Governor Gianforte places School Choice Week at the center of Montana’s education agenda, with a clear focus on parents, students, and strong Montana schools.
Governor Gianforte and School Choice Week in Montana
Governor Gianforte honored School Choice Week in Helena by highlighting the role of parents in choosing the best learning path for their children. He stressed that parents know their children’s strengths and needs, so education policy must respect their judgment.
The Montana Governor officially proclaimed January 25 to 31 as School Choice Week across the state. This proclamation encourages families to explore all school options in Montana, from neighborhood public schools to more flexible arrangements such as online learning or home-based education.
How Montana School Choice Week supports families
National School Choice Week helps parents understand K‑12 options in clear, practical ways. In Montana, schools and community groups organize school celebrations to present programs, answer questions, and create direct contact between families and educators.
From public events in Helena to information sessions in rural towns, families receive guidance on traditional public schools, charters, private schools, online programs, and home education. These School Choice Week activities aim to reduce confusion and give each parent a starting point for informed decisions.
You see similar approaches in other states where leaders promote choice and scholarships. For example, this analysis on school choice benefits in Oklahoma shows how more options help match students with the right learning environment.
Education policy changes for Montana school options
Recent education policy reforms in Montana focus on both freedom for families and support for teachers. Governor Gianforte signed laws that expand the number of learning models inside the public system while keeping strong accountability.
These reforms give Montana schools more flexibility to design programs that fit local needs, including specialized curricula and different schedules. Families who once felt stuck with one option now face a much wider menu of school choice opportunities.
Charter schools and community choice schools in Montana
In 2023, Governor Gianforte signed two key laws that opened the door to new types of public schools. The first law authorized charter schools with clear performance contracts, while the second created community choice schools driven by local needs and parent input.
For a family like the fictional Johnsons in Billings, this means their daughter with a strong interest in science can enroll in a charter focused on STEM, while their son who learns better in small groups can join a community choice school with project-based learning. One household, two different public options, both funded and accountable.
Other states follow similar directions. National debates around the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on school choice show how federal policy connects to state-level efforts like those in Montana.
To see how a wide range of schools influences student outcomes, you can look at this broader review of schools and student learning environments, which highlights how structure and flexibility affect achievement.
Tax credit scholarships and Montana School Choice Week
A major step for school choice in Montana is the decision to opt into the Federal Tax Credit Scholarship Program. Governor Gianforte announced this ahead of School Choice Week, tying state action to national attention on education freedom.
Starting January 1, 2027, Montanans who donate to approved nonprofits that fund K‑12 scholarships receive a federal tax credit. Those nonprofits then award scholarships to eligible students so they access a wider set of school options, including private schools or specialized programs that fit specific needs.
How tax credit scholarships help Montana families
Consider Maria, a single parent in Great Falls with a middle-school son who struggles in large classes. With a tax credit scholarship, she can move him to a smaller private school focused on literacy support. The donation-funded scholarship covers a portion of tuition, while her family budget covers the rest.
These scholarships do not remove resources from public schools. Instead they add a new funding stream through private donations encouraged by tax credits. That structure broadens school choice without cutting into the core budget of existing Montana schools.
For context on national scholarship debates, see this overview of recent school choice victories linked to federal leaders, which explains how tax credit models evolved in Congress and in the courts.
Supporting Montana teachers through education policy
Strong school choice systems rely on strong teachers. Early in his term, Governor Gianforte introduced the TEACH Act, short for Tomorrow’s Educators Are Coming Home Act. The goal is simple and direct: help school districts raise starting teacher pay and attract new talent.
In the first year, nearly 500 new teachers in Montana began their careers with support from this program. Later funding increases and the STARS Act, which invests around 100 million dollars in teacher pay incentives, send a clear message that education quality depends on respected, fairly paid educators.
Why teacher support matters for school choice
Parents look for options, but they also look for stable adult mentors in every setting. A charter school with high turnover or an online program with minimal contact does not give students the steady support they need. Higher starting pay and mentorship programs reduce turnover and keep experienced teachers in Montana classrooms.
A rural student in a small town feels the impact when her favorite math teacher stays instead of leaving for a higher-paying job in another state. Her consistent relationship with that teacher often matters as much as the specific curriculum. Here, education policy around pay directly shapes the quality of each school option.
At the same time, families weigh work, finances, and learning. Some even ask if early retirement or career changes will affect their children’s future. A broad look at early retirement decisions versus education priorities shows how family choices intersect with school planning.
Exploring Montana school options during School Choice Week
For many parents, School Choice Week becomes the first time they seriously compare all available Montana school options. To make this process clearer, it helps to break the landscape into simple categories with practical examples.
Each type of school has strengths and trade-offs. The goal is not to find a perfect model, but to find the right match for your child’s learning style, values, and daily life.
Main K‑12 school choice options in Montana
Use the list below as a quick guide during School Choice Week in Montana when you explore opportunities for your child.
- Traditional public schools: Neighborhood schools funded by the state, offering a broad curriculum and sports; good for families who want stability close to home.
- Public charter schools: Independent public schools with performance contracts; strong fit for students needing focused programs, such as STEM or arts.
- Community choice schools: Locally driven schools with more flexibility; ideal for communities that want to align schooling with local culture or industry.
- Private schools: Tuition-based schools, often with specific missions or faith traditions; scholarships and tax credit programs help lower-income families access them.
- Online schools: State-approved virtual programs; work well for students with health issues, intensive sports schedules, or those living far from larger towns.
- Home education: Parent-directed learning at home; fits families who want full control over curriculum and pace, though it requires strong planning.
- Non-traditional models: Hybrid programs, co-ops, or microschools; blend in-person and home learning and suit families seeking flexibility.
When you review these choices, ask where your child feels safe, engaged, and challenged. That guiding question helps you look beyond labels and focus on daily experiences.
Parents, students, and the human side of Montana School Celebrations
Behind every policy change and School Choice Week event, there are families with complex stories. Some parents feel relief when they discover a better fit school. Others struggle with transportation, tuition gaps, or limited local choices in rural areas.
Think of Ethan, a high school student in eastern Montana who spends long hours on the bus. When his district partners with an online provider, he gains new classes without adding travel. That shift turns his evenings from exhausted homework sessions into balanced time for rest and family.
Learning from other education stories worldwide
Montana debates do not happen in isolation. Around the globe, education systems face pressure from conflict, technology, and social change. For example, this report on children in Gaza attending tent schools shows how access to any stable classroom becomes a lifeline in crisis.
At the same time, new risks appear in digital life. Online extortion cases in schools, described in a review of online sextortion incidents in West Virginia schools, remind Montana parents that school choice also involves questions about safety, privacy, and digital literacy.
Home education brings its own pressures. The piece on hidden struggles of home-schooled students underlines how parents must watch for isolation, mental health issues, and gaps in social skills, even when academics look strong.
Why School Choice Week matters beyond policy
By honoring School Choice Week in Montana, Governor Gianforte brings public attention to daily decisions made in kitchens, school offices, and community centers. Families weigh bus routes, tuition, teacher quality, sports, and long-term goals.
Strong education policy supports those decisions instead of replacing them. When you explore school choice for your child, you participate in a larger movement to align Montana’s education system with student needs and family values, one choice at a time.