Urges legislative support for STARS Act, schools to adopt cell phone-free policies

BONNER, MT – Governor Greg Gianforte on March 26th, visited Bonner Schools to advocate for raising starting teacher pay as well as to urge Montana schools to adopt cell phone-free policies.

“In order for our students to reach their full, outstanding potential, we must be able to recruit the highest quality teachers and encourage distraction-free learning environments,” Gov. Gianforte said. “By raising teacher pay and investing in our schools, we’re building brighter futures for our teachers and students.”

Raising starting teacher pay is a top priority for Gov. Gianforte. In his first week in office, the governor introduced the TEACH Act, or Tomorrow’s Educators Are Coming Home Act, to provide incentives to school districts to increase starting teacher pay. In its first year, the TEACH Act helped nearly 500 teachers begin their careers in Montana. In 2023, the governor increased funding for the program by 40 percent.

In his current budget, building on the success of the TEACH Act, the governor invests a historic $100 million to raise teacher pay, with a focus on educators who are just starting their careers.

The proposal, carried in House Bill 252, sponsored by Rep. Llew Jones, R-Conrad, establishes the STARS Act, or Student and Teacher Advancement for Results and Success Act, to continue incentivizing increases to baseline teacher pay while also fully funding the Advanced Opportunities Act so that more students can take advantage of dual credit and work-based learning.

During his visit, the governor held a roundtable with students, teachers, parents, and administrators to discuss the governor’s past investments through the TEACH Act and as well as the proposed legislation.

Parker Stevens, a first-year teacher at Bonner Schools, was a beneficiary of the TEACH Act, he shared, “It was nice to hear that it was a competitive bid for school districts to secure the funding, especially for rural schools. That way we earn a similar wage as schools in Missoula.”

“The quality of our teachers matters most. Being able to incentivize those people financially to work at our school is huge. We are going to hire the best people, and that takes money. The TEACH Act has been a huge benefit to help us push our salary to reach the threshold we need to. It makes a difference, we recruit good people and keep those people,” Jim Howard, Bonner School District Superintendent said.

At the roundtable, the group also discussed the governor’s recent letter urging Montana schools to consider adopting cell phone-free policies to enhance learning environments and encourage relationship building.

In 2012, Bonner adopted a cell phone-free policy for students while in the classroom, allowing cell phone use as needed before and after school with teacher permission.

“Cell phones are a huge distraction. I can tell you, when I’m wearing my principal hat and dealing with behavior issues, so much of the behavior challenges that middle school kids deal with come from what happens on the phone over the weekend, social media. So if that phone is in hand in the classroom, that becomes the focus,” Supt. Howard said.

“I think it’s a great policy because I unfortunately know how easy it is to get ****** in to your phone. I also think we should have schools teach more about cell phone safety – about how to be responsible on cell phones, because a lot of kids suffer from depression and anxiety due to social media,” eighth grade student Georgia Hanford said.

Discussing a lesson taught in eighth grade at Bonner, McKenna Quinn, an English and Language Arts teacher in her sixth year said, “It helps students become more aware of the effect their device has on them. And they come up with great ideas on their own about how to set limits.”

“The policy helps students become more engaged in the classroom, and I really like the idea of them having face-to-face conversations, versus having conversations through the phone or an app. Because I think then they are more mindful of how they interact with their peers and with each other,” Bonner Principal Shelley Andres added.

According to a 2023 report from Common Sense Media, 97 percent of students ages 11 to 17 use their phones during the school day, often for texting, social media, and gaming, with an average of more than 50 notifications received per day.

In his budget, the governor provided $1 million of one-time-only incentives for school districts to adopt “cell phone-free” policies statewide.

In August 2024, Gov. Gianforte asked Montana superintendents and school board trustees to adopt policies to limit learning distractions in the classroom and improve student academic performance by establishing "cell phone-free” schools. The letter can be viewed here.