Jan. 2017
It appears newly elected Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Artnzen may have terminated one of the Office of Public Instruction’s most effective programs: Graduation Matters.
Earlier, an Arntzen staffer said the program was being “phased out.” Then another staffer said it wasn’t being phased out. The next day, Graduation Matters disappeared from the OPI web site.
Started by former superintendent Denise Juneau, Graduation Matters brought together business people, parents, educators, and other community members from all walks of life and all political persuasions to help our students succeed.
The program is credited with raising Montana’s high school graduation rate from 80% to 86% in just a few years.