• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

School District 2 Catches Flak for Indian Ed Money

Posted on: Friday, 2 June 2006, 21:00 CDT

By Laura Tode, Billings Gazette, Mont.

Jun. 1--Billings School District 2 has recently come under scrutiny by the Montana Indian Education Association.

The association has questioned the district's plans for using the nearly $1.3 million in Indian Education For All funds allocated to the district during the December special legislative session.

The district plans to use about $46,200 from that fund to pay for a secretary and part of the salary of the district's curriculum director.

The new state law may technically allow the use of funding for staffing, but that's not in keeping with the spirit of the law, said Carol Juneau, D-Browning, director of the Montana Indian Education Association. She said the money was intended to fund additional programs.

The association is a nonprofit group supporting legislation for Indian education and works as an information resource for school districts and educators.

The Indian Education for All funding included several allocations.

One allocation is earmarked for increasing achievement among American Indian students. SD2 received $160,600 for Indian students in the elementary district and $70,400 for students in the high school district. Those funds are ongoing, and the law specifically states that American Indian achievement funds cannot be used to pay for existing programs.

An additional one-time-only Indian Education For All allocation is directed at the development and implementation of curriculum to be used for Indian education for all students at all grade levels to emphasize the cultural and historical contributions of Montana Indian tribes.

The elementary district is slated to receive $446,204 and the high school district will receive $227,648. The district will also receive $200,063 in ongoing money for the elementary district and $116,728 for the high school district to continue to provide Indian education in every classroom. The rules for the Indian Education For All curriculum development and implementation are less restrictive.

Last week, the SD2 board approved the development of an Indian Education for All director position, which will be filled by Carol Blades, former principal of Crossroads Alternative High School, at a salary of $73,743. Her secretary's salary at $28,792 will also be paid for out of the Indian Education for All funds, and some $17,400 will be used to pay part of the district's curriculum director's salary.

Juneau said she supported the development of an Indian Education for All administrative position, but disapproved of using any of the funds for the salary of a secretary or curriculum director.

The Montana Office of Public Instruction is vague on what the Indian Education for All funds should be used for, Juneau said, and how districts will be accountable for tracking the funds. All the allocations are dumped into the district's general fund.

"That's where the problem lies," Juneau said. "There's no provision for schools to put it into a special fund where it can be tracked. ... Even if it went into the general fund, it should be used for Indian Education for All."

Associate Superintendent Jack Copps said staff hired with the Indian education money will act as a "launching pad" for new programs. "We don't know for sure what they're going to look like, so we have to rely on these people and their expertise to help us define that."

Remaining Indian Education for All funds will be used to support new programs and enhance existing programs, which can include supplies, teaching materials and professional development.

In her letter, Juneau mentioned the $419,000 special session allocation for at-risk students. Many of the district's American Indian students are served through at-risk programs. Copps said that allocation will be used, in large part, to sustain existing programs.

"The reality is, we're restructuring a lot of things here because we had to take care of a very significant budget shortfall," Copps said.

Juneau said that despite the district's financial situation, administrators should be using the additional funding for what it was intended for -- not for paying existing salaries.

"Billings is the largest school district in the state," she said. "They're going to be the role model for other school districts, and if other districts follow suit, we have gained nothing for Indian Education for All."

-----

To see more of the Billings Gazette, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.billingsgazette.com.

Copyright (c) 2006, Billings Gazette, Mont.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

Source: Billings Gazette, Billings, Montana

More News in this Category