This story is excerpted from the MT Lowdown, a weekly newsletter digest containing original reporting and analysis published every Friday.
As of Aug. 1, the Office of Public Instructionâs employment portal listed 853 active job postings for licensed public school positions in Montana. The postings include openings for teachers, counselors, administrators, and paraprofessionals in school districts across Montana, and may capture some redundant listings or positions that have recently been filled.
With the start of the 2024-25 school year approaching, Montana schools of all sizes are once again contending with the stateâs ongoing teacher shortage. Challenges finding qualified applicants to fill open positions have prompted many districts in recent years to rely on provisional licensing and on emergency authorizations â essentially a green-light from the state to hire an individual who does not fully meet the requirements for a licensed teacher. OPI issued 176 emergency employment authorizations last year.
Education leaders are also increasingly focusing on retention. In a bid to help prepare new hires for the rigors of a public school classroom, the Alliance for Curriculum Enhancement, which provides curricula and support services for many rural schools, is hosting an inaugural âboot campâ this week at Lockwood High School outside Billings for roughly 125 early career teachers. Executive Director Jenny Combs told Montana Free Press the training is designed to help starting teachers, particularly those working under emergency authorizations, develop the rules and skills necessary to work with students and school administrators. The organization is also launching a mentoring program this fall in partnership with researchers at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks.
LATEST STORIES
UPDATED: Fishing restrictions on Montana rivers
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has implemented fishing restrictions on more than a dozen western Montana rivers that are exceeding temperature thresholds following an underwhelming snowpack and the onset of summer heat.
FWP âfish chiefâ Eileen Ryce resigns, citing lack of support from upper management.
âFish Chiefâ Eileen Ryce, who has worked on Montana fisheries issues for nearly 28 years, resigned from her post with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks on Aug. 1, 2024, after being cleared by an investigation into allegations she described as baseless.
How hikers quashed a budding wildfire
Even before setting off on a six-day, seven-night trek through the Anaconda Pintler Wilderness, Darren Wilson and the six hikers accompanying him knew there might be fire ahead. They didnât know theyâd be putting it out.
