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Image 1.\u00a0<\/strong>Students at Meadowlark Elementary [1].<\/p>\n Figure 1.<\/strong> Created using data from [4]. State funding provides the most financial support to Montana’s Educational expenditures, followed by Local Property Taxes. Federal Funding only contributes 12.8%.<\/p>\n Figure 2.<\/strong> Created using data from [9]. White students demonstrate a clear majority of the student population at 77.7%, followed by American Indian\/Alaskan Native students at 11.0%.<\/span><\/p>\n Figure 3.<\/strong> Created using data from [9]. Montana’s proportion of White students is exceptionally high compared to the national average (77.7% vs. 45.8%). The national average for the proportion of Black, Hispanic, and Asian students all significantly exceed those of Montana. However, Montana does have a much higher percentage of American Indian\/Alaskan Native students in comparison to the national average (11.0% vs. 0.9%).<\/p>\n Table 1.<\/strong> Obtained from [12]. Although they represent a very small sample size proportionate to the graduating student population, Asian students possessed the highest graduation rate at 93.94%, followed by White students at 88.71%. Problematically, the lowest graduation rates were held by American Indian\/Alaskan Native students, English Learners, and homeless children at 68.27%, 65.47%, and 62.67% respectively.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Image 2.\u00a0<\/strong>Montana classroom [13].<\/p>\n Table 2.<\/strong> (Obtained from [22]). Shows Montana public school students scoring slightly above the national average for each subject and grade level of the NAEP, ranging from 2-5% better in proficiency each subcategory.<\/p>\n Table 3.<\/strong> Obtained from [22]. Shows Montana public school students with learning disabilities scoring right on par with the national average in terms of proficiency for each grade level and subject.<\/p>\n Table 4.<\/strong> Obtained from [22]. Shows Montana public school students with economic disadvantages scoring right on par with the national average in terms of proficiency for each grade level and subject.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Image 3.\u00a0<\/strong>Billings, the most populous county and largest school district in Montana [23].<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Image 4.\u00a0<\/strong>Bill Stockton, the 2022 Montana Teacher of the Year [28].<\/p>\n While some of the data surrounding Montana’s public education system may seem to present conditions and performance for students of disadvantaged groups to be right around the national average, there certainly exists many inequalities present in some of the aforementioned statistics. <\/span><\/p>\n In terms of funding, while there does seem to be inflation in regards to the high end of the per pupil expenditure within Montana considering the smaller enrollment sizes of its counties, there does exist large variation for per pupil expenditure within the state, ranging from $99,000 for the Pleasent Valley Elementary School District, all the way down to $8,098 for the Kinsey Elementary School District.<\/span> Even though there is a complete lack of charter schools in the state to siphon off portions of state and federal funding, the per pupil expenditure is below the national average with a difference of $1,203.<\/span><\/p>\n The state also seems to be failing its American Indian\/Alaskan Native students, which represents an immense issue considering these students represent 11.0% of the Montana student body in comparison to the national average of 0.9%. While many factors contribute to this complex issue, Native American students are not receiving the educational support they deserve, as evident by their 68.27% graduation rate compared to White students’ graduation rate of 88.71%.<\/span><\/p>\n One issue that could relate to the unfortunate academic experience of Native Americans in Montana public schools is lack of diversity in these schools. Montana educates the 4th highest percentage of white students in the United States (77.7%), while educating some of the lowest proportions of minority students in the nation, including Black, Hispanic, and Asian students. More specifically, they educate the lowest percentage of black students in the country (0.8%) and the second lowest percentage of Asian students in the country (0.7%). In addition to this, Montana’s p<\/span>ercentage of English Language Learning students lands at 2.4%, compared to the national average of 10.2%.<\/span><\/p>\n {Statistics used in this section are all previously cited}<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Changes in Conditions for Early Career Teachers:<\/span><\/p>\n Based on the previously mentioned statistics and information, teacher conditions in Montana are undoubtedly subpar. With an average teacher salary (in current US dollars) of $52,894 in 2020 compared to the national average of $65,090, as well as the complete lack of a merit pay program to incentivize excellent teachers, there are a major causes of teacher shortages already exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.<\/span><\/p>\n In order to combat these teacher shortages, the Montana Board of Public Education and Office of Instruction are considering proposals to reduce certain requirements and increase potential opportunities for teachers to obtain a teaching license in the state of Montana.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The proposed changes would introduce alternative pathways and would significantly cut down the required time needed to earn a teaching license from five years of experience to none. As expected, these proposals are facing strong pushback in regards to their broad terminology, their ability to particularly assist rural schools in obtaining more teachers, and the potential deterioration of the state’s current teacher quality standards {33}.<\/p>\n As another measure to attract new teachers, 19% of Montana’s school districts are taking part in an incentive program to raise starting teacher pay for the 2022-23 school year via the TEACH Act. Teachers would be eligible to receive these raises in the first three years of their teaching career. While the state’s incentive program offers districts roughly $3,500 per teacher receiving a raise, it requires most districts to equate the raise to 70% of a mid-career salary. This element of the Act presents economic inequalities in terms of which districts are able to supplement the state’s funding to participate in this program, especially with a state with such a wide range of per pupil expenditure by county {34}<\/span>. Nevertheless, this program is a step in the right direction in terms of incentivizing and rewarding Montana’s early career teachers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n High Lead Levels in School Water Fountains:<\/span><\/p>\n Image 5. <\/strong>Montana student at a water fountain [35].<\/p>\n In recent state-mandated water quality testing, roughly half of Montana schools who had turned in samples by February 18th reported high levels of lead. Montana state officials have stated that 589 school buildings have lead levels higher than the threshold of 15 ppb.<\/p>\n This presents an extreme problem to students’ health, considering that lead is a toxic metal able to cause severe organ and nervous system damage. Unfortunately, children are extremely vulnerable to lead poisoning, which can cause learning, speech, and behavioral problems for students who drink it in addition to the previously mentioned health risks.<\/p>\n This issue presents yet another problem exposing Montana’s wide range of per pupil expenditure by county. Schools falling below the average per pupil expenditure $11,984 will have a much tougher time accumulating enough funds to combat this issue by fixing their water fountains. These schools may have to resort to seeking federal aid passed last year or add these repairs to their already extensive list of self-payed capital improvement projects {36}.<\/span><\/p>\n\n
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Student Demographics:<\/h4>\n
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<\/p>\nAccountability Measures:<\/h4>\n
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<\/p>\nPrivatization of Montana Schools:<\/h4>\n
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Teacher Working Conditions:<\/h4>\n
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Data Analysis:<\/h3>\n
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