The House Education Funding Committee was told the state must fully fund a constitutional mandate to educate all students about Indian history and culture.

The Indian Education for All Act of 1999 was passed to fulfill the constitutional promise made back in 1972. But the state has never provided any funding for the law.

The Montana Supreme Court ruled last November that the failure was "defenseless" and gave the state until October 1 of this year to come up with a solution. The Montana Indian Education Association has proposed spending $23 million over the next two years to carry out the act.

Get the Story:
Education about Indians called mandate (The Billings Gazette 1/12)

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

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Montana panel approves Indian education plan (08/17)
Montana lawmakers reviewing Indian education (04/05)