Committee members endorsed House Bill 791 by Rep. Carol Juneau, D-Browning, on an 11-9 vote after shaving more than $1 million off her original $7.5 million request to fund the Indian Education for All Act, which was passed in 1999 but never fully funded. Rep. Rick Ripley, R-Wolf Creek, cast the lone Republican vote for the proposal.
Another vote on the House floor was likely sometime on Thursday. Lawmakers must send all spending bills from one chamber to the other by Tuesday or they will die.
"I do think that this bill is part of the school funding process and part of what the Supreme Court concluded in affirming the Sherlock decision that the state hasn't done anything on this," Juneau said.
Her bill would fund the Indian Education for All Act, which expands upon a provision in the 1972 Montana Constitution recognizing the cultural heritage of the state's Indian tribes and any educational goals designed to preserve their identity. The $6.1 million endorsed Thursday is in addition to $2 million from the governor, but includes $1.4 million added to the budget by lawmakers last week.
Juneau and other Indian lawmakers have said the $2 million from Gov. Brian Schweitzer isn't enough to get the program off the ground, and that more money is needed for sufficient teacher training and curriculum.
Supporters believe bringing Native culture into the classroom will make Indian students feel more valued and accepted, and promote understanding of different cultures. Education officials also hope to close the growing achievement gap between Indian and non-Indian students and cut Indian dropout rates through the law.
Indians currently make up 11 percent of Montana's public school students, and are the only growing student population, state Office of Public Instruction figures show.
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