Students taking advantage of new schooling options

By: Senator Jason Ellsworth

Of the many education reforms passed by the 2023 Legislature, one has been generating a lot of news lately, particularly in the Bozeman area.

For example, local news station KBZK reported that as of the end of February, the Bozeman School Board had approved 93 students' applications to attend a school outside of the district they live in. Those students included 35 in K-5, 25 middle-schoolers, and 33 high-schoolers.

What allowed those students to change their school? House Bill 203, a bipartisan piece of legislation that unanimously passed the Legislature last year....