Every Montanan helps pay for our public schools, and that’s how it should be. Montana’s constitution commits the state to a system of free, quality public schools and gives the Legislature the job of funding it. So the question in Helena is whether every dollar we spend buys the best option available. I want the public school down the street to be the first choice for every family in the Heights.

Here is what good governance of our public schools looks like to me.

Parents at the center

Parents know their children best. A parent with a question about their own child deserves a clear answer, and a school with enough people on staff to give one. Montana already builds that partnership into how schools run: elected local school boards, open meetings, public budgets, and the right of any parent to show up and be heard. I’ll work to keep those decisions close to home and to fund schools well enough that teachers and counselors have time for the families they serve.

The basics, taught well

Reading, writing, and math come first. Strong teaching depends on strong teachers, and Montana has ranked at or near the bottom of the country for starting teacher pay for years. In 2025, lawmakers from both parties passed the STARS Act to raise starting pay, and school leaders across the state say it is already helping them fill classrooms. I’ll vote to keep that commitment funded and keep strong teachers in Montana classrooms. Raising starting teacher pay is one place where the candidates agree.

Accountability for every public dollar

Accountability belongs everywhere public money goes. Our public schools follow state standards, test students, publish their results, and answer to a board that voters elect. When the state directs public money toward other programs, through tax credits or education savings accounts, families and taxpayers deserve the same transparency about standards and results. Holding every public dollar to the same rules is basic fairness.

Funding that keeps pace with real costs

Schools pay today’s prices for heat, buses, insurance, and salaries. The 2025 Legislature passed an inflation adjustment for schools and created a process to compare school funding against actual costs. That is a solid start. I’ll push for state funding that keeps up with those real costs, so the state carries its full share and local property taxpayers carry less of the load.

Spend it on what works

When we have a dollar to spend on education, I want it to go where it does the most good: early reading, counselors, career and technical training that prepares students for good jobs here in Montana, and teachers who stay. Our public schools serve the most Montana kids and carry the strongest accountability, and they deserve our best investment.

Our schools, our say

I raised my family and built my business here in the Heights. Our public schools belong to all of us, and I’d be honored to help make them the best option in Montana. I’d love to hear what you would add.