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Montana families deserve choice school options: opinion

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Montana families deserve choice school options: opinion


Families across the country have long benefited from the ability to attend a public charter school if they determined that was the best option for their children. Montana parents, however, have been stymied until recently when lawmakers finally stepped up. The Montana Legislature in 2023 passed two charter options for public education – HB 562 and HB 549. HB 562, the Community Choice Schools Act, is one of the strongest charter school laws in the country.

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Public charter schools, called “Choice Schools” under Montana’s unique framework, are tuition-free public schools that are publicly funded but independently run. Choice Schools are granted flexibility from traditional public school regulations to build a learning environment and curriculum that fits the needs of their students. Choice Schools are subject to a contract that includes ongoing general government supervision, performance monitoring, and oversight. If Choice Schools don’t perform, they will be closed.

As they have done in nearly every state that has voted to launch public charter schools, the education establishment has sued to prevent implementation of HB 562 and deny families this important option.

This is why our organizations joined together to file an amicus brief in the case of Felchle v. Montana, to defend Choice Schools as an option for Montana families.

It’s abundantly clear that Montana’s Community Choice Schools Act (CCSA) is constitutional, consistent with charter school programs in other states, and will enable quality public education options for students. This is why we’re asking the court to uphold the Community Choice Schools Act and preserve this opportunity for Montana communities to expand the local public education system with student-centered Choice Schools.

Our amicus brief emphasizes three key points:

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Constitutionality: The CCSA properly acknowledges the requirement in the Montana Constitution for the Board of Public Education to exercise “general supervision” over Choice Schools.

Consistency: The CCSA’s framework is consistent with the understanding of constitutional requirements for state board supervision of charter schools in other states.

Quality: The data on similar schools in other states, including research from Stanford University, demonstrates that Choice Schools will provide equality of educational opportunity and offer a quality education to Montana students.

We conclude our legal brief by noting: “For over three decades, children across the country have attended public charter schools and became more successful students because of it. Charter schools have a clearly demonstrated positive effect on their students and the data continues to show a positive upward trend, even in states where the charter law contains broad exemptions from state laws and regulations. Based on this data, Montana’s Choice Schools will provide a quality education because they follow a model that has led to academic quality in other states.”

For example, neighboring Idaho has more than 70 charter schools and a new law was passed this year that makes them easier to operate. Discussing Idaho’s charter schools, Kimberly School District Superintendent Luke Schroeder recently said: “You have to look at education for your entire community, not just your district. It’s human nature to be competitive, but we’ve got to put our egos aside and see what’s best for kids … At the end of the day, we just can’t be territorial about education.”

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We believe that equality of educational opportunity guaranteed to all students by Montana’s Constitution means an all of the above approach – traditional public schools, choice schools, private schools, micro-schools, homeschooling, and more. We’re hopeful that Montana judges will agree. Allowing families more education options shouldn’t be a controversial idea. Montanans have waited long enough.



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Montana Department of Transportation seeks public input on US Highway 12 project near Plevna

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Montana Department of Transportation seeks public input on US Highway 12 project near Plevna


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Montana Lottery Powerball, Lucky For Life results for Oct. 25, 2025

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The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Oct. 25, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Oct. 25 drawing

02-12-22-39-67, Powerball: 15, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Oct. 25 drawing

21-32-34-35-44, Lucky Ball: 05

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Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from Oct. 25 drawing

02-31-33-35-50, Star Ball: 07, ASB: 02

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from Oct. 25 drawing

01-02-21-22, Bonus: 07

Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from Oct. 25 drawing

03-24-46-58-61, Powerball: 07

Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Montana Cash numbers from Oct. 25 drawing

02-08-19-26-41

Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

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When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
  • Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
  • Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
  • Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
  • Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.

Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.

Winning lottery numbers are sponsored by Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network.

Where can you buy lottery tickets?

Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.

You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Washington D.C., and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.

Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 18+ (19+ in NE, 21+ in AZ). Physically present where Jackpocket operates. Jackpocket is not affiliated with any State Lottery. Eligibility Restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. Terms: jackpocket.com/tos.

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This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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Montana cannot ‘meet the demand’ to supply more water to new developments • Daily Montanan

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Montana cannot ‘meet the demand’ to supply more water to new developments • Daily Montanan


This week’s news brings us another story that’s starting to get very old — especially for Montana’s existing residents.  Namely, the City of East Helena finds itself unable to “meet the demand” for water for the 6,250 new homes plus new businesses that theoretically will be built on former ASARCO lands the city annexed when the company went bankrupt. 

But here’s the rub: The land the city annexed did not come with water rights.  In Montana, no water means no new developments because we can barely provide water to existing residents.  The rapidly changing climate’s longer, hotter, and drier summers combined with lower winter snowpacks and earlier, diminished runoff is simply a reality that municipalities and developers don’t want to acknowledge.  But just because you don’t want to admit reality doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

As reported, Montana’s Lt. Governor Kristen Juras sent a letter to the city telling them the Natural Resources Damage settlement with ASARCO for the lead smelter’s Superfund site pollution requires “natural resource restoration and long-term stewardship.” Part of that restoration process, which was public, determined that certain water rights should go to restore instream flows on Prickly Pear Creek, which flows right past the giant slag piles remaining at the smelter site. 

Ironically, the state and EPA offered the city 40% of the water rights, but the offer was refused.  Now, the state and the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks are moving forward to change those consumptive water rights to instream flows and restore the battered creek.

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That the city and developers are demanding the water for future development makes little sense since the mayor was quoted saying East Helena has an “already strained municipal water system.”  Since the theoretical developments would require four times the water the city currently supplies to existing residents and businesses it may also require a new and very expensive water treatment facility for which existing residents will pay. 

If this sounds familiar, one need only look to Bozeman, where residents will soon vote on the Water Adequacy for Residential Development initiative that will require new developments to either provide lower income units or bring new water rights to the city to “meet the demand” of the new developments.

Like Bozeman, East Helena is in a “closed basin” — meaning no new water rights can be issued without harming existing water rights holders and users.  You can’t give away more water than you have — and Montana has less every year, as the record low flows and closures of our major rivers proves.

None of this is a mystery.  In 1878 John Wesley Powell, who had explored the West’s great rivers and made the first descent of the Colorado River, published his “Report on the Lands of the Arid Regions of the United States” in which he estimated only 2% of the land in the arid West could support agriculture or development due to the lack of water.  There’s simply no excuse for Montana’s development-crazed municipalities to ignore the facts of our increasingly limited water supply. 

Finally, one might wonder why the burdens of “meeting the demand” of developers – including data centers – falls on existing residents.  Or why the Superfund impacts from past extractive industries shouldn’t be remediated.  Or why existing residents and their kids in East Helena shouldn’t have a clean stream they can walk to and enjoy a genuine “Montana” experience?

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There are very real limits to growth.  In the West, that’s a dwindling water supply – and it’s obviously time for Montanans to realize that fact and live with it.



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