License fees for Montana teachers slated to increase

For the first time in three decades, the price Montana charges public school teachers and other education professionals for state-issued licenses is set to increase. And despite more than a year of debate among state officials over those fees, the change — approved by the Board of Public Education last week — has elicited a mixture of surprise and frustration for many in Montana’s K-12 system.

On Nov. 17, the Board of Public Education formally adopted a fee schedule that more than triples the amount educators pay for new licenses or license renewals. The fee had been fixed at $6 per year since 1991. Now, the cost of a standard teaching license will rise to $70 for five years, plus a $25 tech fee. The increase is even greater for school administrators, psychologists and counselors, who will pay a base fee of $85.

The new amounts may not seem like much. But for teachers, the increase adds to the growing list of pressures on a profession already contending with low pay, a high cost of living and the ever-growing demand to provide more support and services for students.