Martz plan to fund distance learning program taking shape for 2004-05

The University of Montana didn’t ask for it. The state’s public education officials didn’t, either.

By ALLISON FARRELL – IR State Bureau

http://helenair.com/articles/2003/12/17/montana/a09121703_02.txt

But one day last month, they woke up to find a quarter of a million dollars on their doorstep for a new distance learning program.

Gov. Judy Martz surprised many educators when she announced at a November press conference that $250,000 of the $2.7 million windfall she directed to higher education should be used to build upon a distance learning pilot program at UM.

‘‘It was like Christmas that day, honestly,” said Steve Meloy, executive secretary to the state Board of Public Education.

Martz’s spokesman said the governor knows Montana’s small schools need help.

‘‘We don’t have specialists in every rural community,” said Chuck Butler, the governor’s spokesman. ‘‘This is another vehicle to provide access to education.”

But others are wondering why Martz funded an un-requested and unknown program. And others are questioning UM’s jurisdiction over K-12 education, since the state Board of Public Education is responsible for setting accreditation and curriculum standards.

‘‘We think the project began in a curious way and it deserves a great deal of public scrutiny,” said Eric Feaver, president of the MEA-MFT, Montana’s largest union of state and government employees. ‘‘Things that are done in the dark of night outside of anyone’s knowledge should be examined.”

Martz’s spokesman said the governor has long known that Montana needs to develop distance education programs, since the federal No Child Left Behind Act requires ‘‘highly qualified teachers” in every classroom.

While Montana’s numerous small schools cannot hire various science teachers, they could benefit from a highly qualified, albeit digital, teacher piped into their classrooms, Butler said.

Meloy said initial concerns over jurisdiction and constitutionality have been smoothed by UM’s pledge to bring in an existing committee of the state Board of Education to oversee the program.

‘‘Even though the money is going to the university system to develop a pilot project to meet the needs of rural and isolated students in Montana, the Board of Public Education feels confident they will be involved at every juncture,” Meloy said.

Meloy said concerns over class size remain, since the potential exists for one teacher to digitally lead a classroom of 500 students.

Other concerns, including fears that some religious schools or home-schooled children would gain access to the publicly funded program, have subsided since the oversight committee was put in place, officials said.

The project manager and dean of UM’s School of Education said the Web courses will likely be restricted by passwords, which would keep unauthorized users out.

While many questions remain, some details are already developed. Rowland said the project, which is to run through the 2004-2005 school year, will hire 13 accredited teachers and serve at least 250 students.

Who those students are, where they’re located and what courses they’ll get are yet to be determined, Rowland added. Those and other details will be addressed in the coming months.