GREAT FALLS — On Wednesday, January 22, 2025, the group Great Falls Rising hosted a forum to discuss public education in Montana. The discussion revolved around the question: is public education under threat in Great Falls and Montana?
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Gerry Jennings founded Great Falls Rising in 2016; the group works to empower individuals and connect communities for a sustainable future.
Jennings said, “We look to see what is really needed. And right now, with the legislature going, we need to talk about education and how do we make our communities better, because we educate our children.”
The panel consisted of four people: Jamie Marshall, the chair of KEY; Bill Bronson, a GFPS Trustee; Nichole Pieper, the superintendent for the Power School District; and Brian Patrick, the GFPS Financial Officer.
Bronson said, “Any type of funding for a public service, is always going to be hot button. It's always going to be controversial because it involves asking our citizens as taxpayers to contribute some of their resources toward it.”
Bronson stressed that public education should be seen as a bipartisan issue.
Bronson said, “We're ultimately talking about providing opportunities for our young people to achieve their full potential.”
The panel said that public schools thrive when they work together with the community. Seeing the reach this event had, Bronson feels cautiously optimistic.
Bronson said, “These are folks that will go out there and we'll support what we do.”
With more and more students struggling with mental health, more resources are needed to support kids in the classroom.
Jamie Marshall said, “It looks different than it did a number of years ago. It is something that I know the legislature is trying to address. There is not a one size fits all solution to individuals, particularly when we overlay mental health challenges.”
They also discussed how to get more people involved in their movement, using social media to connect with a younger audience.
Bronson said, “That's how they will relate. That's how they will find out. And if we provide that opportunity through social media is the best example to do that, I think we'll start to get more, of that attention.”
Public schooling is not perfect, and although its future is uncertain, the people at the panel are all willing to fight for it.
Learn more about Great Falls Rising here.
