BELIEF IN PUBLIC EDUCATION
I am a firm believer in the power of public education because I know what it can do for individuals and for our state. We all know that becoming educated brings better jobs, more opportunity, and a better society. We must continue to advocate for a first-class education system.
The Superintendent’s duty, above all others, is ensuring a quality public education system for all students in Montana. It is imperative that we all believe in every student's brilliance, creativity and talents.
GRADUATION MATTERS
I believe we need to set an expectation for every child in Montana to graduate from high school. In today's global economy, a quality education is the key to economic prosperity for our young people.
That’s why I launched Graduation Matters Montana, a statewide effort to ensure that Montana's public schools are meeting the goal of graduating more students ready for college and careers. As students, parents, educators, business owners and taxpayers, we cannot ignore the long-term consequences of individuals not graduating from high school.
As Montanans, we need to work together and share in the accountability of graduating more students from high school.
STUDENT ADVISORY BOARD
Oftentimes, adults plan and discuss educational policy, but we rarely talk to the people who will be most directly affected by those plans and discussions: the students. To include student ideas and voices in state-level policies, I created the first-ever Superintendent's Student Advisory Board.
In its first year, forty students from thirty-one communities gathered to discuss ways to improve the state’s graduation rate and to address school climate issues. Students reported they seek relevant coursework and real-world experiences, clear and consistent rules, a positive school climate and meaningful relationships at their schools. As a result of Student Advisory Board input, I launched an "I Pledge to Graduate" campaign to help students set their sights on graduation.
SCHOOLS OF PROMISE
I believe all of our communities should have the promise of a good school. That’s why I’ve created Schools of Promise. This program is a partnership between schools, communities and the Office of Public Instruction to improve Montana’s most struggling schools. My office is overseeing an unprecedented effort to dramatically improve the quality of education students in these schools receive. Our reform model is uniquely Montanan, and we are already seeing results. In our first year, all participating high schools saw increases in the average test scores in reading, math and science.
It is the Superintendent’s responsibility to defend the sanctity of public education and the hope it offers to individuals, communities, and our state. I know that funding in education matters. It matters to both large and small communities. It matters to teachers who pour their lifeblood into educating those who will become our state’s future. Above all, it matters to the students in our schools. Money does matter in education. We need to pull together to make sure that teachers are competitively compensated. We need to pull together to make sure all of our students are offered quality programs and rigorous coursework. We need to pull together to guarantee a positive economic and social future for Montana. Education is truly the only way we will accomplish our state’s hopes and dreams.
I am committed to put in the demanding advocacy work with the Governor and the Legislature to ensure that every school in our state receives adequate funding for a quality education.
TEACHERS
A teacher’s role is more than a job. Their daily responsibility is to educate Montana’s future. It is not a duty that they take lightly. Parents entrust their children to them every day, communities are dependent upon their work’s outcome, and our state relies on their efforts to produce citizens who are engaged and can think critically.
As a retired member of MEA-MFT and former high school English Teacher, I will champion the work that teachers do in the classroom and make certain that teachers’ work is valued, respected, and rewarded.
NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND
Representative Dale Kildee has a terrific way of referencing the appropriate role for the federal government in education. He says that providing education is a state responsibility, a local function, and a federal interest. We appreciate the interest and assistance of our federal partners, but I will advocate for a federal role that is supportive of state efforts – not one that attempts to control our important work - or that seeks to penalize our schools.
The federal government has instituted a strict accountability process for public education that relies solely on a single test score to measure a school’s worth. We all understand that one test score does not paint the entire picture. We must find additional ways to determine quality and to promote the good things that are happening in our schools every day.
We must work to endorse changes to the law that provide flexibility for rural states like Montana so schools can get back to their job of educating the “whole student” – including Montana’s long tradition of arts and humanities. We need to vitalize our schools, ensuring that learning remain joyful, balanced, and works toward a sense of good citizenship, not just high math and reading achievement.
However, NCLB has also has shed light on achievement gaps between groups of students in our schools, and we must remain ever vigilant in our efforts to close those gaps through concentrated focus and support.
TECHNOLOGY
I am passionate about having the Office of Public Instruction assist schools in moving forward to meet the challenges of our “digital” world. Students need to become technologically-literate to enter the 21st Century job market. This means more than just hooking up computers – it means professional development for educators and providing the best educational online resources.
LAND BOARD
The Land Board is a critical component and responsibility of the Superintendent’s office that serves a very important purpose. Their responsibility is not only to the people of Montana, but to the land as well.
Working together, we can strike a balance between conservation and responsible commerce. Montana has a long tradition of maintaining community school funding through industries such as logging, mining and ranching. All this has happened without sacrificing the recreational opportunities that people come from around the world to enjoy.
As a member of the Land Board, I will take this responsibility seriously and continue to ensure this balance is maintained.
