Legislation also offers incentives for student achievement, housing help for costly districts 

By Keila Szpaller DAILY MONTANAN 

Molly Blakely has taught teachers in Montana, the “best and brightest,” and they’ve asked her what they can earn in the Treasure State. 

Blakely, who has been an adjunct instructor at the University of Montana for 18 years, said when she offers an honest answer to their questions in an interview prep class, the future teachers ask one question: “How do I get certified (to teach) in another state?” 

State institutions are doing great work training teachers, Blakely said, but Montana is losing them, and a bill to increase starting teacher pay would help. 

Blakely and other educators testified Wednesday before the House Education committee in favor of House Bill 252, the Student and Teacher Advancement for Results and Success, or STARS Act, intended to boost teacher pay. 

“Those teachers are leaving for one reason, and one reason only, and it’s for finances,” said Blakely, also superintendent of Hellgate Elementary School District in Missoula. 

In Lolo, Superintendent Dale Olinger said recruiting and retaining teachers is harder than it has ever been. Olinger said staff share housing to make ends meet, and many teachers work second jobs. 

“I have many staff with a side hustle,” Olinger said. “It used to be a joke. Now, it’s not.” 

In Montana, 26% of teachers work second jobs and earn an extra $4,700 on average, according to a Department of Labor and Industry Report from December 2024. The report said average earnings increase their pay by roughly 8%. 

Olinger said the STARS Act could mean another $185,000 for the moderately sized district, and it would also help special education cooperatives, which support multiple districts, and district clerks. 

Montana has struggled to offer starting teachers competitive pay. Legislation from 2023 tried to help, but just half of the school districts in Montana were able to tap into it last school year after the Office of Public Instruction bungled the data collection. 

According to the DLI report, Montana’s full-time entry-level teachers earned an average salary of $38,800 in the 2022-2023 school year. It’s less than the national average of $44,530 and ranks Montana 46th among states. 

Montana is also the lowest for starting teachers compared to surrounding states, the report said; Idaho is closest at $41,179, and Wyoming is highest, at $48,622. 

At the meeting, STARS Act sponsor and Rep. Llew Jones, R-Conrad, outlined the bill’s provisions to help teachers and students. 

The comprehensive legislation aims to not only boost new teacher pay, but close an inflation gap in public education, help districts in high-cost housing areas, and provide incentives to help students advance, among other provisions. 

The Coalition of Advocates for Montana Public Schools described the bill as a “pivotal advancement” in school funding, increasing base salaries for teachers, offering incentives to recruit and retain educators, and expanding learning opportunities for students. 

Teachers, parents, trustees, and other members of the public spilled into the hall in a room at the Capitol and testified remotely to support the bill. No one opposed it, although some said it could do more for veteran teachers and worried that a mechanism that ties funding to salary benchmarks could be a barrier for districts. 

Melissa Smith, representing the Kalispell Education Association, said her district has seen school levies fail, it faces a reduction in force, and recent contract negotiations hinge on approval of the bill. 

“We fought for months to raise teacher salaries, particularly for new educators,” said Smith, a teacher with Glacier High School. 

However, Smith said the district still faces a reduction in force, and she worries that if struggling districts can’t push up salaries the way the bill requires, they’ll miss out on funding. 

A voluntary incentive in the bill offers districts more money if they incrementally bump up starting teacher pay from 62% to 70% of their average pay, a tool designed to decrease the wide salary spread between newer and experienced teachers in Montana. 

According to Lance Melton, the executive director of the Montana School Boards Association, other states that rank similarly in both starting teacher salaries and average teacher salaries typically compensate beginning teachers at approximately 70% of the average salary for teachers overall. Melton testified on behalf of the Coalition of Advocates for Montana’s Public Schools. 

Although Smith raised a concern about the bill, she said the association supports the legislation. 

“The Kalispell Education Association believes House Bill 252 has the potential to uplift Montana schools and provide increased opportunity for our students and their learning,” Smith said. 

The Montana Federation of Public Employees also spoke for it. 

Supporters came from schools and government agencies, a nonprofit group that supports public education, and one focused on limited government. They included newly sworn Superintendent of Public Instruction Susie Hedalen, Commissioner of Labor Sarah Swanson, and the Governor’s Office. 

Dylan Klapmeier, education and workforce policy advisor for Gov. Greg Gianforte, said the Governor’s Office committed $100 million to increase teacher pay and raise student outcomes as reflected in the bill. In particular, Klapmeier praised the focus on helping students get a jump start on college and careers. 

A fiscal analysis of the bill has been requested but is not yet available. 

The bill also aims to decrease disparities between educators in urban and rural areas. It offers tools such as stipends to help teachers with housing in costly districts; creates a school funding data dashboard for transparency; and offers incentives for districts to share resources, along with other proposals. 

Jacob Warner, a math teacher at Capital High School in Helena and recipient of a presidential award for excellence in teaching from the White House, said the STARS Act is a good first step to improving education. 

Warner said teachers have not had it easy lately. He said class sizes have gone up, teachers are being asked to teach extra, and inflation is eating at the budget. 

“Every spring, phenomenal teachers in my building get pink slips, causing uncertainty, stress for them, their families and their students,” Warner said. 

Although Warner said recruiting teachers is important, he said retaining veterans is critical too, and salaries for all teachers should be increased — but the money is not there. 

Warner said districts need dollars for other essentials, and his children’s school had to hold a fundraiser to fix a boiler. 

“A boiler is not a want. A boiler is a need,” Warner said. 

In response to questions from Rep. Melissa Romano, D-Helena, Jane Shawn, a union president in Helena, estimated one-third or so of teachers hold second jobs. She said it’s not just the younger ones, but teachers with as many as 35 years of experience who have “side hustles.” 

The DLI report said the rate of teachers who work other jobs is consistent across district size, and teachers who leave the profession earn higher wages in other industries. It also said teachers are more likely than other workers to hold more than one job. 

In Eureka, Superintendent Joel Graves said the district interviewed a teacher for construction in CTE, career and technical education, one who would have been a great fit for the community, but they couldn’t agree on a salary or find the candidate a place to live. 

The district started building tiny houses for teachers, but school districts can’t afford to stay in that business, and he said the bill will help. 

Steve Thennis, with MOFE, Montanans Organized for Education, praised the support for educational costs such as advanced placement exams and incentives for housing. 

“In my time as an administrator, I lost countless candidates for open positions due to their inability to find affordable housing,” said Thennis, who worked in Helena. 

Keaton Sunchild, with Western Native Voice, said the bill will help rural schools and many on reservations. He said it supports language immersion and Montana Indian Education for All, “programs that in the past have been neglected or left behind.” 

Charlie Snellman, a student and member of the Helena Public Schools Board of Trustees, said he will attend Johns Hopkins University next year for a double major in violin and cello performance and molecular biology, with a goal to attend medical school. 

Snellman said his opportunities have been “phenomenal.” However, he also said struggling teachers hurt student morale and have a detrimental effect on their educational experience, and high turnover makes it difficult to develop relationships with them. 

“I’ve had the pleasure of maintaining great relationships with my teachers throughout my high school career, and have been given excellent opportunities, and I only hope that students after me will be given the same opportunities,” Snellman said. 

In Havre, Tim Scheele said he’s a trustee and parent, and he said if teachers have to get second jobs just to afford to feed themselves, they will be less focused on students. Scheele also said turnover means teachers don’t get to know a community. 

“The more turnover you have, the less dynamic your teaching staff can be,” Scheele said. 

The Frontier Institute’s Kendall Cotton said his organization is conservative but supports the bill because it puts money where it should go, to teachers, and not just to things like facilities. Cotton said he hopes student achievement increases as a result. 

In response to questions about the lack of funds for more experienced teachers in the bill, Jones said resources are scarce, and the bill is targeted, designed to improve a persistent problem in Montana of low pay for starting teachers. 

Jones said school boards have local control, and they are free to increase pay for teachers at the higher end as they wish. However, he said those who want money from the legislation will bring the bottom up. 

“We’ve been cannibalizing young teachers for a long time. It’s time we stop,” Jones said. 

The committee didn’t take immediate action on the bill.