Elsie Arntzen Had a Bad Week
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, December 20, 2021
CONTACT
press@montanademocrats.org
Elsie Arntzen Had a Bad Week
Failing leadership at the OPI has pushed stakeholders to a breaking point
Helena, MT – Across the state, Montana educators, administrators, students, and families have united to denounce the failure of leadership and incompetence at the Office of Public Instruction. Under Elsie’s failed leadership:
The superintendents of the 8 largest school districts wrote an unprecedented public letter of “no confidence”
Her failure of leadership within the OPI has led to a 90% turnover rate among staff.
Staffing shortages in critical departments have created backlogs of teacher licensing and special education fund distribution
Despite the backlog of licensing applications, the OPI is shutting down the licensing software for 6 months, making it more difficult for teachers to get their licenses and get paid
Thousands of students are at risk of not receiving counseling services at school because of the OPI’s overly complicated, insufficient reimbursement policy
Over 2,000 Montanans have signed a letter in support of school administrators for shining a light on Superintendent Arntzen’s incompetence
She has bungled the distribution of $3.8 million funds allocated for afterschool programs
Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy accused the OPI’s Tribal Liaison of failing to show up for a Montana Indian Language Preservation presentation
“This is not about politics,” says Sheila Hogan, Executive Director of the Montana Democratic Party. “This is about providing our students, our educators and our Tribes the support they need. Elsie Arntzen’s incompetent leadership is costing us dearly.”
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