Montana's eight Indian lawmakers will play a prominent role this year in developing legislation to fund the state's Indian education mandate.

The Indian caucus is made up of two lawmakers from the Senate and six from the House. They are seeking $23 million to ensure public schools teach about Indian culture, history and government as required by the state constitution. Advocates say Indian and non-Indian students will benefit.

The issue is in the spotlight because the Montana Supreme Court gave the state until October 1 to develop a plan to fulfill the mandate. Lawmakers have started holding hearings on the subject and were told on Friday of a school district that has successfully integrated Indian culture into the curriculum.

Get the Story:
Indian caucus will have special role in session (The Great Falls Tribune 1/23)
Bills put teaching Indian culture on educational menu (The Great Falls Tribune 1/23)
Educators share success stories in Indian education (The Missoulian 1/22)

Relevant Links:
Montana Indian Education Association - http://www.mtiea.org
Montana Office of Public Instruction - http://www.opi.state.mt.us

Related Stories:
Montana lawmakers told to fund Indian education (1/12)
Montana group proposes $23M for Indian education (12/07)
Indian lawmakers in Montana set priorities (11/17)
Indian education summit underway in Montana (10/15)
Montana panel approves Indian education plan (08/17)
Montana lawmakers reviewing Indian education (04/05)