Montana legislation · 2025 Regular Session
Montana HB557: Revise education laws related to PIR days and meetings of teacher organizations
Status: Failed, May 22, 2025
What the bill says
A bill for an act entitled: "an act revising education laws to limit the state promotion of authorized teacher attendance at meetings of teacher organizations to professional development that is solely devoted to improving the quality of instruction and aligned to standards of the board of public education; prohibiting pupil-instruction-related days from being used for attending state meetings of teacher organizations; removing the mandate that trustees close schools for the annual meetings of teacher organizations; amending sections 20-1-304 and 20-4-304, mca…
From the engrossed text:
A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED: "AN ACT REVISING EDUCATION LAWS TO LIMIT THE STATE PROMOTION OF AUTHORIZED TEACHER ATTENDANCE AT MEETINGS OF TEACHER ORGANIZATIONS TO PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THAT IS SOLELY DEVOTED TO IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION AND ALIGNED TO STANDARDS OF THE BOARD OF PUBLIC EDUCATION; PROHIBITING PUPIL-INSTRUCTION-RELATED DAYS FROM BEING USED FOR ATTENDING STATE MEETINGS OF TEACHER ORGANIZATIONS; REMOVING THE MANDATE THAT TRUSTEES CLOSE SCHOOLS FOR THE ANNUAL MEETINGS OF TEACHER ORGANIZATIONS; AMENDING SECTIONS 20-1-304 AND 20-4-304, MCA; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE." WHEREAS, PUPIL-INSTRUCTION-RELATED DAYS ARE SUPPORTED WITH STATE AND LOCAL TAX DOLLARS; AND WHEREAS, RECENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR TEACHERS UTILIZING PUPILINSTRUCTION-RELATED DAYS INCLUDED POLITICAL ACTIVITY AND UNNECESSARILY DIVISIVE PARTISAN CONTENT. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA: Section 1. Section 20-1-304, MCA, is amended to read: "20-1-304. Pupil-instruction-related day. (1) A pupil-instruction-related day is a day of: (A) teacher activities, INCLUDING PREPARING FOR AND CONDUCTING PARENT CONFERENCES AND FOR END-OF-TERM RECORDS DAYS; OR - 1 - Authorized Print Version - HB - 2025 69th Legislature 2025 HB0557.2 (B) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THAT IS SOLELY devoted to improving the quality of instruction AND ALIGNED TO STANDARDS OF THE BOARD OF PUBLIC EDUCATION. The activities may include but are not limited to inservice training, attending state meetings of teacher organizations, and conducting parent …