Members of the State-Tribal Relations Committee of the Montana Legislature will hear a report on issues surrounding Indian education at a meeting Aug. 21 in Helena.
Chris Lohse, an educational consultant formerly from Helena and now working in Washington, D.C., will present the results of his study on Indian dropout rates and related concerns. Lohse also will discuss the per-pupil costs faced by rural schools, particularly those on reservations.
The meeting will start at 9 a.m. in Room 137 of the State Capitol. The public is invited to attend and will have a chance to speak.
In addition, representatives of at least four tribes have agreed to provide the committee with a sampling of their tribal history projects, funded by the 2005 Legislature. The information will become part of the “Indian Education for All” curriculum package available to all Montana schools.
Other issues on the agenda include discussions of:
Oil and gas revenue-sharing agreements with tribes;
Racial profiling on or near reservations, with comments from sheriffs in Glacier, Hill, and Rosebud counties and an update from Jim Smith, Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association;
State distribution of substance-abuse grant funds; and
A proposal by Sen. Carol Juneau, D-Browning, to extend the Reserved Water Rights Compact Commission, which was created by the 1979 Legislature and has been working to develop agreements with Indian reservations and federal agencies regarding their water rights in Montana.
Members of the committee are Sens. Rick Laible, R-Darby; Frank Smith, D-Poplar; Don Steinbeisser, R-Sidney; and Joe Tropila, D-Great Falls; and Reps. Gordon Hendrick, R-Superior; Joey Jayne, D-Arlee; Ken Peterson, R-Billings; and Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder.
For more information, contact Pat Murdo, committee staffer, at 406-444-3594 or pmurdo@mt.gov.
