SAM Friday Update 10-18-24

Hello SAM Members,

We had the chance this week to celebrate some of our colleagues at the MCEL conference in Missoula. Thank you for all those who attended and made the event a great success! I hope everyone has a chance to catch their breath this weekend.  Safe travels for those who may be on the road.  Thanks for reading!  Rob

Award Recipients Recognized at MCEL

2024 G.V. Erickson Award
We are proud to announce that Jim Baldwin is the recipient of the 2024 SAM G.V. Erickson Award, the most prestigious honor presented to a Montana school administrator. With over 30 years of service, Jim has made an extraordinary impact on education in Montana, even continuing his dedication in retirement by mentoring future leaders and stepping in as Interim Superintendent for multiple school districts since his retirement, currently at Twin Bridges.  His commitment to supporting small schools, advocating for rural education, and serving communities has left a lasting affect. Congratulations, Jim, on this well-deserved recognition!

2024 MT Superintendent of the Year Award
Joel Graves, Superintendent at Eureka Public Schools, has been named the 2024 Montana Superintendent of the Year and will represent Montana at the national level. Joel has dedicated his career to education. His extensive leadership includes serving as president of the Montana Association of School Superintendents and past president of the Montana Association of Secondary School Principals, where he was named Principal of the Year in 2019.  Throughout his career, Joel’s commitment to quality education has been unwavering, and his personal connection with students remains one of his greatest joys. Congratulations, Joel, on this well-deserved honor!

Erdie Memorial Scholarship

James Kapptie, new Superintendent at Ekalaka Public Schools, is the recipient of the 2024 Dr. Jay Erdie Memorial Mentor Scholarship. This $1,000 scholarship supports Montana administrators in completing or continuing their educational leadership credentials. The award is named in honor of Dr. John Jay Erdie, a respected Montana superintendent known for mentoring future leaders, and is co-sponsored by the Erdie family, MUST, and SAM.

James began his teaching career in 1999 in Ekalaka and has since served as an educator in Hardin and Wyoming in various roles. Now back in Ekalaka as the new superintendent, he is working toward his superintendent endorsement. 

MASS Honor School Board

Dutton-Brady Board of Trustees has been recognized as the 2024 MASS Honor School Board of the Year, nominated by Superintendent Jeremy Locke.  The Dutton-Brady trustees have excelled in supporting teacher health and wellness, enhancing school infrastructure, and developing the Little Diamondbacks Daycare for staff and community members. Their efforts have resulted in a fully staffed district, with licensed teachers in every position—a remarkable achievement in the face of statewide teacher shortages. The Board’s focus on fostering a family-friendly culture and supporting staff well-being is central to Dutton-Brady’s vision of "mastery today, success tomorrow."

META Offers Esports Virtual Information Presentation

South Central META Region is offering a free virtual esports information meeting on Tuesday, October 22 from 1:30 - 3:00.  Steve from Bytespeed will present on things you may need to know to get started in Esports. This is not a sales pitch, but more of a learning experience.  Connect using the information below

Microsoft Teams 

Join the meeting now

Meeting ID: 262 217 951 492

Passcode: VZWoVg

SAM 11/14/24 Webinar Invitation

You are invited to attend the November webinar with a focus on Reinvesting and Recommitting to IEFA Implementation in our Schools on Thursday, November 14 at 10:00 AM. 

OPI IEFA staff will be presenting making this an opportunity for school districts to use the webinar recording for required staff IEFA training.  Everyone is invited, so feel free to share the information with others in your district.  

Are you looking for past webinar resources? 

October Webinar Followup:  Webinar resources are housed in the new SAM Online Learning Center and accessible to all SAM members.  

Once logged in to the SAM website, you will be in the Members Only area.  To locate the webinar resources, click Resources > Online Learning > Courses > 2024-25 SAM Monthly Webinars.  You will not only find the resources from the 10-10-24 webinar but also from the 9-12-24 webinar.  We will continue to add resources as webinars are completed.  Here is a quick video to help you find this area of the website: Locating SAM Webinar Resources.  Experiencing difficulties?  Contact Kim at the SAM Office (samks@sammt.org)

Be sure to mark your calendars for the second Thursday of each month from 10:00 - 11:00 AM.  Connect to the webinars through the SAM Zoom meeting link:  https://us06web.zoom.us/j/3923446729

DEQ Announces Clean Transportation Funding

The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is announcing a new funding opportunity to help curb nitrogen oxide(NOx) emissions with clean transportation. Funding is available for both public and private entities to provide matching funds to help support cleaner replacements for medium- and heavy-duty diesel vehicles.

Clean Truck, Bus & Airport Equipment Program
The Clean Truck, Bus & Airport Equipment Program matches funds to replace older diesel trucks, buses or airport ground support vehicles with battery electric, alternate fuel, or diesel vehicles. Examples of types of vehicles for this funding opportunity can include garbage trucks, street sweepers, bucket trucks, buses, or vehicles that service aircrafts between flights. Applications for this opportunity are due January 31, 2025. This funding opportunity is similar to one announced in 2021 that successfully funded the first electric school buses and electric street sweepers in Montana along with electric airport ground support equipment.

DEQ is hosting a webinar on October 21 at 1 p.m. Mountain for those interested in learning more about the funding opportunity, to register visit: Webinar Registration - Zoom.

Montana Electric School Bus Technical Assistance Report
DEQ is also announcing the release of the Montana Electric School Bus Technical Assistance Report. This report is intended to provide information on actual fuel costs, maintenance issues, and performance of electric buses operating in Montana. The report may be of interest to school districts who have questions and are thinking about purchasing an electric school bus.

For more clean transportation information, to view the MontanaElectric School Bus Technical Assistance Report, or view the recording after the live webinar, visit: Deq.mt.gov/energy/programs/fuels.

Thanks for being a SAM member.

Please reach out to me directly if you have questions, comments, or if you need any assistance.

Rob Watson, Executive Director, SAM
email: samrw@sammt.org
cell phone: 406-570-4135
https://twitter.com/robwatson406

https://www.linkedin.com/in/robwatson406/

Rob