate Bill 245 requires school bus drivers to complete a specialized training course focused on recognizing and identifying signs of human trafficking. The Office of Public Instruction (OPI) is directed to make these transportation industry-specific training materials available to drivers at no cost. The OPI must source these materials from organizations that have developed free, publicly available resources specifically for school bus drivers. This bill aims to equip school bus drivers with the knowledge to report concerns to appropriate authorities, thereby contributing to child sex trafficking prevention efforts.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates trafficking training for school bus drivers (part of school operations) to protect students, enhancing school safety within education context.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Montana · Senate May 8, 2025

SB 412: Provide for fee waivers of government documents to former foster children

Senate Bill 412 provides fee waivers for certain government documents for individuals who were formerly in foster care and are under 21 years of age. This includes fees for certified birth certificates, driver's licenses, state identification cards, and replacement licenses. Fees for university academic transcripts are also waived, with the Department of Public Health and Human Services authorized to seek federal funds to reimburse the institutions. Individuals can provide an oral attestation to prove eligibility for these waivers.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationWaives university transcript fees for former foster youth, enhancing higher education access as part of educational support for vulnerable students.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education