Bill removes degree requirement for superintendent
Rep. David Bedey, R-Hamilton, took heat this week for proposing the Superintendent of Public Instruction shouldn’t need a bachelor’s degree for the job.
Dennis Parmam, head of the Montana Rural Education Association, said he worked in the Office of Public Instruction for seven years, directly for a superintendent making thousands of decisions in that time. He said it was “unfathomable” to think such a leader could work in the best interest of students, parents, teachers, and trustees without formal education.
“There’s no question in my mind that we must insist that an individual filling the position have some educational background,” Parman said.
Rep. Denise Hayman, D-Bozeman, said she served as a school board trustee for 14 years, twice as chair, for one of the largest districts in the state. She pointed out that many district superintendents have doctorates in Montana, and local districts value education as a hiring qualification.
Read more: https://dailymontanan.com/2021/02/19/bill-removes-degree-requirement-for-superintendent/