Fewer than 20 students enrolled as a state will open a second application window for education savings accounts

With just over a dozen students currently participating in Montana’s new education savings account programState Superintendent Elsie Arntzen late last month opened a second application window ahead of the spring semester, allowing more parents of students with special needs to access state funding for non-public education resources.

According to the Office of Public Instruction, as of Wednesday the agency had received 24 applications for students in 15 separate school districts across the state and will continue to accept additional applications for the spring semester through December 1. A total of 19 families signed education savings account contracts with the state after the initial application period earlier this year, but OPI spokesman Brian O’Leary told Montana Free Press via email that five of those families have done so since exiting the program has been withdrawn, bringing the total number of participating students to 14 across 12 public school districts. O’Leary added that these families do not need to reapply to remain eligible.

“The Education Savings Account program focuses on flexibility and personalized learning for students of all abilities,” said Arntzen, a named Republican who will be succeeded in January by Republican Superintendent-elect Susie Hedalensaid an email statement. “Montana parents know the unique educational needs of their children.”

In a news release Tuesday, Governor Greg Gianforte encouraged eligible families to submit applications before the final deadline, stating that “every child is unique and deserves access to the best possible education to meet his or her individual needs .” Gianforte signed the program into law in May 2023 in addition to a number of other school choice measures including a bill that would allow homeschooled and private school students to enroll part-time in public schools and another bill, now temporarily halted by a state court, that would establish a system of “community choice” schools that would be separate from public primary and secondary education operate.

To finance the education savings accounts created under House Bill 393a school district with a participating student is required to transfer the state funding associated with that student to OPI, with the funds then used to reimburse families for approved expenses such as online courses and private school tuition. Supporters have said the approach would help students with special needs access the educational resources – public or otherwise – that best suit their circumstances. But opponents, including major statewide education associations, are championing the program critical state funding would shift to non-public institutions and threaten a district’s ability to maintain special education services for students who remain in the public system.

Concerns arose about shifting public funding to private education a legal challenge earlier this year while the Montana Quality Education Coalition and Disability Rights Montana – two nonprofits that advocate for students in public schools – sought to strike down HB 393. failed to obtain a court order the program is halted while the lawsuit continues, and the case remains active in Lewis & Clark County District Court.

“Across the country, we’ve seen these types of voucher programs start as a trickle before completely overwhelming school budgets and leading to poorer outcomes for students,” Doug Reisig, president of the Montana Quality Education Coalition, told MTFP in an email this week declaration. “MQEC stands with students and families against this unconstitutional, unaccountable voucher system because we believe every student – ​​whether they live in Choteau or Billings – deserves the free, quality public education guaranteed in this state.”

According to O’Leary, districts with participating students have transferred a total of $18,900 to OPI, with those students’ families reimbursed $7,245 in expenses as of Oct. 30. A list of reimbursed expenses provided to MTFP by OPI included books, dry-erase boards, games and fidget spinners, as well as laptops, a printer, a desk, a computer chair and a musical instrument. This agency data, which does not include identifying information about individual students, families or districts, also included transportation miles for educational services, private school tuition and a total of $3,217 for a variety of apps and subscription-based online educational courses and programs .

The amount that individual families can access through education savings accounts varies from district to district, but ranges between $5,300 and $8,300 per student. Interest varied across the state, with participating students coming from smaller rural districts such as Choteau and White Sulfur Springs, as well as larger districts such as Bozeman and Billings, OPI said. Only students who meet the federal definitions of special needs as set forth in the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act are eligible.