A j o i n t p u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e f o l l o w i n g e d u c a t i o n a d v o c a c y g r o u p s

T h e G r e a t W o r k o f M o n t a n a ’ s

P u b l i c S c h o o l s

V o l u m e I I O c t o b e r 2 0 1 4

The core purpose of publ ic educat ion in Montana

is to fu l ly develop the educat ional potent ia l

of each chi ld served in our publ ic schools.

D E N I S E W I L L I A M SExecutive DirectorMontana Associationof School Business Officialsdwilliams@masbo.com(406) 442-5599

D I A N N E B U R K EExecutive Director

Montana Quality Education Associationdburke@mqec.org

(406) 449-4594

D AV E P U Y E A RExecutive Director Montana Rural Education Associationdpuyear@mrea-mt.org(406) 443-2626

E R I C F E AV E RPresidentMEA-MFT

efeaver@mea-mft.org(406) 442-4250

K I R K M I L L E RExecutive Director

School Administrators of Montanasamkm@sammt.org

(406) 442-2510

L A N C E M E LT O NExecutive Director

Montana School Boards Associationlmelton@mtsba.org

(406) 442-2180

W e a r e u n i t e d b y o u r s h a r e d i n t e r e s t s i n t h e b e s t i n t e r e s t s

o f s t u d e n t s .

I n t r o d u c t i o n a n d E x e c u t i v e S u m m a r y

The Montana Association of School Business Officials (MASBO),

MEA-MFT, Montana Quality Education Coalition (MQEC),

Montana Rural Education Association (MREA), Montana

School Boards Association (MTSBA) and School

Administrators of Montana (SAM) are proud to

collaborate in spreading the word about the

Great Work of Montana’s Public Schools.

We have prepared this information for the use of

parents, state policymakers, our members and the

public at large. Our intent is to identify what we believe to

be the key characteristics that make our public schools

so great. Collectively, we can work to advance, support

and preserve these characteristics into the future, not only

in the 2015 Legislative Session, but every day in each

Montana community!

Learn more at mt-pec.org.

Governed M o n t a n a ’ s p u b l i c s c h o o l s a r e g o v e r n e d b y e l e c t e d t r u s t e e s

Who governs Montana’s Public Schools? Volunteer leaders elected in each community,

over 1,400 people statewide! School board members come from all walks of life and include:

T h e o n e t h i n g t h a t b i n d s t h i s d i v e r s e g r o u p o f v o l u n t e e r l e a d e r s

t o g e t h e r i s t h e i r d e s i r e t o s e r v e t h e i r c o m m u n i t y a n d h e l p p r e p a r e

c h i l d r e n f o r a l i f e t i m e o f s u c c e s s a n d h a p p i n e s s .

BankersFarmers and ranchers

CEOsDoctorsBuilders

HomemakersNonprofit leaders

Healthcareprofessionals

AccountantsLawyers

Small business ownersRetirees

AuntsUncles

MothersFathersFriends

Neighbors

Our constitutional founders got it right when they designed the governance of Montana’s public schools. Our school

districts are generally supervised by the Board of Public Education and funded by the Legislature, but they are also

community owned through elected school boards, which are vested with “supervision and control” of all publicly-

funded K-12 education in Montana.

Additional safeguards employed to ensure each community’s voice in how its schools are governed and run include

the constitutional rights of the public to know, influence and participate in the operations and activities of its public

schools. These constitutional guarantees afforded Montana citizens cannot be replicated in the private sector and

provide an assurance that each community has a voice and a seat at the table when it comes to public education.

Responsive M o n t a n a ’ s p u b l i c s c h o o l sa r e r e s p o n s i v e t o t h e n e e d s o f e a c h c o m m u n i t y

M o n t a n a v o t e r s a f f i r m t h e i r b e l i e f i n t h e v a l u e o f c o m m u n i t y s c h o o l s , w i t h

t w o - t h i r d s o f M o n t a n a v o t e r s g i v i n g t h e i r o w n l o c a l c o m m u n i t y s c h o o l s a g r a d e

o f a n A o r a B .

5 t h

3 r d

Montana’s average 8th grade science score is 163,ranked 1st in the nation

Montana’s average 8th grade reading score is 272, ranked 6th in the nation

Montana’s average 8th grademath score is 289, ranked 6thin the nation

Montana public schools had the second best(lowest) white/Hispanic achievement gap in the nation

Montana public schools had the fifth best (lowest)income- based achievement gap in the nation

Montana's high school drop-out rate has declined for the third time

in four years, yielding the following benefits to

the Montanaeconomy:

High school graduation is important for futuresuccesses and for increased earning potential:

$4.3 million annual

boost toMontana’s economy

$5.1 million

home sales$600,000

automobilesales

*Alliance for Excellent Education

Additional graduates will likely earn an additional $68.2 million during their lifetime,

compared to no high school diploma*.Additional earning equals additional tax revenuesand less reliance on public assistance programs.

This benefits all citizens!

ACT average composite score is 20.5 and is only 0.3 off first place Utah at 20.8

First in the nation for percentage of those takingthe test that met the reading benchmarks

Third in the nation for percentage of those taking the test that met the mathematics benchmark

Fifth in the nation for percentage of those taking the test that met the science and English benchmarks

Montana is one of only 12 states that have accepted the challenge of testing 1 0 0 % of its eligible students on the ACT.

The ACT is the predominant test of college readiness used throughout the nation.

5 t h

Montana Public School performance on the 2013 National Assessment of Education Progress:

M o n t a n a ’ s p u b l i c s c h o o l s a r e e x c e l l e n t

Excellent

*Recent NAEP-TIMSS linking study

Montana’s public school students were found to be the4th best in the world in science6th best in the worldin math *

1 s t

Statewidegraduation rate is up to

8 4 . 4 p e r c e n t#10 in the nation

EfficientM o n t a n a ’ s p u b l i c s c h o o l s a r e e f f i c i e n t

M o n t a n a p u b l i c s c h o o la d m i n i s t r a t o r s t a f f i n gi s e f f e c t i v e a n d e f f i c i e n t :

➤ per superintendent

➤ per principal

➤ per administrator(Superintendents and Principals)

➤ per administrator

1,051 students

327 students

249 students

20.4employees

P e r P u p i lE x p e n d i t u r e s

Ranked29th

$850below national average

Annual Savings of$123 million

to Montana taxpayers each year compared to

national averages

M o n t a n a ’ s p u b l i c s c h o o l s

M o n t a n a ’ s p u b l i c s c h o o l s

Per GraduateE x p e n d i t u r e s *

Ranked38th

$2,204below national average

Graduation represents

the universal benchmark for success of K-12

public education and Montana’s public schools

produce graduates at a cost lower than all

but a handful of statesin the nation.

*Derived from a combination of graduation rates and per pupil

expenditures

M o n t a n a ’ s p u b l i c s c h o o l s

Per CapitaE x p e n d i t u r e s

Ranked41st

$292below national average

SchoolRevenues

Ranked29th

per $1,000 in personal income in the nation

Montana’s costs are:

11.7 employees

Compare to other Montana industries*:

➤ per healthcare administrator

6.5 employees ➤ per construction

manager5.6

employees ➤ per manufacturing manager

* U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics/Educational Research Service

Montana’s costs are:

Montana’s costs are:

Adapting and innovating

Proficiency-based learning options, decoupled from seat time requirements, so that students can learn at their own pace and can accelerate the pace of their learning to match their individual capabilities

Four day school weeks in many communities throughout the state that have embraced the conceptin collaboration with parents and others in the community

International Baccalaureate programs

Distance learning options through the Montana Digital Academy that fully integrate technology and learning and which provide an expansive breadth of curriculum in all participating public schools while retaining community ownership and local control

Advanced Placement

Dual High School/College Credit

Vocational, computer and business classes in addition to college prep classes

Part time enrollment options for home school students

Credit recovery options for students who have fallen behind

M o n t a n a ’ s p u b l i c s c h o o l s a d a p t a n d i n n o v a t e t o a d v a n c e s t u d e n t a c h i e v e m e n t

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It is affirming that Montana voters trust local educators the most when it comes to doing what is right academically for children in our public schools. That trust should come as no surprise as it has been hard earned and preserved through the transparency of Montana’s public schools. Public meetings, public comments, and the right for public participation on each voted item, help make Montana’s public schools transparent, but our public schools do much more than that!

Transparent and trustedM o n t a n a ’s p u b l i c s c h o o l s a r e t r u s t e d a s a r e s u l t o f t r a n s p a r e n c y

M o n t a n a v o t e r s t r u s t l o c a l e d u c a t o r s m o s t t o d o r i g h t b y k i d s i n

o u r p u b l i c s c h o o l s

T r a n s p a r e n t / t ran spe rent/ Adjective• (Of an organization or its activities) open to public scrutiny• Easily perceived, discerned or detected.

“The school d istr ict ’s decis ions are t ransparent as a resul t of the elected school board’s compl iance with the open meet ing laws.”

T r u s t \ ˈ t rəst \ Noun• Belief that someone or something is reliable, good, honest, effective, etc.• Having confidence in the ability, dependability or good intentions or someone or something.

“ I t rust my local ly elected school board because they operate t ransparent ly and because I have a vote in deciding who wi l l serve.”

State Board of Public Education and State Superintendent - 15.1%

Our schools are governed and operated in a manner that not only upholds constitutional guarantees of openness and public participation but which also actively engages communities in fully developing the potential of each student. Montana’s public schools are committed to working hand in hand with and in their communities in creating a bright future for Montana’s children.

T h e K - 1 2 V i s i o n G r o u p - A v i s i o n f o r p u b l i c e d u c a t i o n i n M o n t a n a

WHY ACT AND WHY

NOW?

The Core Purpose of public education in Montana is to fully develop the educational potential of each child served in our public schools.

To improveand broaden public

understanding of thechallenges and opportuni-

ties facing Montana’s public schools and translate that improved understanding

into support for our visionfor public education.

To ensure meaningfulengagement

of communitieswith their

public schools

To ensure our students

are competitive in a globaleconomy

To ensureappropriate curricula and the integrationof technology fora new generation

of learners

All students need to experience a curriculum that provides a clear connection between

successful school completion and subsequent success and satisfaction in life.

To be more responsiveto students’ individual

needs

To create asingle inspiring

vision to help bringfocus to the purposeof public education

in our state

To increasestudent

performancein all of our

public schools

Protection of full phase in of Senate Bill 175, 2013 Legislative Session

Funding of inflation as calculated in law for all general fund elements

Supporting early childhood education through successful implementation of Governor Bullock’s Early Edge Proposal. The K12 Vision Group has specified its intent that funding for Early Edge be in addition to existing categorical funding under Section E of House Bill 2 as adopted by the 2013 Legislature and in addition to funding necessary to accomplish priorities A and B above

Active involvement in the Legisla-ture’s decennial study of the Basic System of Free Quality Schools

Addressing teacher pay disparities documented through the Office of Public Instruction’s TEAMS Data Collection Process

Opposition to school privatization efforts

K-12 VISION GROUPADOPTED PRIORITIES

FOR 2015 LEGISLATUREThe K-12 Vision Group was first formed by key education advocacy groups (including MASBO, MEA-MFT, MQEC, MREA, MTSBA and SAM) in 2011 with a crucial charge of developing a comprehensive vision for the future success of public education in Montana and establish a clear roadmap for getting there.

Comprised of teachers, elected trustees, superintendents,principals and school business officials nominated by their peersfrom across the state of Montana, the K-12 Vision Group hasdeveloped an inspiring vision, aligned with the guarantees afforded Montana citizens under our Constitution, that holdsgreat promise for the future of Montana. A review of the work of the K-12 Vision Group from its inceptionin 2011 through today provides a compelling illustration of whyMontana voters:

• Trust elected trustees, public school teachers and other educators most when it comes to doing what’s right for kids

• Overwhelmingly support public schools and the legislators who support them• Want K-12 public education funding to be prioritized first

when it comes to state budget discussions• Want a well-rounded, quality education or each child in every public school system in the state

Following on the heels of a successful 2013 Legislative Session,the K-12 Vision Group remains united and determined as itcontinues its inspiring work in preparation for the 2015 Legislative Session. See the group’s priorities (right):

K-12 VISION GROUP

SUPPORTMONTANA’S

PUBLIC SCHOOLS

DISCUSS:Talk about K-12 issues with legislators and community members. With your help,

we can inspire K-12 advocates to engage

with policymakers and support our efforts.

ENGAGE: Reach out to

legislators to inform them about

the successes andchallenges of

schoolsin your district.

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The Core Purpose of Montana’s

Public Schools is as set forth in the

Montana Constitution, Article X, Section 1:

“It is the goal of the people to establish

a system of education which will

develop the full educational potential

of each person.”

COREPURPOSE

V i v i d d e s c r i p t i o n s o f o u r e n v i s i o n e d f u t u r e , 2 0 2 5Policymakers at all levels:

Consistently support each community’s ownership of its public schools and each district’s ability to meet student needsSupport the resources needed by Montana’s public schools to fully develop the educational potential of each student educated in Montana’s public schools

Montana’s public school districts are focused, adaptable, innovative, engaging, and driven to help every student succeed by consistently:

Ensuring that public school students’ knowledge and skills match contemporary needsUsing technology to link each student to the world in which they will learn and succeedDesigning, updating and operating in facilities that enhance learning Engaging families, the community and each other to meet the needs of every student Driving the design and use of effective data systems to support and enhance each student’s success

As a result of the support of policymakers and the leadership of Montana’s public school districts, Montana’s public school students:

Think critically and engage as responsible citizensSucceed without regard to circumstances of life that could otherwise interfere in achievement of their full potentialUse the knowledge and skills they develop in Montana’s public schools to succeed in whatever future they choose and wherever they go

Montana’s K-12 public schools work collaboratively with each other, with state policymakers and with their communities to successfully develop the full potential of every child in Montana through a system that is flexible, adequately and rationally funded, and community-owned.

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O u r E n v i s i o n e d F u t u r e - 2 0 2 5

We honor and hold ourselves and others accountable for compliance with all elements of Article X of the Montana Constitution

Shared authority, responsibility and accountability: School districts share authority and responsibility with the state for developing the full educational potential of each student. All are jointly accountable to the public for providing a system of education that is worthy of the goal of the people

Equality of educational opportunity for all

Recognition of and commitment to the preservation of the distinct and unique cultural heritage of American Indians in Montana

O u r T i m e l e s s C o r e V a l u e s•

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O u r V i s i o n f o r S t u d e n t S u c c e s s : I n t e n d e d O u t c o m e , 2 0 1 9

Montana’s public schools have energized and mobilized their communities to rally behind the cause of increased student success in Montana’s public schools over the last five years. The commitment of Montana’s public schools to ensuring public awareness of the essential truths regarding the great work of Montana’s public schools has led to an increased involvement of advocates in communities throughout Montana in helping influence, guide and support the necessary investments to ensure continued gains in student success for every child in Montana’s public schools..

O u r V i s i o n f o r C o m m u n i t y E n g a g e m e n t : I n t e n d e d O u t c o m e , 2 0 1 9

T h e K - 1 2 V i s i o n G r o u p - A r e a s o f f o c u s

Student success in Montana has risen beyond its already impressive levels over the last five years. From a statewide 90% graduation rate and narrowing achievement gaps to increased scores on standardized assessments and enhanced opportunities for dual enrollment, student success is on the rise across Montana. Key factors cited in the new gains in student achievement include:

Enhanced methods of teaching and learning

The successful implementation of formula based funding for early childhood education,leading to wider availability of early childhood education to children across Montana with a corresponding increased school readiness and improved scores on the statewide assess-ment in core subject matters

Enhanced performance evaluation processes adopted in Montana’s public schools for teachers and administrators

Comprehensive educator and parent access to individual student performance data, effective and innovative use of technology and other learning tools

Dramatic increased success in the remediation of students who have dropped out, through a combination of more effective use of adult education programming, access to the Montana Digital Academy for course recovery and other alternative instructional strategies

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O u r V i s i o n f o r G o v e r n a n c e , L e a d e r s h i p a n d A c c o u n t a b i l i t y : I n t e n d e d O u t c o m e , 2 0 1 9Elected school boards, administrative leaders and teachers’ associations have gained a national reputation over the last five years for collabora-tion focused on the interests of every child educated in Montana’s public schools. Relationships that had been previously sidetracked by conflict and contention have transitioned to collaboration-based team approaches to increasing student achievement. This theme of team leadership for increased student achievement is not only apparent locally but is also reflected in the relationships among the public education advocacy groups representing teachers, trustees, administrators and school business officials.

O u r V i s i o n f o r Te a c h i n g a n d L e a r n i n g : I n t e n d e d O u t c o m e , 2 0 1 9The reputation of K-12 Public Education and the value ascribed to community ownership and local control of public education has enjoyed a resurgence in Montana over the last five years. The outcome of the 2013 Legislative Session is commonly cited as the origin of this change, which provided initial and critical steps in reclaiming the concept of accountability as something created and embraced based on the specific needs of students in Montana’s public schools, rather than on the basis of a one-size fits all approach tainted by national politics and Congressional gridlock. Through increased student success, enhanced instruction, collaboration and community engagement, Montana’s public schools have inspired policymakers to enthusiastically support local control.

O u r V i s i o n f o r C u l t u r e , C l i m a t e a n d S o c i a l Va l u e s : I n t e n d e d O u t c o m e , 2 0 1 9Instruction in Montana’s public schools has become more customized and effective than ever before over the last five years. Educators in Montana’s public schools are consistently recognized for availing themselves of the latest research and for the innovative use of technology and other evolving teaching and learning strategies to provide differentiated instruction that makes a difference for every child educated in Montana’s public schools. Equipped with enhanced access to individually actionable, real time student performance data through the statewide K-12 data system, Montana’s educators have made great strides in increasing already impressive levels of student success.

T h e K - 1 2 V i s i o n G r o u p - A r e a s o f f o c u s - c o n t i n u e d

M T - P E C / Z o g b y P o l l R e f l e c t s S t r o n g S u p p o r t f o r P u b l i c S c h o o l s A m o n g M o n t a n a Vo t e r s

Montanans give top ratings to their community schools.When asked to grade their local community public schools, 66.5% of Montana Voters would give their local schools an A or a B.

Montana Voters Overwhelmingly Support Delivery of a Well Rounded Public Education.When asked whether K-12 Public Educa-tion should be well rounded or focus on the basics, 88.8% identified a preference for a well-rounded public education (including gifted and talented, music, art, physical education, technology and advanced placement courses) for Montana students.

Montana Voters Want To See K-12 Public Education Funding Prioritized First In State Budget Discussions.When asked to identify the highest priority among state budget priorities, K-12 public education was mentioned more frequently (54.2%) than any other spending priority.

Montana Voters Trust Educators Most to do right by Students in Montana’s Public Schools. When asked to identify whom they trust most to decide what is best academically for students in Montana public schools, voters ranked teachers (39.6%) and locally elected school boards (27.1%) and school superintendents (9.4%) highest and the U.S. Department of Education (1.6%), and the Legislature and Governor (both at 0.4%) the lowest.

Montanans Oppose Tax Benefits for Private School Tuition. Voters oppose giving tax benefits for tuition at parochial schools by a 54%-41.2% margin. The margin of opposition to tax benefits for tuition at private schools is even more pronounced when queried for private schools without community-elected school boards (opposed, 66.6%-30%) and private schools not subject to open meeting, public document and public participation laws (opposed, 73.6%-21.1%).

Montana Voters Care About Their K-12 Public Education-Related Constitutional Guarantees. An extraordinarily high percentage of Montana Voters identified constitutional guarantees under Article X of the Montana Constitution as either “very” or “somewhat” important to them. Highest marks were given by voters to the guarantees of adequate and equitable funding by the Legislature (93.5%), supervision and control by elected school boards (90.9%) and general supervision and development of educational standards by the Board of Public Education (85.3%).

Montana Voters Believe State and Federal Mandates are Too Burdensome and Detract from Educators’ Needed Focus on Instruction, Interaction with Parents and Keeping the Public Informed. When asked whether mandates imposed by Congress and the State Legislature are too burdensome, too lenient or about right, 57.4% chose “too burdensome.” The results on this question were reinforced by Voters’ answers on related questions, where Voters identified a strong preference for allocating teachers’ and administrators’ time on instruction of students, keeping the public informed and interacting with parents over complying with state and federal mandates.

In September 2014, the Montana Public Education Center released results of a recent poll of Montana voters’ opinions on K-12 Public Education issues. The poll was conducted by respected international polling and research company Zogby Analytics, using industry-standard methodolo-gies with a margin of error of +/-4.5%. The poll results reveal a strong sentiment of support among Montana Voters for K-12 public educationon a wide range of issues. Key results include:

D o M o n t a n a v o t e r s t h i n k p u b l i c e d u c a t i o n s h o u l d b e w e l l r o u n d e d o r b a s i c ?

Well roundededucation88.8%Not sure

1.0%

Basics only10.1%

S t a t e b u d g e t p r i o r i t i e s f o r

M o n t a n a v o t e r s

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70M o n t a n a v o t e r s ’ o p i n i o n s r e g a r d i n g t h e q u a l i t y o f

t h e i r o w n l o c a l c o m m u n i t y p u b l i c s c h o o l s

A and B C

66.5%

21.5%

5.5%

not sure D F5.0% 1.6%

W h o d o M o n t a n a v o t e r s t r u s t t o d o w h a t i s b e s t a c a d e m i c a l l y

f o r s t u d e n t s i np u b l i c s c h o o l s ?

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

0.4% Legislators

0.4% Governor

1.6% U.S. Dept. of Education

2.6% Not Sure

3.7% School Principals

7.4% State Superintendent

7.7% State Board of Public Education

9.4% School Superintendents

27.1% Locally Elected School Boards

39.6% Classroom Teachers

K-12 Public Schools54.2%

Public health and human

services19.5%

Corrections, public safety and law enforcement14.3%

Higher education 6.7%Not sure 5.3%

M o n t a n a v o t e r s s u p p o r t e l e c t e d o f f i c i a l s w h o s u p p o r t i n c r e a s e d f u n d i n g f o r p u b l i c e d u c a t i o n

o v e r t h o s e s u p p o r t i n g a d e c r e a s e o r f r e e z ei n p u b l i c e d u c a t i o n s p e n d i n g

Supportselected officials

who support increased K-12

public education funding60.9%

One who supports decreasing or freezing spending in K-12 public education15.5%

Not sure 4.6%

Position of elected official on this issue does not matter

19.1%

M o n t a n a v o t e r s ’ o p i n i o n s r e g a r d i n g i m p o r t a n c e o f c o n s t i t u t i o n a l g u a r a n t e e s

0 20 40 60 80 100

Prohibition on director or indirect aid for parochial schools

Preservation of cultural heritage of American Indian Peoples and Tribes

Prohibition on discrimination on account of sex, race, creed, religion, political beliefs

General supervision of public education and development of standards

Supervision and control of public education by locally elected school boards

Adequate and equitable funding of public schools by the Legislature

56.2%

73.4%

82.0%

85.3%

90.9%

93.5%

Percent identifying very or somewhat important

M o n t a n a v o t e r s ’ o p i n i o n s o ns t a t e a n d f e d e r a l m a n d a t e s

Tooburdensome

57.4%

About right26.1%

Not sure 10.3%

Too lenient 6.1%

M o n t a n a v o t e r s s u p p o r t e l e c t e d o f f i c i a l s w h o s u p p o r t i m p r o v e m e n t a n d i n n o v a t i o n i n p u b l i c

e d u c a t i o n o v e r e l e c t e d o f f i c i a l s s u p p o r t i n g p u b l i c f u n d i n g o f p r i v a t e s c h o o l a l t e r n a t i v e s

t o o u r p u b l i c s c h o o l s

One who supports improvement and

innovationin public

education69.3%

One who supports provid-ing taxpayer funding of

private school alternatives to the public schools

18.9%

Not sure

1.9%

Position of elected officialon this issues does not matter to me

9.9%

M o n t a n a v o t e r s ’ o p i n i o n s o n t a x

b e n e f i t s f o r t u i t i o n a t p r i v a t e

s c h o o l s n o ts u b j e c t t o o p e n m e e t i n g , p u b l i c d o c u m e n t a n d

p u b l i c i n p u t l a w s

Oppose73.6%

Support21.1%

Not sure 5.4%

M o n t a n a v o t e r s ’ o p i n i o n s o n t a x b e n e f i t sf o r t u i t i o n a t p r i v a t e s c h o o l s w i t h o u t

c o m m u n i t y e l e c t e d s c h o o l b o a r d s

Oppose66.6%

Support30.0%

Not sure 3.4%

M o n t a n a v o t e r s ’ o p i n i o n s o n t a x b e n e f i t sf o r t u i t i o n a t r e l i g i o u s s c h o o l s

Not sure 4.8%

Support41.2%

Oppose54.0%

M o n t a n a v o t e r s ’ p r e f e r r e d u s e s o f c l a s s r o o m t e a c h e r ’ s t i m e

M o n t a n a v o t e r s ’ p r e f e r r e d u s e so f s c h o o l a d m i n i s t r a t o r s t i m e

Keeping the public informed regarding

the programs, services

andperfor-mance of thepublic

schools

Interacting with parents

Regulating student conduct

Instruction of students

Interacting with

parents

Preparing students

for standard-

ized teaching

Complying with state

and federal mandates and data

and record keeping

obligations under state

law

0

20

40

60

80

100

85.5%

63.1%59.8%

36.0%

Improving the teacher’s

knowledgeand instruc-tional skills

21.8%

2.5%Not sure 0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80Providing structural oversight, guidanceand evaluation of classroom76.4%

69.2% 67.8%

58.1%

38.8%

Complying with state

and federal mandates and data

and record keeping

obligations under state

law

Not sure

1.9%

The Montana Constitution

provides enforceable

constitutional guarantees

that substantially benefit

all Montana Citizens.

Will devotethemselves

to developing the full educational

potential of each student

Will provide equality of

educational opportunity to

each child

Will be adequately and equitably funded by the Legislature

Will be generally supervised by an

appointed board of public education

Will be governed by local trustees, subject to popular election in each

community

Will preserve the distinct and unique cultural heritage of American Indian Peoples and Tribes

Will afford citizens a right to attend and participate in deci-sions of the school board and access public documents

Will protect the privacy interests of students

Will be nonsectarian and otherwise free from discrimination on account of sex,

race, creed, religion, political beliefs, or

national originLearn more at mt-pec.org.

MTSBA863 Great Northern BlvdSuite 301Helena, MT 59601

The core purpose of publ ic educat ion in Montana is to fu l ly develop the educat ional potent ia l of each chi ld served in our publ ic schools.

T h e G r e a t W o r k o f M o n t a n a ’ sP u b l i c S c h o o l s

V o l u m e I I O c t o b e r 2 0 1 4

Learn more at mt-pec.org.