Montana spends double the money on Indian students

HELENA – Schools on American Indian reservations in Montana get roughly twice as much money per student than the statewide spending average for all schools, a new legislative report shows.

Republicans jumped on the analysis as proof that putting more money into Indian education won’t improve the so-called achievement gap.

“Throwing money at it isn’t the way to do it,” Sen. Jim Shockley, R-Victor, said Thursday. “The way to do it is reform.”

And the report, released by the Legislative Fiscal Division, did little to slow a plan before the special session of the Legislature to provide more money for Indian students.

Analysts found that schools on Indian reservations get about $17,093 per student. Statewide, schools spend an average of about $7,900 per student, the survey found.

The Legislature’s plan to bolster school funding includes as much as an extra $200 per Indian student.

“It seems unlikely that the proposed amount of money will do much to close the American Indian achievement gap, especially since the average spending per student on reservation schools (is higher),” according to the legislative fiscal analysts.

Educators, seeing the numbers for the first time, said it doesn’t accurately portray the problems facing Indian schools.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Linda McCulloch said the graduation rate on Indian reservations is only about 50 percent, and unemployment often runs rampant. Targeted money as outlined in the school funding fix will provide consistent focus on the issue, and has been proven to work in other areas, she said.

The funding mix for the schools comes from a combination of local, state and federal money. The legislative analysis found the schools on Indian reservations are given more from both federal and state sources for the children they teach. The extra money for Indian students is only a small part of the governor’s school funding plan.

But Republican critics said the extra money for Indian students, without more information on how the current money is being spent, has not been thought through.

“There needs to be some reform and see why it costs so much more to educate Native Americans in the schools,” said Rep. John Sinrud, R-Bozeman. “It bothers me putting more money into the education system when there is no plan to decrease the dropout rates.”