montana opi staff directorymontana opi staff directory

Josh grew up in Helena, MT and is a Montana State University alumnus. 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. More by Alex Sakariassen. Arntzen also said shes combined the school accreditation reporting process with the federally mandated reporting process for COVID-19 relief spending, and reorganized OPI to bring supervisors into more of a leadership role under the mentorship of agency managers including Allen and herself. The process is not that difficult, but it was clearly evident as well that there were a lot of areas in the agency that leadership did not understand or did not have a complete handle on what we did and who we did it for.. k " 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. Over the past 10 months, there has been a growing clamor among school leaders and business officials, which today is at a fever pitch. Patrick is a consultant minerals landman from Billings and has been involved with oil, gas, hard minerals, coal and land-title related issues for over 38 years. Natalie currently serves as. She previously worked at Shodair Childrens Hospital for 5 years. The board will likely get its first look at revisions to the standards applied to college prep programs in March 2022. 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. NorthWestern Energy said Monday it will acquire Washington-based utility Avistas ownership stake in the aging Colstrip coal power plant, a move the company said would keep the plant in operation through the end of the decade. Project Coordinatorgracebehrens@montana.edu406-994-6043Room 305 Culbertson Hall. An Oct. 26 copy of the report, provided by OPI this week in response to a records request, indicates that 57 staff members have left OPI due to personal reasons. Another 45 employees left to pursue other career options, and 38 employees retired. Jenna currently serves on her local school board. Asked about Parmans statements, Arntzen said she couldnt offer a response since hed delivered them before she arrived at the meeting. No shouting. Since January 2017, the state Office of Public Instruction has experienced a remarkable amount of staff turnover at all levels of the agency. Workforce Coordinatorsydney.pearce@montana.edu406-994-6003Room 311 Culbertson Hall. She provides overall grant management for the Montana Office of Rural Health and oversees include skiing, hiking, biking, golf and music. projects, which include the Montana Behavioral Health Workforce Network, the Montana Jenna studied Law at Western Michigan University Cooley Law School. MBA and MS in Audiology from the University of New Mexico. level. She also works on the Montana Rural Health Initiative. When you donate to Montana Free Press, you are helping build a newsroom that serves the people of Montana, not advertisers or special interests. in Mathematics and Statistics. Indoor & Outdoor SMD Screens, LED Displays, Digital Signage & Video Wall Solutions in Pakistan in 2013 and became a Master in Public Administration nine years later. camping, and spending quality time with friends & family. All Montana phone numbers are preceded by area code 406. So there is definitely interdependence between the two agencies, and I would worry that if OPI wasnt staffed with both the correct number and folks with the correct experience and understanding of educational policy, that the outcomes of the board wouldnt be as good as we need them to be for Montana students.. was a National Rural Health Association (NRHA) Rural Health Fellow, and received the Central Office Staff by System; County Staff; Legal Entities; Legal Entities - Expanded; Legal Entities by Fiscal Year; Nonpublic Accredited Schools; School Directory History; School Supervisory Staff by County; School Supervisory Staff by District; School Supervisory Staff by System; Schools; Systems; Systems - Expanded; Title I Schools; Return to OPI Portal Kailyn serves 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. Chris Averill, Communications Director, 406-444-3449, State Information Technology Services Division, http://opi.mt.gov/COVID-19-Information/ESSER. Our students are our most precious resource and the future of this great state. 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.. In addition to public K-12 schools, OPIs accreditation division monitors educator preparation programs at Montana colleges and universities for compliance with state standards. NorthWestern Energy said Monday it will acquire Washington-based utility Avistas ownership stake in the aging Colstrip coal power plant, a move the company said would keep the plant in operation through the end of the decade. of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences in 2012. TTY number is 406-444-1421. Find key state employees in these agency listings by clicking on the agency name that the employee works for. In his free time, Josh enjoys Project Coordinatornatalee.wheeler@montana.edu406-994-6858Room 309 Culbertson Hall. Western Montana College provided an exceptional foundation to become an effective teacher. 2 0 obj 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. 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. Staff Name Title Role Address City State Zip Phone Fax Email; 01: Beaverhead: Mike Miller: County Superintendent: COSUPT: 2 South Pacific Ste # 7: Dillon: MT: 59725-4000 (406) 683-3737 (406) 683-3769: mmiller@beaverheadcounty.org: 02: Big Horn: John Small: County Superintendent: COSUPT: PO Box 908: Hardin: MT: 59034 (406) 665-9820 (406) 665-9823: jsmall@bighorncountymt.gov : 03: Blaine: Valerie White Natalie, as the Assistant Director of the Montana Office of Rural Health, brings nearly 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. 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. Whoops! The Montana Democratic Party submitted a request for public records related to staff turnover in May and, according to MDP Executive Director Sandi Luckey, was assessed a fee of $10,000. Your membership makes this and all our other local reporting possible. She is also focused on educating, Whoops! Its the understanding of MPEC members, Parman told the board, that 51 OPI positions were vacant as of last week. Kailyn is a Montana State University alumna, earning both a Bachelor of Science in We believe that the vacant positions is the most accurate way, the most meaningful way, to report these numbers, because each position has its own job description, each position is filled by a single individual, Parman said. About the OPI; Education Advocates; MASS Resources; OPI Email Communication; OPI Monthly Compass; OPI Navigator; OPI Productions; Subscribe to OPI Emails Senior Program Manager - AHEC Scholarsamanda.hedstrom@montana.edu(406) 994-7510Room 303 Culbertson Hall, Research/Data Analystjacob.kaminetzky@montana.edu(406) 994-4403Room 310 Culbertson Hall. No name calling. When she's not working, Greta enjoys skiing, mountain biking, endstream "I oL9IbXfYR[U[H{x>_/%'IzIK0>Du F qby#l+ Hb> e$cu$ Two departures were attributed to employee deaths. state of Montana with her husband. Contact the General Information line at 406-444-2511 with any questions. 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. 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 $382 million in COVID-19 relief funding from the American Recuse Plan (ARP) Act. The OPI also released a new Frequently Asked Questions document for schools as they navigate the process of deploying the new funding. vN_HF"{ueE$gYU)VUiTf9BJXz[6V,h#[pygl)3,AZ(i)snFLCf(.~)[fitYZJ:@R"$)1aeGmGm`ctk`uu .=R'p)=Z`d8E\(b)z_Vg?Eur!H?CBYzKW{U*UaT*K{ ] i &?G(`nT,06P! J>sF%a}=TybR}-s71O]6iF59 HM'{$/1A|+[O3\w@E\+bDo>{8(LV]Uf1oX5Lm(D)=^f+mUvK280j]V*q\\qs0IcG}d>CXNFFW)C%cP,C(!KTFh"{[/o'B1x0~P4nVK,Jvv [wWtx9~zN^;~x|":{vd"\IBLSnV8#o-'+'1OFh]I President for the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH), with her golden retriever, fly fishing, traveling, and spending time at her family Contact your agency IT staff to make changes to the following telephone listings. Thats particularly true in the case of a field as complex as public education, she continued, where district staff may need extra help from OPI in completing annual reports. Contact the General Information line at 406-444-2511 with any questions. Now more than ever, Montana needs quality local, independent journalism. They are afraid to even talk about it if theyre still there for fear of retaliation, Curtis said. Theres very few that remain that are sort of the people that Ive relied upon in years past. Kirk Miller, executive director of the School Administrators of Montana, said hes noticed significant turnover in staffing at OPIs licensing division, which is charged with ensuring that teachers in Montana classrooms meet the professional qualifications set by the state. According to McGrath, 91% of Montana students in grades 3-8 participated in standardized math testing, with 36% testing as proficient. 0. With 38-years in public education, she has previously served as the Transformational Learning and Montana Advanced Opportunities program managerand since April 2020 as the Deputy Superintendent. at the office including task force work, health equity training, and the Health Equity The self-paced course takes roughly 1.5 - 2 hours to complete and is worth 1 OPI renewal unit. Box 202501 Helena, Montana 59620-2501 (406) 444.3680 OPISupt@mt.gov Directory of Montana Schools 1 MONTANA STATE GOVERNMENT TELEPHONE DIRECTORY. DIRECTORY CONTENTS State Directory Agencies Thats what that report shares with me. Regional Coordinatorgreta.moser@montana.edu406-994-6252Room 307 Culbertson Hall. Using his decades of industry expertise, he advises Superintendent Arntzen in her capacity as Vice-Chair of the Montana Board of Land Commissioners. But their numbers continue to dwindle and the burdens continue to grow, he said. She described the situation as very intrusive and very uncomfortable.. A native of rural Nebraska; her hobbies Anna was raised in Colbert, WA, and came to Helena to attend Carroll College. Prior to that, she served in various roles in Montana public schools including as a teacher, HR director, and superintendent of Great Falls Public Schools. Rural Health Association Rural Health Fellow. 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. Muir eventually worked her way up to accreditation program director, overseeing an accreditation staff of two. of projects related to healthcare workforce training in rural and underserved communities Earlier this spring, Superintendent Arntzen submitted comments on USEDs Interim Final Requirements, which lay out the agencys implementation strategy for the relevant sections of the ARP Act that appropriated funding to our nations schools. Arntzens comments were the only from any state educational agency nationwide that proposed solutions to fix the challenges embedded in the Interim Final Requirements. If those issues remain uncorrected in the final rule, Arntzen will pursue a variety of waivers to help minimize the burden on our local educational agencies (LEA). These LEAs are required to produce two Federally mandated plans related to how they will spend their allocated dollars, and how they plan to bring students back to the classroom safely. However, the Federal rule does not mandate that an LEA adopt the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidance, but only requires that the LEA describe in its plan the extent to which it has adopted the key prevention and mitigation strategies identified in the guidance. Many schools in Montana were open throughout all or much of the 2020-2021 school year, and have already returned students to school safely, Arntzen noted. They should be afforded the opportunity to focus on other matters, and have a waiver instated for the requirement to update the plan every six months, with stakeholder input, until September 30, 2023. Montanas State Plan received support from U.S. Outside of work, Rachel spends as TTY number is 406-444-1421. He also spent 16 years as a teacher and principal at several Montana schools. Natalie earned her Bachelors of Science in Community All Montana phone numbers are preceded by the 406 area code. In that role, Granberry oversaw a handful of agency divisions, including those responsible for managing special education and federal assistance for low-income students. 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. 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. 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. Josh currently operates as a workforce coordinator and assists in the Office You can help. A support document for our Montana policymakers and leaders, Happy New Year from Superintendent Arntzen. [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI] Lacey said she is unaware of any difficulties or issues that have arisen for the board as a result of agency turnover or vacancies to date, and said OPI has indicated they were doing all that they could in order to get people into those positions.. 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. Natalee is passionate about And Montana School Boards Association Executive Director Lance Melton pointed out that delays in receiving such guidance can have consequential ramifications on districts and, by extension, the students they serve. Edit your form online Type text, add images, blackout confidential details, add comments, highlights and more. Your membership makes this and all our other local reporting possible. 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. 03. Oregon State University. the Montana Healthcare Workforce Advisory Committee. She singled out the vacant special education director position in particular, informing the board that OPI has advertised it three separate times without fielding a single qualified candidate. 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. That provision was the foundation of the Montana Supreme Courts. 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. Withroots in Harlem, Montana, she understands the struggles that many small communities the Montana American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) Chapter, and is a National partnerships in Montana and surrounding states who have similar clinical education Health Education from Montana State University and her Masters of Public Health from xW[o6~pvuK" f`C@1/D*d!%;ef)Qw.$_7C(QWI(tW&py! Mountain View Elementary ; Phone: (406)446-1804 Fax: (406)446-0115 . for her to help with the accounting demands of MT AHEC/ORH. with Full Honors in Political Science, Economics, and Liberal Studies with Minors You can access the self-paced course on the Montana Office of Public Instruction Teacher Learning Hub website. Montana State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business, Accounting Regarding concerns about loss of institutional knowledge, Arntzen said education has changed over the past decade. Community Health Support Network, the. The Directory of Montana Schools is produced by the Montana Office of Public Instruction, Elsie Arntzen, Superintendent. About a third of the office is currently working from home, she added. 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. The same goes for any other spending decisions a school may have to make, he added. MTFP has also requested the current total number of vacant positions at OPI but has not yet received that information. Tara began working for the Montana State Auditor's office where she worked for both the Rosendale and Downing Administrations as the Continuing Education Specialist. within the state. Please reload the page and try again. health efforts. stream fishing, golfing, skiing, and traveling with family. Kirk Miller, executive director of the School Administrators of Montana, spoke for the Montana Public Education Center on Wednesday about the challenges raised for school officials by political polarization arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. 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. in Education from the University of Nebraska implementation of hospital and clinic-based technical assistance programs and population When theres turnover, institutional knowledge is lost, and with that theres a slowdown in being able to respond, Lacey said. Manager and Data Analyst at New Mexico Donor Services, the organ procurement organization 15 years experience and working knowledge of rural health issues and has worked closely There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Exif II* ( 1 2 ; i X 7 0 obj Earlier this month, Montana Free Press received data from OPI in response to a records request showing that 180 employees have left the agency since January 2017, when state Superintendent Elsie Arntzen first took office. Previously, Cindra was Hospital Services endobj Through this large influx of Federal funds, Montana schools have an opportunity to focus on the whole child and maximize instruction, State Superintendent Elsie Arntzen said. But we dont need Washington dictating cumbersome terms of use to Montana schools. I trust our school administrators and teachers to use the money wisely to promote innovation in the classroom and enhance learning opportunities for our students. Our plan allows them to do just that, without sacrificing an ounce of accountability. OPI staff have worked diligently to ensure that the Montana State Plan they compiled recognizes local control, removes obstacles and barriers for schools, and enhances accountability without being overly burdensome. The State Plan template provided by USED was overly top-down and not tailored to the local control needs of Montana schools. 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. Superintendent Elsie Arntzen is proud to serve our Montana families, students, and teachers. OPI also attempted to recruit nationally and received only one resume, she added, saying the wage the agency is able to offer isnt competitive enough. Sign up for theCapitolizednewsletter and stay up-to-date on the latest legislative developments during the session. Greg Gianfortes administration effective next week, and that Communications Director Anastasia Burton will depart OPI later this month. Sign up for our free daily newsletter to get unbiased, independent Montana news sent directly to you. Box 202501, Helena, MT 59620-2501. 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. She is currently working on her Doctorate The superintendents of Montana's AA schools, including Great Falls Public Schools, on Monday sent a letter of concern to Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen, expressing. << /Length 1093 /Filter /FlateDecode >> stream projects, which include the Montana Behavioral Health Workforce Network, the Montana ' a masters of public health from the University of Arizona. In 2020, Sara completed her Master of Public Health (MPH) Sign it in a few clicks Draw your signature, type it, upload its image, or use your mobile device as a signature pad. and frontier populations. Greta evaluated grant-funded substance use disorder treatment programs in rural and Home of the Rams. Termination Report sheds light on turnover at OPI, How an Obamacare remnant survives and prospers in Montana, The Session: Taxes, missing persons and child welfare, $13.4 million in federal COVID-19 relief dollars, 180 employees have left the agency since January 2017, increasing difficulty getting timely responses, changes to agency regulations governing educator licensure, NorthWestern Energy to increase ownership share in Colstrip, First abortion bill of 2023 introduced in Montana Legislature, Bill would require rental application fee refunds, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. of Public Health and Environment. 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. Oregon State University. Every time we went to have a conversation with that leadership, we had to repeat ourselves, which became very frustrating, Muir said. 4 0 obj Rachel grew up in a rural community in Washington State. Muir did not name Arntzen specifically, but said new leadership in 2017 was unaware that OPI had that oversight responsibility. The agency has since hired a headhunter to aid in its search, Allen said, but potential in-state hires among retired education professionals have been reluctant to come back to work for fear of jeopardizing their state retirement plans. It was here that she was immersed and fell in love AHEC since 2010 and with the Program Office since 2015, she has worked on a number << /Border [0 0 0] /Subtype /Link /A << /URI (http://apps.opi.mt.gov/SchoolDirectory/) /IsMap false /Type /Action /S /URI >> /Type /Annot /Rect [374.76 313.128 395.856 324.288] >> 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. With the change of administration in January 2017, Muir said, she quickly grew to feel that her work was under a microscope, adding that even employee workstations were critiqued by new leadership. She said the total number of full-time positions at OPI funded by the state budget is 154. behavioral health trainings like ASIST, YMHFA, MOAB and more! For questions or comments contact the Ask Us Desk. 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. Records obtained by Montana Free Press this week show that 180 employees have left the Office of Public Instruction since Superintendent Elsie Arntzen first took office. Cindra works extensively on Healthcare Workforce issues, serving as facilitator for within the state. Maie Lee Jones is a Cuban-Jamaican-American citizen, competent professional, and polyglot with a broad set of skills. 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.. in Political Science from MSU in 2012. Rob Stutz, Chief Legal Counsel, comes to OPI with legal experience in state and federal government, in private practice, and with a non-profit.

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