The Montana Board of Education approved the charter application for Great Falls Public Schools’ CORE School.

The board unanimously approved the GFPS charter on Jan. 19 and the district now has 45 days to execute a contract with the state that will be effective in July for five years.

During their Jan. 22 school board meeting, GFPS staff updated the board on CORE School’s progress.

State board approves GFPS charter school

Jennifer Martyn was named as the CORE School principal in December and Morningside Elementary School was selected as the location in November.

Martyn told the school board that the district started the hiring process and has selected 13 staff members and have 10 more to hire.

Jackie Mainwaring, assistant superintendent, told The Electric that they’d completed the in-district hiring process for CORE School and were now going out of district to fill the remaining spots.

She told The Electric that those positions are all certified teaching staff.

Mainwaring said that some existing Morningside staff had applied and some hadn’t, but any that wouldn’t be at Morningside when CORE School opens in the falls had been placed in other positions within the district.

CORE School principal named

Martyn told the board that they’re developing the lottery process for any students who don’t live in the Morningside district but want to attend CORE School.

She said the district was pursuing an electronic lottery through PowerSchool, a software platform the district already uses.

Mainwaring said they were working with PowerSchool to build a lottery that suits the local needs, as the company handles lotteries for school districts nationwide.

GFPS appoints members to CORE School advisory committee; presents to state education board

She said they’d have community meetings this spring about CORE School and the lottery before rolling out that process.

The district opened a form in late 2023 for families to express interest in attending CORE School and Mainwaring said there had been a good response to that form, which was helping the advisory panel plan the new charter’s staffing levels.

Morningside Elementary selected as GFPS’ CORE School

Mainwaring said that the interest came families across the district.

She said that the reaction from teachers had been mixed but they were excited about those who had applied.