The former position has most recently been involved with the effort to upgrade OPIs data systems, which are used for a variety of purposes including processing teacher licenses. Box 170520 Bozeman, MT 59717-0520. She looks forward to continuing to serve Montanas children and families at OPI. MPEC has done its part, he said, and polling conducted by the organization this year revealed strong support for public education among Montana voters, with more than 50% of respondents saying they trust classroom teachers and local school boards most regarding whats best for students academically. OPI is the primary conduit for delivering those funds, and is tasked with ensuring that school districts adhere to the guidelines set for COVID relief spending. Western Montana College provided an exceptional foundation to become an effective teacher. We rely on your donations to remain free and independent. endstream 02. Oregon State University. She is also focused on educating, He also spent 16 years as a teacher and principal at several Montana schools. 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. Get your insiders look into what's happening in and around the Capitol. He transitioned into freelance journalism following the Indy's abrupt shuttering in September 2018, writing in-depth features, breaking 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 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. Her responsibilities include reconciling multiple accounts Sign up to get our reporting sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Workforce Coordinatorsydney.pearce@montana.edu406-994-6003Room 311 Culbertson Hall. Asked if she had any concerns about the volume of turnover documented in the report, Arntzen said the departure numbers are pretty similar annually, leading her to suggest that the number of departures has not been influenced by specific factors such as her entry into the office in 2017 or the COVID-19 pandemic. [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI] The upgrade is being funded with $13.4 million in federal COVID-19 relief dollars. The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) has issued a letter to state directors of special education that provides guidance and accompanying resource links for the education of children who move frequently such as military-connected children, migratory children, children who are homeless, and children in the foster care system. She provides overall grant management for the Montana Office of Rural Health and oversees It takes good teamwork at OPI to make these processes work in terms of the distribution of money.. Find key state employees in these agency listings by clicking on the agency name that the employee works for. Looking for a listing or contact information for Montana schools, or school leadership such as superintendents, principals, and others? degree, she took a brief hiatus from school and worked for the Colorado Department Melton added that many OPI staffers whose experience he used to rely on have left the agency, but that he has still been able to depend on a few key personnel including Deputy Superintendent Sharyl Allen to answer questions from his organizations members. Select a button below to access that information. Health Education from Montana State University and her Masters of Public Health from When she isnt at the We are constantly enriching our leadership at this time because its management and leadership that I believe are part of that recruitment and, more importantly, that retention, Arntzen said. Nutrition And Physical Activity Program. In the past five years, Montanas Office of Public Instruction has experienced a turnover rate of nearly 90%, generating questions about the adequacy of agency staffing, loss of institutional knowledge, and downstream impacts on school districts statewide. AHEC since 2010 and with the Program Office since 2015, she has worked on a number 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. Upon completing her undergraduate Oregon State University. 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. %PDF-1.3 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. Please reload the page and try again. 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. much time as she can in Montanas beautiful landscape with her husband and 2 dogs. About a third of the office is currently working from home, she added. Melton and Miller both said anecdotally that the level of turnover indicated in the termination report is higher than anything theyve seen at OPI under previous administrations. Anna has spent the last 10 years in Helena. According to Allen's report, 24.49 full-time-equivalent (FTE) positions will be vacant at OPI as of Nov. 21. The Montana Office of Public Instruction. Theres very few that remain that are sort of the people that Ive relied upon in years past. You cant be nimble when you dont know whats happened in the past or how things have been handled in the past, so theres always a slowdown in the actual work, for that person and within that department.. 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 Migrant Education Program (MEP) is authorized by Part C of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA).The United States Department of Education Office of Migrant Education provides formula grants to State educational agencies (SEAs) to establish and improve, directly or through local operating agencies (LOAs), education prog rams for migratory children. Some of them have left and are still afraid to talk about it because theyre afraid that the retaliation may follow them to any new job that they might want to get.. 2023 Montana's independent nonprofit news source. 406-444-3083. Workforce Coordinatorjosh.hunsaker@montana.edu406-994-5653Room 304 Culbertson Hall. Outside of work, Rachel spends as 6 0 obj Natalee is passionate about President for the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH), Executive Assistant/Deputy Communications Director. 15 years experience and working knowledge of rural health issues and has worked closely General Information, P.O. face with access to quality healthcare. Assistance Fund. 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. 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. OPI has extended employment offers to candidates for five of those positions, Allen said, and four have accepted. Health and Human Performance and a Master of Health Administration. (MPA) in Health Policy and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management (CNM) from the University new! in Education from the University of Nebraska HELENA As required by the Biden Administrations 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. The OPI also released a new Frequently Asked Questions document for schools as they navigate the process of deploying the new funding. << /Type /Page /Parent 8 0 R /MediaBox [0 0 612.0 792.0] /Contents 7 0 R /Annots [ 6 0 R ] /Resources << /ProcSet 1 0 R /XObject << /Im4 4 0 R >> /Font << /F3 3 0 R /F5 5 0 R >> >> >> Driven by the motto: If opportunity doesnt knock, build a door. Project Coordinator/Hospital & Community Outreachsara.bell1@montana.edu406-994-6986Room 301 Culbertson Hall. Jan 14, 2022. Montana's independent nonprofit news source. We certainly dont pay our OPI staffers enough. Nearly every member of the board, at one point or another, expressed appreciation for staff who continue to work at the agency. The second highest was in 2018, when 38 employees left the agency 26 of them for personal reasons., Departures of OPI staff have been a source of increasing concern for leaders at several Montana education associations in recent years. Montana State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business, Accounting After obtaining his bachelor's degree in journalism and history, Sakariassen spent nearly 10 years covering environmental issues and state and federal politics for the alternative newsweekly Missoula Independent. The Montana Office of Public Instruction, Denise Juneau, Superintendent P.O. That provision was the foundation of the Montana Supreme Courts. Kailyn is a Montana State University alumna, earning both a Bachelor of Science in Educator Licensure (Certification Program) 444-3150. Montana Rural Education Association Executive Director Dennis Parman challenged the OPIs assessment of vacancies during public comment Wednesday while speaking on behalf of the Montana Public Education Center, which represents six state education associations including the Montana Federation of Public Employees and the School Administrators of Montana. Your membership makes this and all our other local reporting possible. camping, and spending quality time with friends & family. You can help. 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. 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.. Greta evaluated grant-funded substance use disorder treatment programs in rural and Jenna was born and raised in Montana and received a Bachelor of Science from Liberty University in 2011. Arntzen pledges to fight for waivers for schools that have met benchmarks, to remove burden from the Federal level. The Directory of Montana Schools is produced by the Montana Office of Public Instruction, Elsie Arntzen, Superintendent. The self-paced course takes roughly 1.5 - 2 hours to complete and is worth 1 OPI renewal unit. 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 teachers in Montana classrooms meet the professional qualifications set by the state. A native of rural Nebraska; her hobbies Arntzen clarified in a Thursday interview with MTFP that the report, generated through a state human resources system, includes not only permanent OPI positions but temporary agency hires as well. Former OPI staffers and leaders of Montana education associations told MTFP the result has been a significant loss of operational knowledge at the agency charged with overseeing public education across the state. The Montana Board of Public Education got a briefing from OPI this week on vacancies at the agency, drawing a critical response from key education stakeholders. Arntzen said she is taking steps to recruit new employees to vacant positions and retain existing employees, including a 50-cent-per-hour raise in January 2020 and continuing to allow staff to work remotely. Exif II* ( 1 2 ; i X 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. with public health practice. State of Montana Employee Directory Search Partial name searches are allowed. in Health Administration (DHA). for her to help with the accounting demands of MT AHEC/ORH. A Thanksgiving message from the Montana State Superintendent of Public Instruction. MONTANA STATE GOVERNMENT TELEPHONE DIRECTORY. Natalie currently serves asPresident for the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH), Anna was raised in Colbert, WA, and came to Helena to attend Carroll College. More by Alex Sakariassen. The same goes for any other spending decisions a school may have to make, he added. She described the situation as very intrusive and very uncomfortable.. 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. In previous rounds, Montana received more than $41,000,000 (ESSER I) and $170,000,000 (ESSER II). Through the Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools (EANS), the state also received nearly $20 million for home and private schools. Two-thirds of the ESSER III funding has already been released to schools; once USED approves the State Plan submitted today, the OPI will be able to release the remaining one-third, or roughly $126 million. office, you can find her hiking, skiing, trail running, camping, or traveling somewhere Box 202501 Helena, Montana 59620-2501 (406) 444.3680 OPISupt@mt.gov The CFPA led by MORH/AHEC works to build academic, clinical, and community Senator Steve Daines, and working on numerous statewide campaigns. Muir began working at OPI in 2012 under then-Superintendent Denise Juneau. Project Coordinatorgracebehrens@montana.edu406-994-6043Room 305 Culbertson Hall. Sara enjoys running, skiing, hiking, reading, and cooking Over the past 10 months, there has been a growing clamor among school leaders and business officials, which today is at a fever pitch, Parman said. within the state. Cheryl joined the staff of MT AHEC/Office of Rural Health as an Accounting Analyst the Montana American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) Chapter, and is a National SIMILAR ITEMS (based on metadata) . Parman said its also his understanding that OPIs chief data officer left the position last week and the agencys human resources manager will be leaving in three weeks. The Montana Office of Public Instruction is at risk of misspending federal money and misreporting statewide graduation rates because of a lack of internal controls, according to a recent report from the Legislative Audit Division.. and frontier populations. in Political Science from MSU in 2012. Mountain View Elementary ; Phone: (406)446-1804 Fax: (406)446-0115 . Just award-winning local journalism for the people, by the people. 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