Claudette Morton, a Helena Democrat, filed Monday for state superintendent of public instruction, and pledged that, if elected, she would prevent Montana's excellent educational heritage from being compromised.

Morton said a primary goal will be to help devise a school-funding formula, a task she said the Legislature has not completed. The Montana Supreme Court in 2004 ruled that the way Montana funds public schools was constitutionally inadequate.

The group that filed the court case, Montana Quality Education Coalition, voted last week to return to court.

Morton's 40-plus years as a Montana educator have prepared her to meet the challenges facing public schools, she said. She emphasized her record of working with legislators and educators to seek solutions to constitutional mandates to provide and fund quality education.

"In order to teach the next generation how to think and solve problems creatively and critically, we, this generation, must sit at the same table now to listen to each other and together solve our current problems creatively,'' said Morton, executive director of the Montana Small Schools Alliance.

Morton is one of four Democrats seeking the job now held by Democratic Superintendent Linda McCulloch, who is a candidate for secretary of state.

Other superintendent candidates so far are: Denise Juneau, director of Indian education for the Office of Public Instruction; Sen. Sam Kitzenberg, D-Glasgow, a former school teacher; and Rep. Holly Raser, D-Missoula, a school teacher. No Republicans have announced for the office yet.