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Rep. Linda Reksten of Polson headed to Helena this week with an extended listing of aspirations – particularly regarding training and native authorities, two of the three committees she serves on throughout this session of the Legislature.
One precedence, says the previous educator and faculty superintendent, is elevating scholar take a look at scores, which presently place Montana across the fiftieth percentile for fourth graders.
Reksten, who’s vice chair of the Home Schooling Committee, promotes a “focused intervention invoice” geared toward ensuring third graders have satisfactory studying and math expertise “so we don’t have children falling behind in center college and highschool.”
She blames a number of the low scores on the pandemic however says “the slide Montana is experiencing predates COVID.”
The laws she hopes to move would give attention to “ensuring college students have retained what they’ve been taught.”
“It’s actually about ongoing monitoring of youngsters frequently and getting your complete college workforce to take action – particularly within the early grades,” she says.
She additionally anticipates {that a} public-school constitution invoice shall be within the works that provides college students alternatives to pursue pursuits that their native colleges might not present. Technical training is on the forefront this session, she says, with legislators taking a look at methods college students may be apprenticed and mentored in varied fields.
“In Polson we have now a program the place children enthusiastic about pursuing a medical profession of some variety” can achieve expertise on the native hospital. Studying alternatives for highschool college students may very well be expanded on the junior and group faculty degree too “so when children get out of highschool they’ll get a fairly good job nearly instantly,” says Reksten.
She additionally hopes to use a number of the state’s price range surplus, estimated at nicely over $1 billion, to “replenish” the Coal Severance Tax Fund, in order that native college districts have extra state cash obtainable for upkeep, infrastructure and debt service.
“That’s a technique the excess may very well be utilized in a productive means,” she says, and assist decrease the burden on native taxpayers.
Reksten, who has spearheaded month-to-month conferences between native legislators and county commissioners, says she’ll be sharing a number of the points that the county authorities faces together with her colleagues on the Native Authorities committee.
“It’s about attempting to be extra proactive and attempting to be extra customer-service oriented in not doing issues that actually complicate the work of counties,” she says. “There must be quite a lot of communication there and I don’t suppose there was.”
She additionally plans to the touch base with Polson Metropolis Supervisor Ed Meece “to see what we will do to constantly enhance issues round right here.”
Reksten notes that lack of inexpensive housing shall be a problem that the Legislature wrestles with this session – one she anticipates will come earlier than Native Authorities. Whereas serving on the committee “goes to be a brand new studying curve for me, I’m going to do what I can.”
She additionally intends to maintain monitor of Division of Transportation initiatives that influence Lake County, and any measures that might have an effect on legislation enforcement’s skill to deal with drug trafficking, particularly the widespread use of fentanyl.
Reksten says she met with Sheriff Don Bell earlier than the session started to be taught extra concerning the points dealing with legislation enforcement right here. “The county actually has determined wants,” she says, noting that the sheriff had emphasised the necessity for a brand new jail.
Nonetheless, securing funding for a detention heart is “all wrapped up in Public Legislation 280,” and the legislative and authorized efforts underway to realize financial reimbursement from the state for the settlement, which mandates that Lake County examine and prosecute felonies dedicated by tribal members on the reservation.
“It’s a priority for our county and I’m hoping for some kind of financial judgement that may assist offset the bills,” she says.
Reksten predicts that “just a few constitutional points” might emerge from this session “that voters throughout the state is perhaps requested to weigh in on.”
Particularly, she says Republican legislators, who maintain tremendous majorities within the Home and Senate, are involved about “judiciary overreach.” Most of the voter registration legal guidelines that have been accredited by the Home Administration Committee that she serves on, and handed by the Legislature and signed by the governor, have been stayed by Yellowstone County District Choose Michael Moses previous to the 2022 election.
“I’m listening to that the judiciary are appearing as legislators,” says Reksten. “I’m unsure how all of that may pan out however there was concern there. “
Reksten encourages constituents to remain in contact throughout the session through electronic mail, linda.reksten@legmt.gov, or telephone, 406-471-8359, and to regulate the payments which might be within the works on the Montana Legislative Companies web site, leg.mt.gov.
Editor’s observe: The Chief additionally reached out to Rep. Joe Learn for remark however didn’t hear again by deadline.
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