McLean reads, talks development in Havre

Lt. Gov. Angela McLean touted recent legislative successes of the Bullock administration, blasted a group of Republicans for torpedoing a bipartisan infrastructure spending bill and engaged with local residents during a visit to Havre Wednesday.

At the heart of McLean's visit was a roundtable discussion with area business and community leaders at Bear Paw Development Corp. The hour-and-a-half long conversation touched on issues ranging from the state of the economy to education, workforce development, infrastructure and improving economic conditions on Indian reservations.

McLean heralded the resurgence of the Montana economy, mentioning the state's 3.9 percent unemployment rate, which is far below the national average, a spike in the state's high school graduation rate and a survey that shows Montana as a top state for business creation.

"Things are right in Montana, and they are right by design," said McLean, who spoke of the desire to "Montanafy" America.

Education

McLean, a former teacher, credited the Bullock administration's record increases in K-12 and post-secondary education for laying the groundwork for a thriving economy.

But local educators expressed concern over areas that needed improvement such as difficulty in recruiting and retaining qualified teachers, especially in smaller more rural schools across the Hi-Line.

Andy Carlson, superintendent of Havre Public Schools, spoke of one smaller school outside his district, where there were five openings for teachers, but only three applicants.

"It's a real challenge for us," Carlson said. "I can't imagine starting a school year with 50 kids not having a teacher."

The dearth of applicants was especially true for specialized areas such as special education, he said.

McLean emphasized the importance of universal pre-Keducation. Montana is one of only four states that does not have a universal pre-K program. Given that 90 percent of a child's brain development happens before age 5, McLean said, investments in early education are crucial.

During the last legislative session, the efforts by Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat, to get funding for universal pre-K were bottled up in the Republican-led state Legislature. Nonetheless, McLean said, it would be a top priority, if Bullock is re-elected in 2016, when the Legislature reconvenes in January 2017.

Workforce development

As the economic landscape has improved since the start of the "Great Recession" began in 2008, local leaders said employers continue to have concerns over a shrinking pool of qualified employees and the large number of open part-time positions.

One of the concerns expressed by some leaders was the so-called "benefits cliff" when entry-level workers, such as those who receive public assistance like Medicaid, housing subsidies and childcare, risk becoming ineligible for programs they need if they are either hired full-time or get a raise in pay.

Participants stressed the need to show young people and other potential workers about how to search for work and how to perform in job interviews

One of the people at the conference, in the discussion said she and her organization are thinking of holding a job fair possibly this fall. McLean added that the governor is planning on holding a workforce summit this fall, though she did not go into greater detail.

Infrastructure

One participant bemoaned the lack of state spending on infrastructure. He called the inability to fund infrastructure an "epic failure."

Earlier this year, a $150 million compromise infrastructure bill, backed by Democrats and many Republicans, was approved by the state Senate but defeated in the House after failing to muster the two-thirds majority support needed to advance to Bullock's desk. It was something McLean agreed was "an opportunity missed and an opportunity lost."

"Those lawmakers who voted it down simply got it wrong," she said.

Reservation economy

McLean lauded bills pushed by the Bullock administration and passed by the Legislature that would improve the economic climate on Native reservations.

In particular McLean mentioned a $500,000 revolving loan fund created to increase the stream of credit to reservation businesses.

She said that a bill that would treat tribal limited liability corporations the same as other corporations was a step forward in expanding economic opportunity on reservations.

Valdean Mountain El Assad, a Native American who is the owner of Phoenixfire, a Native-American nonprofit, said the green economy is one area where young people are showing great interest and reservations can serve as a sort of pilot site for such projects.

"Those organic, holistic and ecofriendly markets give us the ability," she said. "They (are) all there, it's just we have to figure out a way to bring it to our communities."

Earlier in the day McLean, arrived in Havre for a children's reading event at the Havre-Hill County Library, where a state trooper was reading to a group of 53 children, as part of a seven week long 'Community Heroes' reading program.

Sitting on the floor among the children McLean praised local emergency responders such as the trooper present for "making sure we are all safe on our roads in our homes and in our communities across the state."

She then toured the Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line and traveled to Great Falls before returning to Helena.