Election 2024 breakdown: Office of Public Instruction (2024)

We’re bringing you coverage of all the major political races this year. MTPR’s Corin Cates-Carney sat down with reporter Austin Amestoy to break down the race for Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Corin: Alright, Austin, what should we know about race to lead Montana’s K-12 public schools?

Austin: Well, Corin, this election for Superintendent of Public Instruction is an interesting one because it’s wide open – current state superintendent Elsie Arntzen is terming out after 8 years. Now, we’ve got two Republicans and one Democrat vying for that seat.

Corin: Who put their names in the hat?

Austin: Both Republican candidates formerly served as deputy state superintendent under Elsie Arntzen. There’s Susie Hedalen, a current school administrator in Townsend, and Sharyl Allen, most recently superintendent of Harrison Public School District.

There’s one Democrat seeking the office — current state senator from Missoula Shannon O’Brien. She served as dean of Missoula College and was an education policy advisor to former Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock.

To talk about these candidates, Corin, I thought it would be interesting to drill down on some of their catchy campaign messaging and go a little deeper on what those slogans actually mean.

Corin: I like the sound of that. Let’s start with Susie Hedalen. What can you tell us about her?

Austin: Besides leading Townsend Public Schools as superintendent, Hedalen is Vice President of the Board of Public Education, which works alongside the state Superintendent to shape education policy.

Gov. Gianforte appointed her to that position, and Hedalen has his endorsem*nt, as well as backing from other Republicans including Attorney General Austin Knudsen, and Rep. Ryan Zinke.

I want to play you a clip from her campaign launch video, and then we’ll talk about it:

Hedalen Ad: “I’m running for Montana’s Superintendent of Public Instruction to bring education back to basics.”

Corin: “Bring education back to basics” — what does Hedalen mean by that?

Austin: Well, Hedalen told me in our interview it means she’ll prioritize boosting Montana students’ lagging scores in reading, math and science.

Hedalen: “Make sure those are the focus, and that we’re not teaching things that encroach on family values.”

Corin: What did Heldan mean on that last point?

Austin: I asked her about that in our interview.

Austin: “What does it mean to you for schools, you know, to be teaching things that ‘encroach on family values?’ Can you give some examples of that?”

Hedalen: “Yeah, there is a lot going on out there in the nation and that we're seeing in other states that parents are worried about, and I believe that we can be transparent in Montana.”

Austin: Hedalen didn’t give any specific examples of how Montana schools may be teaching things that encroach on family values.

Corin: What else should we know about Susie Hedalen, Austin?

Austin: Well, like every candidate in this race, she’s identified improving teacher recruitment and retention as a key goal.

Hedalen says she supports the TEACH Act as a way to boost pay — that’s a policy backed by Gov. Gianforte that offers financial incentives for schools to raise starting salaries. She says schools need more guidance to make the most of the incentives, which she says she will provide.

Hedalen also supports Montana’s new public charter schools, and just went through the process of approving them on the Board of Public Education. She *didn’t give a “yes or no” answer when I asked her whether she supports using taxpayer dollars to fund “community choice schools.” A law approving those schools is tied up in court right now, with plaintiffs arguing the schools would be publicly funded, but essentially “private.”

Hedalen: “I do believe that parents should have the choice and option to choose the best education for their students. My job as a state Superintendent of Public Instruction is to make sure that our public schools are as strong as they can be.”

Corin: Let’s pivot to the other Republican in the primary race Sharyl Allen. How is she setting herself apart?

Austin: Well, here’s the first thing Allen said in her campaign announcement video online:

Allen Campaign Video: “I am running for the state Superintendent of Public Instruction for one reason: we are losing our children.”

Austin: And here’s what Allen told me when I asked her about that statement. We talked over a pretty shaky cell signal. Allen said she was driving to a campaign event.

Allen: “We're in the battle for the hearts and minds of our kids; we're in the battle over gender identification. Most importantly, we're in battles over the disengagement that is happening with our youth.”

Austin: Much of Allen’s campaign language is similar to that of Christian conservative groups. Campaign tenets on her website include teaching children, in her words, their “true identity as a child of God.”

Corin: Do Allen’s religious views come into play in her policy standpoints?

Austin: Allen told me her administration as state Superintendent would “clearly delineate” what “separation of church and state” does and doesn’t mean. She cited some Supreme Court precedents that reinforced the right of students to hold and express private religious views in school. Allen said she would ensure students are taught about those rights.

Corin: What are Allen’s positions on education policy?

Austin: Well, Allen did offer more specific policy proposals than either of her opponents during our interview. She said she would advocate that lawmakers pass a universal salary schedule for Montana teachers to help raise starting pay. Allen also proposed working with teachers and tribes to develop Indian Education for All curriculum schools could use, rather than needing to develop them locally.

Corin: Allen will have to face Susie Hedalen in the June primary. But, you said Hedalen has a lot of Republican backing. How is Allen contending with that?

Austin: Allen says she’s traveling the state for a “grassroots” campaign. But, she’s massively behind in fundraising. I should also note that voters searching Allen online are likely to find a story from Missoulian reporter David Erickson published last fall. Erickson reported that Allen left leadership roles at multiple school districts over her career under “contentious” circ*mstances. I asked Allen to respond to that story, and here’s what she said.

Allen: “When you are in a school leadership role and when you have very specific goals that are set by the board to pursue, they don't always end up with you being the best friend of people.”

Austin: Allen said she stands by her work in those schools. One other thing we need to note, here — Allen is facing a misdemeanor charge of “obstructing a peace officer or other public servant” in Madison County. The charge came on April 22nd, after our interview. Allen allegedly prevented state investigators from interviewing students at Harrison School who may have been victims of a crime. She’s pleaded not guilty, and we’ll be following that case as it develops.

Corin: Let’s move on to the candidate we haven’t discussed yet, Shannon O’Brien. She’s running unopposed in the primary?

Austin: That’s right — O’Brien will face Allen or Hedalen in the general election this fall. And, she’s positioning herself as someone who can bring change to the Office of Public Instruction. Here’s what she says right out of the gate in her campaign announcement video.

O’Brien Campaign Video: “It’s been a rough go for Montana students and teachers. Our children, our families, our communities and our public school teachers need and deserve better.”

Austin: In our interview, O’Brien was critical of Elsie Arntzen’s leadership as state Superintendent.

O’Brien: “Over the course of the last eight years, the Office of Public Instruction has been all but decimated, and that is not acceptable. That's not government supporting constituents.”

Austin: In fact, although she’s not running against Elsie Arntzen, setting herself apart from the current superintendent is a significant part of O’Brien’s pitch to voters. At a fundraising dinner for Montana Democratic candidates earlier this year, O’Brien opened with a joke.

O’Brien: “Knock knock.”

Crowd: “Who’s there?”

O’Brien: “Orange.”

Crowd: “‘Orange’ who?”

O’Brien: “‘Orange’ you glad I’m not Elsie Arntzen?”

Austin: As she campaigns, O’Brien is also touting her background as a high school teacher and her policy experience with former Gov. Bullock and as a lawmaker. She says one of her top priorities will be ensuring OPI is responsive to questions and concerns from schools statewide.

Corin: What did O’Brien tell you about her policy priorities?

Austin: Like Hedalen, one of O’Brien’s focuses is on early childhood learning, and especially literacy. She’s also identified the teacher shortage as an issue, and she said she thinks the best solutions will have to come from a local level. O’Brien said she’ll study local solutions to providing teacher housing, and explore replicating that at a statewide level.

She’s also critical of the state’s current funding formula for schools. Lawmakers are set to convene next year to review that formula, and O’Brien said she’ll advocate that they raise an inflationary cap on school budget growth, which she said has fallen behind rising prices. Her opponents also told me they support revisions to the school funding formula.

O'Brien also rebuked recent efforts by state Republicans to create “community choice schools” and school vouchers.

O’Brien: “There is no role for school privatization, or your taxpayer dollars going toward private schools. Period.”

Austin: O’Brien, Hedalen and Allen all responded to a Q&A form MTPR sent that goes a little deeper into their views and policy ideas. Those responses are on mtpr.org.

Corin: Austin, thanks for the breakdown.

Austin: You bet.