On Tuesday, Ronan School District started off the year with four newly built teacherages and already has them fully occupied.   

Superintendent Mark Johnston said the only thing left is finishing the landscaping around the units. Johnston said he’s not sure if the district is going to build more units but noted there’s a need for affordable housing, especially due to the cost of living compared to a $45,000 teacher salary. 

At Ronan High School, principal Kevin Kenelty said enrollment was at around 300 by the end of the year and they had about 350 enrolled as of Aug. 12.  

“We always get some who show up that you weren't expecting, and others who don't show up that you were expecting,” Johnston said. “Although our enrollment has been fairly steady, nationwide, they're definitely seeing a decrease since Covid.” 

Ronan is offering a new online option this year as phase one of their Ronan Charter Academy rolls out. Kenelty explained they are reaching out to home schoolers in the community and offering them curriculum that they can complete online.  

If any student completes the state minimum of 20 credit hours, they can receive a Ronan Charter Academy diploma. Additionally, Kenelty said they can also work towards a Ronan High School diploma by completing a certain number of classes.  

This program also has a hybrid option that allows students to do some courses online and allows them to participate in clubs and activities. Kenelty said they are also looking at phase two which is a hybrid model within Ronan High School. 

“It just frees up some red tape. It allows us to do certain things that we were not normally being able to do if a kid is interning,” Kenelty said.  

The principal explained they have some students interning in Kalispell and a schedule under phase two will allow them to spend more time interning while also allowing them to keep up with course work online.  

Johnston said the biggest changes to in-school curriculum have been within their math program for K-5. He explained that this new program aligns better with the math curriculum at the middle and high school.  

“It was a year-long process of lots of meetings, but we're excited to see the positive effects of this new curriculum,” Johnston said. 

Across the district Johnston said they have done a number of facilities upgrades and have more in store this year. In the high school they are currently upgrading the intercom system and plan to replace the roof this year.  

The flooring was replaced in K. William Harvey Elementary over the summer which will make it the third school in the district with new flooring. Johnston also said at this point most of the building's roofs have been replaced and the schools are on a revolving schedule to have the interior paint redone.  

“One thing that we've tried to do in this district is utilize our own funds.” Johnston said. “So, that we don't have to reach out to taxpayers, because we know that taxpayers are having a tough go of it right now – we all are with inflation and other things.” 

At KWH Elementary School, they have hired two new teachers and five at Ronan Middle School. Additionally, the high school has five new teachers this year. Overall Johnston said the district is fully staffed, although they could use two paraprofessionals.  

Last year at the start of the school year, Governor Gianforte called for “Cell Phone-Free” schools which has led several schools to develop no cell phone policies or create stricter policies. But at Ronan School District, Johnston said they already have these policies in place.