Lawmakers, Arntzen reach ‘impasse’ on database modernization

Ongoing efforts to modernize the collection and sharing of education data in Montana recently hit what a state lawmaker described as an “impasse,” one that could impact a $14 million project to update local schools and the Office of Public Instruction. The challenges came into focus last week as members of the Legislature’s Education Interim Budget Committee questioned OPI leaders about the purported legal limitations in gathering data specific to individual students. Superintendent Elsie Arntzen insisted that the limits were due to student privacy protections, namely those outlined in the