Latest news with #OfficeofPublicInstruction
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Superintendent Hedalen praises signing of career and technical education bill
The main stairway to the third floor of the Montana Capitol building is seen on Wednesday, February 12, 2025. (Nathaniel Bailey for the Daily Montanan) Montana Superintendent of Public Education Susie Hedalen celebrated the signing of House Bill 357 as a 'significant step' toward strengthening career and technical education (CTE) for middle school students across the state, the Office of Public Instruction said Tuesday in a news release. Sponsored by Rep. Eric Tilleman, R-Cascade, HB 357 ensures funding for CTE programs in middle schools, exposing students to career pathways in agriculture, business, health occupations, industrial technology and family and consumer sciences. HB 357 appropriates $240,000 for the 2027 fiscal year. The bill says the legislature intends the money to be continued in the future. OPI said the investment helps Montana students build technical knowledge and hands-on experience, 'laying the foundation for future success in high-demand fields.' In a statement, Hedalen thanked Tilleman for his leadership and for recognizing the importance of career and technical education in middle school. 'Montana faces a growing demand for skilled workers, and employers across the state are looking for professionals with both technical expertise and practical experience,' Hedalen said. 'HB 357 responds to this challenge by providing the resources necessary for schools to foster career exploration, reduce dropout rates, and connect classroom learning to real-world applications.' Tilleman said the bill allow grants of up to $5,000 to any CTE program in the state of Montana. High school students already receive similar support, and Tilleman told the Daily Montanan his bill will help bring the same ideas to younger students. 'We're helping middle schoolers be able to see the employability skills early and give them the foundational elements for work-based learning,' Tilleman said. OPI will develop and implement guidelines for distributing the funds so they can expand their CTE offerings, the news release said. Hedalen said CTE not only equips students with the skills they need, it strengthens the workforce, economy and communities. 'The OPI team and educators across Montana are ready to build the bridge between education and industry,' Hedalen said. 'Sparking students' interest and beginning the career exploration journey in middle school will help our students be engaged in their education and see their incredible opportunities for years to come!'
Fox News
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Why this high school athlete is joining the race to get men out of women's sports
I'm a high school athlete, and I run – for the same reasons most high school girls run: because it's fun, because I'm fast, because I enjoy the competition, and because I know my athletic prowess opens a path to scholarships. High school track offers me great opportunities for all of I don't run to be frustrated, to be disappointed, and to keep losing races (and scholarship opportunities) to male athletes who shouldn't be running against me in the first state of Washington is enforcing policies that present me with all those hurdles when I step out on the track knowing I'm going to be racing against a male who should be competing against boys – a male with a man's strength and speed, who suddenly moves into a position where he's virtually guaranteed to win every race he enters. As a senior who's likely to be running against a male student in the near future, I believe Washington's policy isn't fair. So do a lot of our state's high school coaches. So do a growing number of other people (in both political parties). I'M A 3-SPORT HIGH SCHOOL FEMALE ATHLETE IN MAINE – I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO COMPETE AGAINST BIOLOGICAL MALESIn fact, those numbers are growing fast enough that President Donald Trump issued an executive order recognizing that Title IX prohibits males from competing in women's just recently, in the southern part of my state, the Kennewick School Board – caught between the president's executive order and our state officials' unwavering policies – voted 4-0 to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education. The board says my state's school superintendent, the state's Office of Public Instruction, and the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association are all in violation of the president's order and Title IX… and the board is asking for "urgent" federal intervention. The board described what happened at last year's state 400-meter championship as an example of what's wrong. A male from Spokane, at the time a junior who had run for the high school boys' team, now identifies as a girl and easily defeated the young women competing against him. That wasn't much of a surprise – according to he's won every 400-meter he's entered since he first decided to transition. HERE'S THE MESSAGE PRESIDENT TRUMP JUST SENT WITH HIS ORDER KEEPING MEN OUT OF WOMEN'S SPORTSFunny thing: The 400-meter race is one I'm competing in this semester, so I know what to expect when I run against this student, now a senior. My years of hard work, faithful practice, and personal sacrifices will come up against his anatomical advantages, and I'll lose – every time. The Kennewick School Board, quoting from the president's executive order, called that "demeaning, unfair, and dangerous." I agree and have now filed my own complaint with the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights through my attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom. Another female athlete and I are asking administration officials to investigate our state's violation of our Title IX protections, and those of all the other women student-athletes in Washington. It's not an unreasonable request. For 50 years, Title IX has guaranteed high school and college students an equal opportunity to enjoy the benefits of education (including sports) regardless of sex. The law is supposed to ensure that women and girls have a fair chance to compete (and win) in every sport without facing the physical and biological edge men would bring to our contests. Right now, that fairness is out the window. The state officials monitoring women's sports seem to believe a leopard can run as fast as a cheetah – after all, they're both cats with keep hoping they'll come around to seeing things differently, but for now, the clock is ticking on our request. The spring semester and track season are already half over. We're hoping the Office for Civil Rights will jump on this and look into what's happening as soon as possible. CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINIONI know there's a lot of political pressure on this issue. Helping people understand why we need to protect girls' sports may prove to be as difficult as defeating a male out on the track. But this is about fairness – not just for me, but for all women. So, yes, we may have a fight on our we're not going to run.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Superintendent Hedalen attends DOE order signing in D.C., thanks Trump for ‘historic action'
Superintendent Susie Hedalen with U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and the chief state school officers of Wyoming and Alaska at the White House. (Provided by the Office of Public Instruction.) On the invitation of President Donald Trump, Montana Superintendent of the Office of Public Instruction Susie Hedalen attended the president's signing of an executive order this week to close the Department of Education, OPI said in a news release. OPI said the move will return control of education back to states and local communities, and the president and Secretary of Education Linda McMahon have made it clear that key funding and grants for education will remain intact. In a statement, Hedalen thanked the president and secretary for their 'historic action' on Thursday. 'I want to make it clear that President Trump is working to return our education tax dollars to Montana's parents, teachers, and local communities who know what's best for their students,' said Hedalen, who took office in January. 'We don't need top-down mandates from D.C. bureaucrats. 'With today's (Thursday's) actions, and future efforts from the president and Congress, we can get more resources directly to Montana's classrooms, reduce burdensome federal reporting on schools, and get education back to basics.' OPI said the Trump administration made it clear 'that no formula funding or statutory grants that Montana schools rely on including Title I, Special Education, career and technical education, school nutrition, or others will be eliminated.' Hedalen 'represented one of the highest-ranking state education officials in the country to support the president in this historic shift to reduce federal bureaucracy in education and improve opportunities for students, teachers and families,' OPI said. The Trump administration already had reduced the number of employees at the Department of Education by roughly half prior to the order. The president alone cannot shutter the agency. In Montana, other education leaders have had different reactions to the steps the administration has taken to close the department. Roughly 12.5% of the state's education budget comes from the federal government. Lance Melton, head of the Montana School Boards Association, earlier said if federal funding to the state remains intact, the changes could be 'potentially innocuous.' However, Amanda Curtis, president of the Montana Federation of Public Employees, earlier said children soon will begin feeling the consequences of cuts because federal employees who calculate formulas and write checks for education have been laid off. In her statement, Hedalen said OPI is prepared to administer federal funds at the state level and asked for support from other leaders in the field. 'I am proud that Montana is leading the charge, and I encourage my education colleagues to join me in moving forward with a positive vision for the future of education in our state and country,' she said. In an email to the Daily Montana about the trip, OPI communications and policy advisor McKenna Gregg said she herself also accompanied the superintendent to Washington, D.C., in her capacity as communications director. 'While we do not have an exact cost for the trip, all state travel procedures were followed,' Gregg said. 'The superintendent took the most affordable economy flight available from Montana to Washington, D.C.' Hedalen had phone conversations with members of the congressional delegation while she was in D.C., Gregg said. Hedalen also met with them last month in Montana to talk about possible changes at the Department of Education and other education priorities they share, such as school safety and military family support, OPI said. Republicans U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy, Reps. Ryan Zinke and Troy Downing were in Helena last month to address the Montana Legislature. 'We also reached out to (Council of Chief State School Officers), which is the nonpartisan group of state education officials with staff based in D.C. that provide state education leaders with collaborative opportunities,' Gregg said of the trip. '(Hedalen) was joined by the Wyoming and Alaska state education leaders at the executive order signing.' Hedalen was back at work in Montana on Friday.
