The superintendents of Montana’s nine AA school districts signed a letter dated December 6 stating that “we do not trust your leadership as the principal of Montana’s public schools.”
The KGVO approached Arntzen for his reaction to the letter, as one of the incidents cited in the letter occurred in Missoula.
Arntzen told KGVO he was responding to a group of parents and a member of the Missoula County Board of Trustees about various local issues in Missoula County School District One.
“When decisions are made in the boardroom and where parents can be excluded, and if a group of parents invites the state superintendent-elect to reach out and visit, I have never shied away from that,” Arntzen said. “I think my role is to listen.”
As reported on KGVO, a local lawyer jokingly responded to a question about how to deal with the school board with the words ‘shoot them?’, To which the crowd responded with laughter, however the comment sparked a storm of protests from the public and especially school officials.
Arntzen told the KGVO at the time, and again in this interview, that he strongly condemned the statement.
“There are consequences to actions,” he said. “I sent really strong language after that unfortunate event at the church in Missoula, sharing that any, any, any way that could be a threat to an individual has no place in education or in any of our communities.”
Arntzen said she believed the letter was not directed so much at her personally as it was politically.
“There is no pressure group for parents, and where is the pressure group for students?” she asked. “I think this was a heavy hand. I don’t know how the letter was written or who was involved in its making, but in my opinion, it was directly political. And if you look at the letter, where is students mentioned and where is learning mentioned? “
Arntzen was also surprised that none of the letter’s signatories attempted to speak to her directly in person or by phone about the topics contained in the letter.
“None of those individuals who wrote and signed on that line ever called me; I ever spoke to our senior staff; he ever visited me on any of those topics, “he said. “And in politics, we call that ignoring. So if we are going to work together, and that’s my message, let’s be mutually number one, let’s be courteous, let’s be respectful and let’s work together for the betterment of our children. “
Arntzen is serving his second term as Superintendent of Public Instruction.
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