Montana Office of Public Instruction records, 1910-2016

Historical Note: The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction is an elected executive position in the state of Montana. The Superintendent oversees primary and secondary schools in the state, and their responsibilities include teacher certification; enforcing state school laws; equalizing school districts' budgets; overseeing higher and vocational education institutions; and standardizing basic curriculum and texts. The Superintendent also serves on the State Board of Land Commissioners and the State Board of Public Education.

Click here to access a complete list of former Montana Superintendents of Public Instruction.

Historical Note: Prior to 1972, the Superintendent of Public Instruction oversaw the accreditation of teacher and administrator training programs. In 1972, the new Montana Constitution established the Board of Public Education to oversee accreditation programs in the state, in conjunction with the Superintendent.

Historical Note: In 1895, County Superintendents of Instruction, under the State Superintendent of Instruction's supervision, were required by law to hold public examinations for teacher certification. In 1913, a State Board of Educational Examiners was created to provide rules for issuing teachers' certificates, prepare the certification exam, and oversee its grading. In 1949, the board was abolished, and these duties were transferred back to the Superintendent of Public Instruction. In 1972, the Board of Public Education assumed responsibility for the implementation of the teacher certification system. The Board also considers the suspension or revocation of teacher certificates and hear appeals from the denial of teacher certificates.

Historical Note: In 1951, the Montana Legislative Assembly enacted a law authorizing a continuing program of conservation education in public elementary and high schools. The program was implemented in 1957 when the Conservation Education Division was established, through a grant from the Montana Fish and Game Commission. Frank Dunkle administered the program, and over a two-year period, he developed study guides and conducted teacher institutes throughout the state. The program expired in August 1959, when the funds were not renewed.

Historical Note: The State Correspondence School was established by the 1939 Legislative Assembly to serve eighth-grade graduates who could not attend high school due to physical disability, geographic remoteness, or lack of specific classes at their local high school. In 1951, the program was expanded to include non-citizens seeking citizenship training and elementary school students; and in 1959 to include prison inmates. The school was closed around 1960.

Predecessor Agencies: State Board for Vocational Education; Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation; Division of Vocational Education; Vocational and Adult Services Division

Historical Note: Montana's vocational education program began in 1918 with the establishment of the State Board for Vocational Education. The following year the legislature adopted "An Act to Accept the Terms and Provisions of the Federal Act Giving Aid to the Several States for Vocational Education..." The program was administered under the State Board of Education and overseen by the Superintendent of Public Instruction. In 1947, the program became the Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation. In 1961, the functions were split as the Division of Vocational Education and the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.

Another aspect of vocational education fell under the Supervisor of Business and Office Education—a position that was established in 1946 under Department Superintendent of Public Instruction. The program operated under numerous different names and organizational structures, including Distributive and Office Education, Business and Distributive Education, and Distributive Education Services. The term "distributive education" referred to marketing, merchandising, and management education.

With the creation of the Montana Council on Vocational Education in 1985 to comply with the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act of 1984, the division became the Vocational and Adult Services Division. It was later renamed the Career, Technical and Adult Education Division.