Every dollar helps your family, friends and neighbors access reliable, relevant local reporting. OPI State Assessment Director Ashley McGrath also briefed the board Wednesday on the results of statewide standardized testing conducted in K-12 schools this year. nonprofits, both domestic and international. Madalyn Quinlan worked at OPI for 27 years and served as chief of staff to three state superintendents prior to her appointment to the Board of Public Education in 2019. Support news by Montanans for Montanans. 406-444-3083. time, you can find her hiking, fly fishing, or listening to a podcast. to destigmatizing mental healthcare and increasing education opportunities for behavioral Most recently, Brian worked as a staff assistant in the Helena office for Senator Steve Daines. Sign up for our free daily newsletter to get unbiased, independent Montana news sent directly to you. Project Coordinatornatalee.wheeler@montana.edu406-994-6858Room 309 Culbertson Hall. Natalie earned her Bachelors of Science in Community Montana Migrant Education Program. The changes to licensure requirements, which include a proposed reduction in the years of experience required for teachers to get licensed in Montana, are now slated to come before the board in January 2022. Muir began working at OPI in 2012 under then-Superintendent Denise Juneau. Jenna brings a history of being actively involved in Montanas education system and advocacy on behalf of parents and children. Allen emphasized that OPI has experienced significant challenges in recruiting candidates to certain vacant positions. Contact your agency IT staff to make changes to the following telephone listings. Sign up for theCapitolizednewsletter and stay up-to-date on the latest legislative developments during the session. But their numbers continue to dwindle and the burdens continue to grow, he said. This story was updated Nov. 9, 2021, to correct details of Patty Muirs work at OPI. Box 202501 Helena, Montana 59620-2501 In-State Toll-Free 1.888.231.9393, Local (406) 444.3095. Schools can access regularly updated ESSER resources, including guidance and information on weekly Q&A sessions, on the OPIs website at: http://opi.mt.gov/COVID-19-Information/ESSER. She moved to Bozeman to attend And as a result, the kids are going to go without a computer that they might have had available to them, or without a quality teacher that could have otherwise instructed and helped that school district meet the needs of kids.. The board will likely get its first look at revisions to the standards applied to college prep programs in March 2022. In fact, the board has requested a staffing report from the agency at least once recently, she said, to get an idea of what specific positions at OPI were unstaffed. Now more than ever, Montana needs quality local, independent journalism. Asked about criticism that her administration had micromanaged or condescended to past employees, Arntzen said her office has always been open and willing to listen and takes feedback, both positive and negative, not personally but under advisement. Her goal, she said, is to make government better and to make serving our schools and our children better. Arntzen did not address the criticism of her tenure directly, but said she knows that employees who have left the agency had education in their heart and I wish them the best.. A Thanksgiving message from the Montana State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Josh has previous public facilities to meet meaningful use requirements. We cant compete financially, Allen said. Miller reminded the board that he had requested its assistance in September to promote public messaging about the academic, social and economic importance of Montana public schools. I realized my input was not wanted or appreciated or even going to be solicited at all, no matter what the topic, Granberry said. Executive Assistant/Deputy Communications Director. OPIs legal division informed MTFP via email that the agency began compiling the termination report data in January 2017, when Arntzen began her first term as head of the agency. office, you can find her hiking, skiing, trail running, camping, or traveling somewhere Prior to this Jack was the Assistant Title I Director and Unit Manager for the School Support Unit at OPI working with at-risk districts. In 2020, Sara completed her Master of Public Health (MPH) Natalee grew up in rural northwestern Montana and graduated from Montana State University the Montana American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) Chapter, and is a National Home of the Rams. Superintendent of Public Instruction Else Arntzen speaks at a parental rights rally at the state Capitol on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021. Given the pandemic-induced constraints on the construction industry, Melton said, incorrect guidance or lags in confirming that a classroom renovation or new facility qualifies for certain funding can stymie a project. Contact the General Information line at 406-444-2511 with any questions. working on campus in 2006. Welcome to the Directory of Montana Schools. The OPI staff administer a number of federally funded programs and provide a variety of information services, including the information systems necessary to assess student achievement and the quality of Montana's elementary and secondary school systems. Our students are our most precious resource and the future of this great state. In addition to public K-12 schools, OPIs accreditation division monitors educator preparation programs at Montana colleges and universities for compliance with state standards. Box 202501 Helena, Montana 59620-2501 (406) 444.3680 OPISupt@mt.gov Georgetown Universitys Urban Educational Leadership certificate was completed in 2015. Arntzen later denounced the comment, and the attendee, Missoula attorney Quentin Rhoades, apologized for the remark. Kailyn is a Montana State University alumna, earning both a Bachelor of Science in Jake Kaminetzky grew up in Shoreline, WA and attended Montana State University, graduating SUPERINTENDENT'S OFFICE. According to McGrath, 91% of Montana students in grades 3-8 participated in standardized math testing, with 36% testing as proficient. Alex Sakariassen is a 2008 graduate of the University of Montana's School of Journalism, where he worked for four years at the Montana Kaimin student newspaper and cut his journalistic teeth as a paid news intern for the Choteau Acantha for two summers. More by Alex Sakariassen. Unbiased, unflinching journalism is critical to our democracy. this wonderful group affords Michal time to pursue outside interests which include When she's not working, Greta enjoys skiing, mountain biking, in 2013 and became a Master in Public Administration nine years later. If the answers no, where that things right in front of you and you can grab it or not based upon the answer, and that no is incorrect, youve lost an opportunity, Melton said. What we pay at about $79,000 is somewhere around $40,000 below the market right now.. Assistant Director of Montana Area Health Education Center & Workforce cindra.stahl@montana.edu (406) 994-6499 Bozeman Health Highland Park 5 Ste 5230 Cindra works extensively on Healthcare Workforce issues, serving as facilitator for the Montana Healthcare Workforce Advisory Committee. Two of those employees cited Arntzens management style as a primary reason for accelerating their retirement plans. Sign up for theCapitolizednewsletter and stay up-to-date on the latest legislative developments during the session. During his public comment before the board Wednesday, Parman put the vacancy issue into context, explaining that members of Montanas public education system have experienced increasing difficulty getting timely responses from the agency. Taking care of the financial activity of The overarching concern is having a reasonable expectation of getting timely, accurate and helpful technical assistance from the Office of Public Instruction, and this appears to be no longer possible.. health efforts. Roosevelt Middle School She provides overall grant management for the Montana Office of Rural Health and oversees new! She added that while individuals may have left the agency, she believes their knowledge has been passed on to remaining staff in their former divisions, which she noted she has renamed units.. The outcomes of our work are very much dependent upon the quality and also the quantity of the people that are working at OPI, Lacey said. Two departures were attributed to employee deaths. She added that 14.76 of the vacant FTEs are currently at varying stages of the recruitment process for new hires. His spouse, Christy, previously worked at OPI and is now an instructional coach at Helena Middle School where one of their children attends. The Montana Board of Public Education (BPE) at their Nov. 17 meeting rejected a proposal by the Office of Public Instruction (OPI) to strike student-to-staff ratios for counselors, librarians and . The CFPA led by MORH/AHEC works to build academic, clinical, and community with her family. Over the past 10 months, there has been a growing clamor among school leaders and business officials, which today is at a fever pitch. Health Education from Montana State University and her Masters of Public Health from Since January 2017, the state Office of Public Instruction has experienced a remarkable amount of staff turnover at all levels of the agency. The Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) is charged with the responsibility of providing technical assistance in: The OPI staff administer a number of federally funded programs and provide a variety of information services, including the information systems necessary to assess student achievement and the quality of Montanas elementary and secondary school systems. of Washington. in Political Science from MSU in 2012. OPI has an additional 20.5 modified positions that are tied to various grants, as well as 27.5 so-called proprietary positions that work in multiple areas of the agency, such as budget analysts and grant coordinators. Department of Labor Contact information; Walt Sullivan Building 1315 Lockey Avenue Helena, MT 59601: INFORMATION DESK: 444-2840: AUTOMATED LISTINGS: 444-3555 Granberry started at OPI in September 1989, serving as a division director for more than 20 years before assuming the assistant superintendent of education services post in August 2016. Sara coordinates the Office of Rural Healths Community Health Service Development (CHSD), which compliments her passion for improving access to quality health care in rural Lacey said the agenda item was not due to any specific concerns on the part of the board, but she noted that she has heard from people in educational circles that theyve been unsure who at OPI to contact with questions, since the employees theyre accustomed to talking to are no longer there. His background includes 10+ years in education law, including as legal counsel for the Montana Board of Public Education, at the U.S. Department of Education headquarters, and with the Montana School Boards Association. As of Nov. 5, the accreditation division was down to one staff member, with three other positions, including accreditation administrator, vacant. According to records recently obtained by Montana Free Press, 180 employees have left OPI in the past five years a turnover rate of nearly 90%. Maie Lee Jones is a Cuban-Jamaican-American citizen, competent professional, and polyglot with a broad set of skills. The report also noted a high vacancy rate at OPI, which it said makes compliance with federal regulations difficult. Jack has served as President of NAESPA, and he is currently serving as the Past-President. Senator Steve Daines and U.S. Representative Matt Rosendale, who wrote to USED Secretary Miguel Cardona urging him to approve the proposal in separate letters (Daines letter; Rosendale letter). The ARP Act represents the third round of funding to come through the Elementary & Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) fund. Thank you for supporting Montana Free Press and being a part of our community. Working for Montana Community Health Support Network, the Community Health Worker Program, the Behavioral Health Training Program, and the Montana Family Support Program. Sydney is a Bozeman, Montana native and MSU alumna. Anna has spent the last 10 years in Helena. and holds a Master of Public Health Health Systems, Management, and Policy from About the OPI; Education Advocates; MASS Resources; OPI Email Communication; OPI Monthly Compass; OPI Navigator; OPI Productions; Subscribe to OPI Emails directory information for just a single county, we strongly recommend going here for the most up-to-date and accurate information. MISSOULA Montana's Board of Public Education was briefed about staff vacancies and recruitment challenges by Office of Public Instruction Deputy Superintendent Sharyl Allen Thursday. She received her B.A. MBA and MS in Audiology from the University of New Mexico. in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Community Health. at the office including task force work, health equity training, and the Health Equity contact information for Montana OPI Employees; OFFICE OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION . STATE OF MONTANA DIRECTORY Directory.MT.GOV State Directory Agencies Agencies AGENCY TELEPHONE LISTINGS Find key state employees in these agency listings by clicking on the agency name that the employee works for. Opponents of her reelection campaign, including Democratic challenger Melissa Romano, claimed that OPI had suffered a staggering loss of veteran employees under Arntzens leadership and that some vacated positions had remained unfilled for months. and earned her Bachelor of Science from MSU in Anthropology in 2014. Questions and concerns regarding this publication should be directed to: P.O. at the University of Montana. A bill under consideration by the Montana Legislature aims to ease the burden of rental application fees on apartment-seeking Montanans by specifying that landlords and property management companies must reimburse unsuccessful applicants for any fees not used for specific expenses like credit checks. The number sheds new light on criticism and concern about loss of expertise at the agency charged with overseeing Montanas public school system. Despite being less than one page long, proponents and opponents testified Tuesday that Senate Bill 154 would have a profound impact on the states reproductive rights landscape by explicitly exempting the right to an abortion from the Montana Constitutions clause enshrining the right to privacy. underserved Colorado. Contact your agency IT staff to make changes to the following telephone listings. with Full Honors in Political Science, Economics, and Liberal Studies with Minors was a National Rural Health Association (NRHA) Rural Health Fellow, and received the All of this stuff is highly detailed, Quinlan said. MSU starting in 1991 in the accounting office of the MSU Bookstore. Sara enjoys running, skiing, hiking, reading, and cooking Community involvement and pride were firmly instilled by parents who valued work ethic, family, music, and God. A bill under consideration by the Montana Legislature aims to ease the burden of rental application fees on apartment-seeking Montanans by specifying that landlords and property management companies must reimburse unsuccessful applicants for any fees not used for specific expenses like credit checks. HELENA - As required by the Biden Administration's U.S. Department of Education (USED), the Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) yesterday submitted its State Plan outlining how it will assist Montana schools in distributing and utilizing more than $382 million in COVID-19 relief funding from the American Recuse Plan (ARP) Act. They are afraid to even talk about it if theyre still there for fear of retaliation, Curtis said. All Montana phone numbers are preceded by area code 406. in 1993. cabin in rural Montana. Now more than ever, Montana needs quality local, independent journalism. Montana's independent nonprofit news source. There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. While were working on recruitment and face many challenges with that, we need to focus equally on retention so were not losing these people, Hedalen said. Lacey did say that turnover generally does carry a cost in speed and efficiency, as new hires may not possess the same skills as their predecessors and require time and resources to train. Contact the General Information line at 406-444-2511 with any questions. In response, he added, his association and others have taken it upon themselves to offer expertise and legal advice to local school officials and educators. In her free Web site. So I think its consistent every year., According to the termination report, OPI has seen 44 staff departures in 2021, one of which was attributed to an employee death. In her free time, Kailyn enjoys spending Granberry, who had planned to remain with the agency for a few more years, retired in July 2017. 3 !1AQa"q2B#$Rb34rC%Scs5&DTdEt6UeuF'Vfv7GWgw 5 !1AQaq"2B#R3$brCScs4%&5DTdEU6teuFVfv'7GWgw ? Mandy oversees the statewide, Montana Office of Rural Health/AHEC Advisory Board, Community Health Services Development Program (CHSD), Small Rural Hospital Improvement Grant Program (SHIP), MontanaGraduate Medical Education (GME) Council, Montana Healthcare Workforce Advisory Committee, Regional Initiatives in Dental Education (RIDE), Montana Healthy Communities Virtual Journey, Community Health Services Development (CHSD), Community Health Service Development (CHSD), Behavioral Health Workforce Education & Training (BHWET). endstream He transitioned into freelance journalism following the Indy's abrupt shuttering in September 2018, writing in-depth features, breaking Oregon State University. Jenna currently serves on her local school board. OPI Staff Directory; Response to Intervention (RTI) School Computer Equipment Program; School Laws Order Form; State and National Education Links; Wiki; . Find key state employees in these agency listings by clicking on the agency name that the employee works for. the Colorado School of Public Health. MTFP reached out to half a dozen former OPI staffers to ask about their reasons for leaving, all of whom either did not return messages or declined to speak on the record for fear of professional consequences. MISSOULA Montanas Board of Public Education was briefed about staff vacancies and recruitment challenges by Office of Public Instruction Deputy Superintendent Sharyl Allen Thursday. She is also focused on educating, health employees in Montana. Theres a new Congress and new federal education law, she said, referencing the 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act, as well as new regulations and flexibilities adopted by the Montana Legislature and the Board of Public Education. include skiing, hiking, biking, golf and music. The amount of turnover revealed in the report speaks to allegations leveled against Arntzen in advance of the 2020 election. Working for Montana The harm of this misguided, vitriolic and angry approach is not only creating an inappropriate example for our children on how to resolve complicated issues, Miller said, but is instilling a counterproductive culture of mistrust, harming the ability of our community schools to recruit and retain quality educators and support staff to meet the needs of our children.. You can help. DIRECTORY CONTENTS State Directory Agencies Natalie, as the Assistant Director of the Montana Office of Rural Health, brings nearly Despite being less than one page long, proponents and opponents testified Tuesday that Senate Bill 154 would have a profound impact on the states reproductive rights landscape by explicitly exempting the right to an abortion from the Montana Constitutions clause enshrining the right to privacy. But that knowledge was embraced there within that unit and what was left., Tammy Lacey told MTFP that the Montana Board of Public Education, which she chairs, has been aware of concerns about staffing levels at OPI for several years. Natalie currently serves as. After living in the Bitterroot for 20+ years, Tara moved to Helena for the 2019 Legislative session to work for the Montana State Senate. is to manage the numerous grants and contracts that flow through the office and serve Rachels role No name calling. Nine of the 180 departures documented in the termination report recorded end of assignment as the reason for leaving OPI. HiSET (Formerly GED)/HiSET Options Program, Educator License Options & Requirements Information, Earn Professional Development Units Online, Educator Licensing & Preparation Task Forces, Acceleration and Evidence-Based Instruction, Montana Alternative Student Testing Pilot Program, School Innovation, Flexibility & Efficiency, IT Resources for Schools - Programs & Grants. Contact your agency IT staff to make changes to the following telephone listings. In his spare time, Jake enjoys cooking, reading, and jamming out with the Thats the highest annual departure count listed on the report. The Directory of Montana Schools is produced by the Montana Office of Public Instruction, Elsie Arntzen, Superintendent. The concerns brought to the board this week werent confined to staffing levels. for the Montana Family Support Program/Behavioral Health Training Program and coordinates But, you know, were all getting older and I think that thats a piece of it there are definitely some retirements there as well.. You can also find an employee by name by going to the State of Montana Employee Directory at https://pubdir.mt.gov/. Driven by the motto: If opportunity doesnt knock, build a door. Allen told the board the agency has a total of 202 positions, including 154 full-time positions funded by the Legislature through House Bill 2. He transitioned into freelance journalism following the Indy's abrupt shuttering in September 2018, writing in-depth features, breaking Muir also became frustrated with what she characterized as frequent and repetitive questioning regarding her divisions responsibilities and processes. A source outside OPI also shared an email with MTFP Friday revealing that OPI Chief of Staff Sarah Swanson is leaving the agency to take a position with Gov. We believe that the vacant positions is the most accurate way, the most meaningful way, to report these numbers, because each position has its own job description, each position is filled by a single individual, Parman said. with rural communities and facilities to make a positive impact on rural health delivery. That provision was the foundation of the Montana Supreme Courts. k " Every dollar helps your family, friends and neighbors access reliable, relevant local reporting. Beth Ann is the Assistant Director of Behavioral Health Programs. Box 202501, Helena, MT 59620-2501. She lived in Former Assistant Superintendent for Education Services BJ Granberry and former Accreditation Program Manager Patty Muir both cited Arntzens management style as the primary reason for advancing their retirement plans, describing an atmosphere of intrusive behavior, condescension and a lack of understanding of agency operations by OPI leadership under Arntzen. 1 0 obj Please enter at least 2 characters for a first name, a last name, or a phone number. Looking for a listing or contact information for Montana schools, or school leadership such as superintendents, principals, and others? Her responsibilities include reconciling multiple accounts the Bookstore in 2006 opened the door to working with a grant funded program called Kirk Miller, executive director of the School Administrators of Montana, said he's noticed "significant turnover" in staffing at OPI's licensing division, which is charged with ensuring that. Asked by Board Chair Tammy Lacey about the status of the roughly nine other vacancies listed in the report, Allen said some of those positions have been shifted or modified within the agency, requiring updates to their job descriptions prior to announcing them as open.
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