Montana parents have had enough. They send their children to school to learn, not to be subjected to political agendas pushed by national activist groups. For too long, taxpayer dollars have funded “professional development conferences” that have too little to do with teaching and too much to do with ideology that does not reflect Montana values. That ends now.

In recent years, Montana Federation of Public Employees (MFPE) Educator Conferences have included sessions that defend public displays of nude photos of children as “art”, promote sexually explicit books in middle schools, and advocate for the National Education Association “gender unicorn” curriculum, which includes discussion of physical sexual attraction in classrooms as young as kindergarten. This does nothing to improve an educator’s ability to teach a child math or reading. It is political activism funded by you, the taxpayer, whose property tax dollars pay for schools to be closed, while teachers are pressured to attend these conferences.

We’ve announced legislation modeled after House Bill 557 (2025) to restore sanity to Montana’s education system. The bill will require professional development courses focused on classroom excellence, not ideology, and end the archaic state mandate that closes schools for two union-driven PIR days each year. Those forced closures disrupt families, burden communities, and take valuable time away from learning. Montana parents have made it crystal clear: they want schools that focus on reading, writing, and math, not extremist gender ideology or DEI propaganda.

This legislation will restore local control and flexibility. For too long, government union leaders have decided when schools close and how teachers train. As Senate President and State Superintendent, we aim to empower local educators and communities to decide when, where, and what professional development opportunities best meet their teachers’ needs.

Montanans work hard to support their schools. Their property taxes should go toward better classrooms, better teacher pay, stronger literacy, and student success, not advising teachers how to smuggle radical leftism into the classroom. When educators take time away from the classroom, it should be to improve instruction, not to attend workshops defending explicit material or politically divisive content.

We’re both products of Montana’s public schools who want to see our public education system excel. We want to uplift top-notch educators and school leaders and we want to build trust through transparency in our education system. Our forthcoming legislation will restore that common sense to Montana’s public school system. That’s why the Montana Republican Party stands behind this bill to give power back to parents and communities.

Senate President Matt Regier & Superintendent of Public Instruction Susie Hedalen