Montana's Superintendent of Public Instruction race focused on funding

Whoever wins the race for Montana’s Superintendent of Public Instruction in the general election on Nov. 5 — Republican Susie Hedalen or Democrat Shannon O’Brien — they will inherit an office in disarray. A recent legislative audit of the Office of Public Instruction, which the superintendent leads, found more than $67 million in questionable spending of federal education funds, including one school district that used the money to buy massage chairs for the teachers’ lounge.

“OPI is kind of in shambles,” said Jessi Bennion, a professor of political science at Montana State University. “They’ve...