No rise in legal dropout age in Montana

A bill to raise the legal dropout age from 16 to 18 failed Monday in a Montana Senate committee.

The Senate Education and Cultural Resources Committee voted 5- 5, failing to advance Senate Bill 44 brought by Sen. Taylor Brown, R-Huntley, and endorsed by State Superintendent Denise Juneau, according to the Helena Independent Record.

The bill would have changed the 90-year-old law that says students can drop out at age of 16 or after completing the eighth-grade.

“It’s very disappointing it didn’t even get out of committee for a debate on the Senate floor,” Juneau said. “It’s an important issue.”