Board will review requests to vary from state standards

The state superintendent of public instruction announced Tuesday she has appointed the members to a board that will review requests under a change in state policy adopted last fall — the ability for schools to make exceptions from the state's normal requirements.

"This is an opportunity for our public schools to think outside the box and create new strategies that meet the needs of today's 21st century learners, while still maintaining the high quality education that Montana parents and communities have come to expect from our public schools," state superintendent Denise Juneau said in a release announcing the appointments.

Variances from state standards also has been a hot topic in the Legislature this session, with several bills proposed allowing the creation of charter schools operating outside of existing state standards — under current law, charter schools would have to meet the standards and state teacher requirements — or creating tax credits or state-funded savings accounts to provide education outside of existing public schools.

Juneau said in an interview last November that the changes to the state regulations allowing variances was a recommendation of a task force including educators, administrators, parents and representatives of other groups.

The Montana Board of Public Education approved the changes last September.

Juneau said in November that the new regulations take more into account the performance of schools — if a school is meeting state requirements, it can ask for a variance, perhaps not having as many librarians as required under state standards or having a larger class size.

That puts more authority into the hands of the local schools, she added.

The release issued Tuesday says the new board will meet twice a year to review variance request, and will hold its first meeting in April. The board's recommendations will be approved, modified or rejected by the state superintendent.

The due date for the first requests for variances to standards is July 1.

The board consists of one school trustee, one district superintendent, one high school principal, one elementary principal, two high school teachers and two elementary school teachers.

Potential members were nominated by MEA-MFT, Montana Rural Education Association, Montana Small Schools Alliance, School Administrators of Montana and Montana School Boards Association, and Juneau appointed the eight members from those nominations.

"I am looking forward to seeing the innovative ideas that come from Montana's public schools to meet the needs of their students and communities," Juneau said in Tuesday's release.

Members of the Variances to Standards Review Board:

Fred Anderson, North Middle School principal, Great Falls

Mona Bilden, Miles City Public Schools elementary teacher, Miles City

Mary Jo Bremner, Browning High School teacher, Browning

John Fleming, St. Ignatius High School teacher, St. Ignatius

Paul Furthmyre, Anaconda High School principal, Anaconda

Anne Keith, Hyalite Elementary instructional coach, Bozeman

Tony Kloker, Montana City Elementary School superintendent, Montana City

Lance Voegele, Belgrade Public Schools trustee, Belgrade