Montana State Legislature
Agency: Office of Public Instruction
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The Superintendent of Public Instruction is an elected official authorized by Article VI, Section 1, of the Montana
Constitution. The Office of Public Instruction (OPI) distributes funding to school districts and provides services to Montana's
school-age children and to teachers in approximately 400 school districts. The core responsibilities of the agency include
licensure of educators, accreditation of schools, administration of statewide student assessments, distribution of state and
federal grants/aid to schools, collection and reporting of data and dissemination of information about K-12 education.
Agency staff provide technical assistance in planning, implementing, and evaluating educational programs in such areas
as teacher preparation, teacher certification, school accreditation, academic standards and curriculum, school finance, and
school law. The staff also administer a number of federally-funded programs and provides a variety of information services,
including the information systems necessary to assess student achievement and the quality of Montana's elementary and
secondary school system.
OPI Budget Analysis (December 15 Update)
