Consider the value of your public school in your community

I pen this letter upon return from a 1,700-mile journey to communities across the state and numerous hours of phone and online communications these past two weeks with administrators in Montana’s public schools. The purpose of that travel and communications was to get a sense from our school leaders about the opening of the 2021-22 school year in our schools and communities all across the state. What I learned is that each community’s education team has joyously opened school with students returning with the energy and enthusiasm a new school year always brings.

I also learned that it...