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.
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.
This collection is arranged by subgroup and then series
Collection open for research
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.
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
Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Library & Archives, Helena, Montana.
Acquisition information is available upon request.
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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the Montana Historical Society Archives catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search under these terms.
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection