Dear Editor: In Support of Shannon O'Brien

Dear Editor,

Questionable spending, suspension of fiscal responsibilities, who's looking out for the children?

$67 million! That's the amount state auditors recently reported as State Superintendent of Schools Elsie Arntzen's "questionable spending" of federal pass-through money intended for local public schools.

It is the responsibility of the state superintendent to ensure that federal money is allocated for its intended purposes and to hold schools accountable for how they spend those allocated funds. Yet the auditors reported that in one COVID-relief fund alone, Arntzen failed to track all but about $200,000 of the $52 million allocated. For the remainder, she had neither documented receipts nor followed up by visiting the schools receiving funds.

This isn't the first time the fiscal management of Arntzen's OPI has been called into question. Last year, OPI's authority to enter into high-price contracts for goods and services was suspended due to deficiencies in the agency's practices.

For 24 years prior to her election as Superintendent of Public Instruction, no such dereliction of duty or egregious mismanagement in accounting for both state and federal dollars was ever laid at the feet of Montana's Superintendent of Schools. Arntzen should be held accountable and explain how and why this malfeasance happened.

We already knew that rebuilding OPI to put our students and our schools first would require strong leadership after Arntzen's disastrous tenure. What the auditors' report makes clear is that the challenge is far greater than that. Regaining the confidence and respect of taxpayers, legislators, and school districts when it comes to the spending of our tax dollars is also on the to-do list.

We know first-hand what it's going to take to turn the Office of Public Instruction around because we each led that office prior to the arrival of Arntzen. That's why we are supporting Shannon O'Brien for State Superintendent of Schools. It's time to get back to the business of educating Montana's children, return strong management and leadership to the helm of the state office and leave this chaos, corruption and mismanagement behind us.

There is only one choice for the position of State Superintendent of Schools, and that is Shannon O'Brien. Her experience as an educator, administrator, and policy advisor speaks volumes about her commitment to accountability and quality education for all of Montana's children.

Denise Juneau 2009-2017

Linda McCulloch 2001-2009

Nancy Keenan 1988-2001