FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Rich Olsen, MII, 866-449-3468
Dawn Pizzini, Information Technology Services Division, (406) 444-2974
Office of Public Instruction Launches Online Educator Licensure Renewal
HELENA, Montana - October 7, 2003 - Office of Public Instruction Superintendent, Linda McCulloch announced that Montana educators can now renew their licenses on line.
The new service can be found at http://mt.gov, the official state web site. It is the latest Montana Professional License Renewal service to be made available online and allows educators to instantly report their continuing education credits, renew their licenses and pay the associated fees.
Montana educators are required to renew their licenses every five years. There are currently over 25,000 active educator licenses and approximately 5,000 of these will need to be renewed this year. "I am delighted to announce the start of a new Office of Public Instruction web service where teachers, administrators, and specialists can renew their licenses," said Supt. Linda McCulloch. "There will be no more waiting for license renewals to be issued. Electronic renewal allows credentials to be updated in the certification system immediately!"
Educators can renew their licenses online quickly and easily 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They will need the Folio number from their original license. Payment can be made with a debit card, credit card or electronic check. Upon completion of the online renewal process, educators can print their updated certificate.
The online Educator Licensure renewal service is the result of an alliance between state government and the private sector. The system was cooperatively developed and is supported by the Office of Public Instruction, Department of Administration's Information Technology Services Division, and Montana Interactive, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of eGovernment provider NIC (Nasdaq: EGOV).
For more information on the online Educator Licensure renewal service, visit http://mt.gov, the Office of Public Instruction's website at http://www.opi.mt.gov/, or call Margaret Bowles at the Office of Public Instruction, 406-444-2580.
