The importance of Public Education in St. Ignatius goes way beyond offering an outstanding educational system for the Community. Much will be presented throughout the State of Montana leading up the next legislative session:
- Your community school is the safe, healthy center for our children to engage their academic, social, emotional and brain health education.
- Your community school is major driver of the economic viability of your community. In most communities across the state your public school is the largest employer (or in the top 3 of even our largest communities). The employment of your neighbors who serve as educators, support staff, bus drivers, school food service, paraprofessionals, custodians are all working together to meet the educational needs of the children in your community. The collective economic impact of the school and all of those who work in the school is significant for the economic health of every community across the state.
- Your community school is the heart of community – the place where our towns gather, socialize and work together to create a wonderful Montana life for our children and ourselves.
- Your community school and pride for the community largely revolves around how all of us Montanans rise up to support our children and their growth and development through supporting their successes in academics, the arts, activities and athletics in every community across the state. –Kirk Miller, MASS President
St. Ignatius Public Schools brings conservatively 5.5 million into the community annually. To replace public schools with charter, private and home schools would be a devastating blow to our community and would hurt this community’s commitment to outstanding educational experiences and its sense of Bulldog Pride. Supporting private, charter and home school sends money to outside entities that do not, in any way, benefit the local community with economic support. The State of Montana has forever supported public schools and the values they bring to our local community. I strongly encourage everyone’s support for our public schools leading up to the next legislative session where public educational systems will be threatened with replacement and with having funds diverted from our local community. Please stand up for public education. If we have learned anything over the past two years, it is that the best place for students is in our schools with direct instruction from our professional teaching staff. Homeschooling and remote learning do not work for the majority of our students when it comes to academic achievement, social interaction and providing a safe place for students to flourish and learn. –Jason Sargent, Superintendent