Entrepreneur advocates for school choice

Greg Gianforte of Bozeman is a software entrepreneur, philanthropist and an advocate for school choice.

In 2012, the founder and former CEO of Bozeman-based RightNow Technologies brought a Colorado-based school scholarship program called Ace Scholarships to Montana.

Gianforte, who serves as the chairman of the Montana Ace Scholarships advisory board, wanted to find a program that increased access to private schools and quality education for families of low to moderate income.

“My calling really is in creating challenging, worthwhile livelihoods for people and I’ve done that growing a business here,” Gianforte said. “How can I continue to pursue that outcome, which is increase good paying jobs in the state? I’ve come to the conclusion education is a key component of that.”

Friday, Gianforte was the guest speaker at Whitefish Christian Academy’s annual auction and dinner fundraiser. Prior to the fundraiser, Gianforte sat down to talk about the program with Whitefish Christian Academy Headmaster Todd Kotila and Whitefish Christian Academy parents Danielle Pena and Kelly Urfer,  whose children have benefited from Ace Scholarships.

Gianforte said education is not a one-size-fits-all proposition.

“Every single child has such great potential, but they have to have access to education that matches them. We have dedicated teachers in our public system, but one size does not fit all. One system cannot fit everybody. For the ones it doesn’t work for, it’s forcing them into a life of poverty [if they drop out of high school],” Gianforte said.

His philosophy is that competition in education would prove beneficial for students enrolled in both private and public school systems.

“Competition tends to increase quality and the best way to improve our public schools in the state is to introduce some competition,” Gianforte said. “What if you want to go buy a car and there’s only one model, one color? Monopolies don’t innovate.”

One of the reasons Gianforte — who attended public school himself — became interested in the quality of public and private education was that he couldn’t find qualified candidates in Montana to work for his company.

“Our average wage at work was $86,000 a year, two and a half times the state average, but for every job we opened up we had 100 applicants and 99 were underqualified. So the thing that motivates me around education and providing options — particularly for middle to low income — is job creation and economic growth,” Gianforte said. “We [Montanans] have a really strong work ethic, an abundance of natural resources, but our kids are not prepared for the jobs of the future and pouring a solid foundation at the kindergarten- through 12th-grade level is really essential.”

Right now there is a choice, but only for families with financial means.

“The people that really have no school choice in the state are medium- to low-income families and that’s why a program like Ace is so important because it brings choice to families that wouldn’t have a choice otherwise,” Gianforte said.

Six hundred fifty scholarships have been awarded to families across the state this year. Sixteen of those scholarships have been awarded to Whitefish families and 68 have been awarded to Kalispell families. Approximately 300 families are on a waiting list for scholarships.

Four-year scholarships are awarded to families who meet certain income thresholds. Ace recipients in grades kindergarten through eighth are awarded $2,000 a year and recipients in grades ninth through 12th receive $3,000 a year. Families are also expected to pay half of their child’s tuition. Private schools are charged with overseeing the application process and awarding the scholarships.

For Pena and Urfer, finances were the only barrier to enrolling their children in private school.

Pena is the mother of a first-grader and kindergartener who both have scholarships through Ace. Pena and her husband are both advocates of school choice. Pena said smaller class sizes and the classical curriculum at Whitefish Christian Academy have helped her children blossom.

Urfer is the mother of a kindergartner. Urfer said she and her husband were interested in teaching a classical education through homeschooling. When medical issues prevented that option, the academy was their next choice. Urfer said financially they wouldn’t have been able to enroll without a scholarship.

“I want our kids to have an excellent education,” Urfer said.

In addition to being chairman of the Montana advisory board for Ace, Gianforte mentors Montana entrepreneurs through the Bozeman Technology Incubator, is chairman and board member of Petra Academy, board member of the Milton Friedman Foundation and serves on the national board of the Association of Classical Christian Schools.

“We’d like someday for Ace to be obsolete and replaced with legislative reform that would allow parents to pick the school that is best for their children,” Gianforte said.