Montana eyes how MCPS is spending its Indian Education for All money

Missoula school officials’ decision to use state Indian Education for All funds to balance their general fund budget has highlighted a challenge that’s being felt by school districts statewide: How do you spend $10 million on an idea that’s still on the drawing board?

Where places like Missoula have more than $500,000 to spend this year improving Native American cultural awareness and student performance, other school districts may have just a few hundred dollars. The Legislature left wide latitude on how the money is accounted for. But it did insist that the funds fulfill a constitutional obligation to weave Montana’s Native American heritage into its educational tapestry.

Earlier this month, Missoula County Public Schools trustees caught criticism for acknowledging they used their state Indian education allocation to offset a 3.5 percent raise for the district’s teachers. That puts Missoula at odds with many other districts which have proposed more specific program spending.

Last week, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Linda McCulloch said her office was in discussions with MCPS officials about the spending decisions.

By ROB CHANEY of the Missoulian

Full Story: http://missoulian.com/articles/2006/08/27/news/top/news01.txt