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Montana State Board Of Education records, 1893-1971

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Montana. State Board of Education
Title
Montana State Board Of Education records
Dates
1893-1971 (inclusive)
Quantity
7 linear ft
Collection Number
RS 503 (Formerly RS 35)
Summary
This collection is a subgroup (years 1893-1971) of the Montana State Board of Education records. Please see the primary finding aid for more Montana State Board of Education records. These records (1893-1971) consist of minutes, including resolutions, financial reports of the Board, the school for the deaf and blind, and vocational schools, graduation lists, proposed legislation, and correspondence; reports; and miscellany, including a register of certified teachers. These records also contain materials from the State Board of Educational Examiners which consist of minutes, including lists of certified teachers.
Repository
Montana Historical Society, Library & Archives
Montana Historical Society Research Center Archives
225 North Roberts
PO Box 201201
Helena MT
59620-1201
Telephone: 4064442681
Fax: 4064445297
mhslibrary@mt.gov
Access Restrictions

Collection open for research

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Historical Note

The 1889 Montana Constitution established the State Board of Education as the governing body for all state educational institutions, including the state university. However, the Board was not functional until 1893, when the Legislative Assembly set its official powers and duties. The Board was composed of eleven members, including the Governor, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Attorney General, and had control and supervision over the University of Montana, Montana State Normal College, Agricultural College of Montana, State Orphan's Home, Montana State School of Mines, School for the Deaf and Blind, and the State Reform School.

The duties of the Board consisted of creating rules and regulations for the government of state educational institutions, granting diplomas to graduates of those institutions, issuing state and life diplomas or certification, accrediting private and public high schools, and administering funds from the State Board of Land Commissioners or other sources. In 1959, the duties of the Board were expanded to include serving as the ex-officio board of regents of the University of Montana.

In 1923, the Legislative Assembly created the State Board of Educational Examiners, which was to be composed of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, one member from the faculty of one of the component institutions of the University of Montana, one county superintendent of schools, one high school principal, and one district superintendent. The duties of this board consisted of providing rules and regulations for the issuance of all teachers' certificates. These rules were subject to the approval of the State Board of Education. The board disbanded in 1949 and their duties returned to the State Board of Education.

The Montana State Board of Education is composed of the Board of Public Education and the Board of Regents as specified by article X, section 9, subsection (1) of the 1972 Montana Constitution. The Board of Public Education and the Board of Regents meet together as the State Board of Education and are responsible for long-range planning, and for coordinating and evaluating policies and programs for the state’s educational systems. As of 2025, the State Board of Education is still composed of the Board of Public Education and the Board of Regents of Higher Education.

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Content Description

This collection consists of the records of the State Board of Education and a subgroup of records of the State Board of Educational Examiners. Records of the State Board of Education consist of minutes, which include resolutions, financial and other reports of the Board, the Deaf and Blind School, and vocational schools, graduation lists from state colleges and universities, proposed legislation, and correspondence. The records also include reports, consisting of the 1895 annual report to the Governor, the 1895 report of the Executive Board of the State Agricultural College, and quarterly reports of the Montana School for the Deaf and Blind in Great Falls. Also included is a register of certified teachers, listing teachers who received their life diplomas and state diplomas. The State Board of Educational Examiners subgroup contains minutes of the board, including lists of certified teachers.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical Society. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collection. In some cases permission for use may require additional authorization from the copyright owners. For more information contact an archivist.

Preferred Citation

Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Library & Archives, Helena, Montana.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

This collection is arranged by subgroup and then series

Location of Collection

18:6-5

Processing Note

In 2025, the various collections of the Montana State Board of Education were integrated under one collection identifier, RS 503, in order to help facilitate access, reduce redundancy in the Montana Historical Society catalog, and to follow best archival practices.

Collections from the Montana State Board of Education that were previously treated as separate entities are now integrated into this collection, RS 503. Rather than reprocessing over 18 linear feet of State Board of Education materials, MTHS staff decided to keep the past arrangement of those collections/finding aids, and provide access to them via links through the central finding aid. This decision has allowed the MTHS archival staff to maintain intellectual control over the collection, while removing the need to reprocess it. It also keeps State Agency finding aids at manageable sizes. Please read the scope and content note carefully to determine if this subgroup/sub-subgroup pertains to your research needs.

Acquisition Information

Acquisition information is available upon request.

Related Materials

Please see RS 503 Subgroup 2 for State Board of Education records, 1971-2005.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection

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Subject Terms

  • School management and organization--Montana
  • Teachers--Certification--Montana
  • Vocational education--Montana

Finding aid prepared by MTHS Staff; Updated by Lindsey Mick
2004; 2025

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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