It is an exciting time for Montana’s educational system. All facets of Montana’s education preparedness and delivery have been or are being re-analyzed. Study and coordination on three educational fronts over the past 18 months, has brought into focus the new buzz-word, seamless-education. The term’s primary message is the encouragement to think of preparation and readiness for the next level of education. We are re-thinking educational from top to bottom.
Montana’s School Boards, parents, Board of Education, Supreme Court, and Legislature have created the underpinnings for a system of high quality K-12 education. My committee on education initiated the legislative process by creating a definition of education. Post-session, I was appointed to the interim subcommittee on higher education (PEPB) that includes Regents, and the Governor’s office, where we negotiated strategies that included, among others, reducing potential tuition costs, improving transferability of credits, and introducing performance measures.
At the other end of the learning spectrum, participating in the recent Governor’s School Readiness Summit, we heard that he in consultation with a full array of national education experts, found unanimous agreement that the best investment in education is in the support of child-parent services from age zero-five. The summit brought together community teams from across Montana to define and coordinate appropriate services for the zero to five group, most of which currently exist in some form.
Parents, and others helping to better prepare children for school, will lessen the strain on the K-12 system by reducing the decline in academic performance that begins to appear for some by age 9. This group it is found were often not ready for school and gradually fall behind. Expanding kindergarten availability will be part of the bridge to better success. Additionally, the K-12 system, and parents, will need to reinforce preparedness in life skills and focus on successful work-force entry as well as two and four year higher-ed program entry.
Inherent in this discussion are the costs of implementing an improved system. There will be considerable competitive pressure on the legislature from sectors of this educational continuum for more financial support. Much of this will be well justified, but contrary to political rhetoric now heating up, we will have a difficult balancing act in meeting other absolute financial obligations and all the needs of education even in a surplus year. Ongoing expenses of education should be funded with revenues that are also thought to be ongoing or we will find ourselves forced to either cut programs later or raise taxes.
The primary reason for hope and excitement is that we find people pulling together toward the common goal of helping develop the full potential of our people, which in turn insures Montana’s future. The key ingredient is rediscovering that a child’s future is very significantly affected by the circumstances of the first five years of life.
Senator Bob Hawks
District 33
Education and Cultural Resources Committee
Post-Secondary Education Policy and Budget Subcommittee
Bozeman Committee of Governor’s School Readiness Summit.
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