MONTANA BOARD OF PUBLIC EDUCATION
Board of Public Education
The Board of Public Education has a mission statement as directed by Article X, Section 9 of the Montana Constitution that states, "There is a board of public education to exercise general supervision over the public school system and such other public educational institutions as may be assigned by law". The Board of Public Education was established to supervise, serve, maintain, and strengthen Montana's system of free quality public elementary and secondary schools.
The Board consists of seven members appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate to staggered seven-year terms. By statute, the Governor must appoint no more than four members from one of the two commission districts and no more than four members from the same political party. Current Board members are:
Madalyn Quinlan, Chair, Helena
Susie Hedalen, Vice Chair, Townsend
Ron Slinger, Miles City
Anne Keith, Bozeman
Jane Lee Hamman, Clancy
Dr. Tim Tharp, Savage
Renee Rasmussen, Clancy
Gavin Mow, Student Representative, Helena
In addition to the constitutional mandate to exercise general supervision of Montana public schools, the Board is assigned specific powers and duties by the Montana Legislature in 20-2-121, MCA.
The Board has worked with the Education Interim Committee and Education Interim Budget Committee to produce the following reports and budget relevant to the 2023 Legislative Session: