Stone Child, Northern both part of initiative

HELENA — At last Thursday’s meeting of the State-Tribal Relations Committee, representatives from the Montana University System announced that the first students participating in Montana’s new Grow Your Own educator programs, in which participating schools include Montana State University-Northern and Stone Child College, will begin their first coursework Tuesday.

During the legislative session last year, Rep. Tyson Running Wolf, D-Browning, sponsored successful legislation to invest state resources in Grow Your Own educator programs for the first time.

“Public schools are the hearts of Native and rural communities, but we too often struggle with a shortage of quality educators,” said Running Wolf, who is also chair of the commitee. “I am thrilled to see the progress we’re making to help our hometown kids secure a good career that meets this need and strengthens their communities.”

Running Wolf’s Grow Your Own bill, HB 403, steered $500,000 to Montana K-12 schools experiencing educator shortages to establish career pathways into teaching for their high school students. K-12 schools partner with postsecondary institutions, including tribal and two-year colleges, to develop coursework and transition participating students from high school into college. Participating students can receive college scholarships up to $10,000 if they commit to returning to teach in rural and Native schools experiencing teacher shortages.

The other participating 01-postsecondary institution in Montana, along with Stone Child and Northern, is Blackfeet Community College. The institutions were awarded funding from HB 403 in August. They are partnering with nearby high schools to implement Grow Your Own educator programs.