four years ago, she returned ….

four years ago, she returned to the classroom. She said the loss taught her to persevere and renewed her commitment to children and she went on to be named the 2018 Teacher of the Year.

This campaign, Romano has said the state needs to do more to support early education. The Democrat announced a plan to create a public preschool for all families in Montana. Currently Montana is one of only seven states without such a statewide program.

Arntzen said she worried that such a program could turn preschool into childcare. While she does not support public preschool, she said she does favor giving families and students the resources they need to succeed, although offered no details as to what that support might look like.

The Republican also stressed her work to change the way schools are funded, working to include special education funding into the Legislature’s school funding formula. That supports Arntzen’s repeated assertions that “one size fits all education” is not practical for Montana, and that teachers should be able to teach their students in the way that works best for them.

She said too often schools are bogged down in the bureaucracy from state and federal standards, saying, “There are lots of rules,” she said “Being lawful and following the rules isn’t the number one concern.”

Donors to this campaign have broken along party lines, with Arntzen, a former Billings- area state representative and senator, getting money from Republican officials, including former U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and State Auditor Matt Rosendale.

Romano draws much of her funding from the teachers and the union that represents them, the Montana Federation of Public Employees, as well as organizations like Emily’s List and Carol’s List that support women candidates.

Denise Juneau, a Democrat who served as Superintendent of Public Instruction prior to 2017, said the job was primarily about lobbying the governor and Legislature for public dollars, even when budgets are tight.

“Who gets elected matters to the state,” Juneau said. “It makes a huge difference. It provides leadership for every school in the state.”