GREAT FALLS
The Montana Board of Public Education says nearly 30 percent of the state's public schools are failing to meet accreditation standards, in large part because teachers are conducting classes in areas outside their expertise. Educators from rural schools, especially, say they are failing to meet standards because they don't have the money to recruit the most qualified teachers. "We're having a very hard time recruiting and retaining teachers. The pay is a major issue," said Yvette Majerus, superintendent in Moore, where the district's starting salary is $22,185. Many rural schools say losing some of their accreditation status is the price they have to pay to fill specialized positions where they're unable to recruit a qualified teacher, especially when summer rolls around and they don't have someone in physical or technical education or music. "There just isn't the pool out there to draw from," said Scott Chauvet, Fort Benton superintendent. "(Rural schools) are going to be the last to get to fill their positions. So in turn, you get desperate, and you need somebody. You need a person to fill the class, so you take the ding and try and make it work. In a lot of instances, you put a good person in there; they just don't have the state certification." Kirk Miller, Bozeman superintendent of schools, is a member of the state board who deals with accreditation. He says the number of schools with non-licensed teachers across the state has tripled in the past year from 31 to 86. School leaders in rural communities think the number of schools not meeting all accrediting standards is only going to get worse. "It's very difficult to recruit teachers right now considering our funding structure," said Wade Johnson, superintendent of Cut Bank schools. In Cut Bank, a starting teacher earns $25,000, but Johnson said that hasn't been enough to recruit teachers to the town, not far from Glacier National Park. Right now the school district has an opening for an elementary school music teacher, which Johnson said will probably be filled by a teacher without the proper endorsement if the right person doesn't apply. (AP)
