Lawmakers Sided with Special Interests Over Students

Montana Students Deserve School Choice!

Sign The Letter

Dear Official(s),

Your vote against HB 320 was a major disappointment to Montana’s students and parents. Instead of giving families better education options, you sided with teachers' unions and bureaucrats who protect a broken system.
THE FACTS:
- 60% of 5th & 8th graders aren’t proficient in science.
- 70% of juniors can’t do math at grade level.
- 55% of 3rd-8th graders struggle with English.
If a private school or business failed this badly, it would shut down. But instead of demanding better results, you protected the status quo—where only the wealthy can afford school choice while low- and middle-income families are stuck.
What exactly were you protecting?
- A system where Montana ranks 30th in education and students fall further behind every year?
- A system where only 30% of graduates are prepared for college or the workforce?
- A system that prioritizes union demands over student success?
HB 320 WOULD HAVE GIVEN FAMILIES REAL OPTIONS:
- Scholarships for low- and middle-income students to escape failing schools.
- Tax credits to make alternative education affordable.
- Funding for special needs and transportation, so geography and disability aren’t barriers to success.
- Oversight through a Citizens Council to ensure transparency and accountability.
Instead, you caved to special interests and denied thousands of kids a shot at success.
Montana families won’t forget this vote. Parents deserve to know who failed their children—and we’re making sure they do.
Your vote against HB 320 was a major disappointment to Montana’s students and parents. Instead of giving families better education options, you sided with teachers' unions and bureaucrats who protect a broken system.

Sincerely

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Montana’s education system is in free fall, and lawmakers just made it worse. Instead of standing up for parents and students, they sided with teachers' unions and voted NO on HB 320—keeping kids trapped in failing schools with no way out.

📊 THE FACTS:

60% of 5th & 8th graders aren’t proficient in science

70% of juniors can’t do math at grade level

55% of 3rd-8th graders struggle with English

Montana ranks among the worst in the country for education. These lawmakers had a chance to fix it—and they chose special interests over students.

THESE LAWMAKERS VOTED AGAINST SCHOOL CHOICE:

📌 Ed Byrne (R) HD 11 – Bigfork
📌 Sherry Essmann (R) HD 49 – Billings
📌 George Nikolakakos (R) HD 26 – Great Falls
📌 Kathy Love (R) HD 85 – Hamilton
📌 Ron Marshall (R) HD 87 – Hamilton
📌 Melissa Nikolakakos (R) HD 20 – Great Falls
📌 Gary Parry (R) HD 35 – Colstrip
📌 Ken Walsh (R) HD 69 – Twin Bridges
📌 John Fitzpatrick (R) HD 76 – Anaconda
📌 Curtis Cochran (R) HD 90 – St. Regis

HB 320 WOULD HAVE GIVEN PARENTS REAL OPTIONS:

Scholarships for low- & middle-income families

Tax credits for education expenses

Special needs & transportation funding

Oversight to ensure accountability

Instead, these lawmakers protected a broken system and voted to keep families stuck with no alternatives.

📢 We’re launching an iVolunteer alert to every lawmaker who voted NO—so Montana families know exactly who sold out their kids.

SIGN THE LETTER NOW to tell lawmakers to put students first and support school choice.