Advocates here work with Great Falls families and Great Falls Public Schools teams. Each profile lists a rate when the advocate shares one.
3 virtual advocates who work with Montana schools
Advocates get hired after a meeting goes badly, rarely before the first one, which is why most of them start by reading a file that already carries a year of history in it.
The search usually starts the week a parent reads an evaluation report and cannot tell from it whether Great Falls schools are offering enough.
Paperwork is where cases are won or lost, and an advocate who has read every progress report in the file will find the sentence a Great Falls team wrote two years ago that contradicts what it is saying now.
Note what changed at home. Teachers see one room for one hour and parents see the rest of the day.
These advocates are not based in Montana. They join IEP meetings by video or phone, which IDEA allows when you and the school agree.
Virtual · based in Leonardtown, MD · works with Montana schools
Special Education Advocate
Douglas Hubscher is the Founder and President of Kids Are First, LLC, a special education advocacy firm dedicated to helping families navigate the IEP and 504 process with confidence, clarity, and…
Virtual · based in Hialeah, FL · works with Montana schools
Advocate
Hello! I look forward to helping families and their students get the crucial support they need. I have varied experience working with families and educators at the state and local levels.
Virtual · based in Inverness, IL · works with Montana schools
Special Education Advocate
I earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Communicative Sciences and Disorders at Michigan State University and a Master’s of Education from DePaul University, with a dual certification in elementary and…
Great Falls Public Schools takes most Great Falls addresses, but not all of them. Check yours before you send a letter, because a request that lands in the wrong district office does not start the evaluation clock at all.
A Bozeman parent group can tell you how the same district handled a case like yours, which is worth more to read than a policy page.
Confirm your child's district by address. Great Falls addresses may fall in more than one public school district.
No Montana deadline applies to a written evaluation request. Federal rules still require a response within a reasonable time.
If the Great Falls team says no, ask for the refusal in writing.
Montana gives a school district 60 calendar days to finish an initial special education evaluation. No Montana rule sets a separate deadline for answering a written request, so the federal reasonable-time standard is what applies. Missed deadlines are handled by the Montana Office of Public Instruction, Special Education, which takes written state complaints from parents.
Training varies, and so does what it proves. A parent who asks how many Great Falls IEP meetings an advocate sat in last year learns more than a certificate would show.
Check the references and not the letters after the name. Two calls to past clients settle it faster than any credential list.
No advocate can promise a placement or an outcome in Great Falls. Anyone who does is selling you something.
Great Falls Public Schools is allowed to say no. What it is not allowed to do is say no without written notice that explains the reason.
No advocate is listed in every city. A remote advocate who knows Montana rules is usually a better hire for Great Falls than a local one who does not.
Experience with Great Falls Public Schools matters more than the number of years printed on a profile page.
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Great Falls, Montana, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
How much should I budget for one IEP meeting?
Most advocates on this directory charge $75 to $150 per hour. A standard cycle with two hours of prep and two hours in the meeting runs about $400. Travel and extra meetings cost more.
Can an advocate represent me at a due process hearing in Montana?
No. Advocates prepare for meetings, read the records and negotiate with the district. Attorneys file due process complaints and appear at hearings, which an advocate cannot do.
Is remote IEP advocacy allowed?
Yes, with one condition. The school has to agree to the meeting format, so put the request in writing before the date is set.
What district will be at my IEP meeting in Great Falls?
Most Great Falls families work with Great Falls Public Schools. Charter and magnet enrollment can change which agency owes the service, so ask that question before the first meeting.
Do advocates here work on Section 504 plans in Great Falls?
Yes. Section 504 work looks the same as IEP work, which is records, a written request and somebody in the room who knows what the school already agreed to.
Official Montana links for parents in Great Falls.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
The same Montana rules apply in Bozeman, Missoula, Billings, Butte and the other cities listed here, or see every Montana advocate.
Send the same two questions to every advocate you contact in Great Falls and Bozeman. Ask for the rate and for the first date they can meet.
Keep a one-page timeline of what happened and when. Every advocate you talk to will start by building the same thing.
