Public comment on new rules for Montana’s Indian Language Preservation Program closes August 18. One state lawmaker is taking issue with part of the proposal.
Democratic Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy of Box Elder sponsored the bill that called for the new rules during this year’s legislative session. He told state education officials at a hearing Friday his intent was to give tribes maximum flexibility to implement language programs.
“Over the last 40, 50 years, we’ve been trying to implement language into the local school districts. The current system just isn’t cutting it,” Windy Boy said.
The Montana Indian Language Preservation Program has provided grants to help schools teach Indigenous languages for a decade. Windy Boy said the new rules make some improvements, like outlining new benchmarks for fluency. But, he took issue with a proposed cap on the percentage of grant money schools could use to pay language instructors and other personnel.
The public can submit feedback on the draft rules until Aug. 18th. The guidelines will be finalized and posted in September.
