Missoula Schools receive $2.75 million grant aimed at at‑risk students; district official says officers and data systems expected

Marissa Badziak, a reporter, introduced a segment about a $2,750,000 grant awarded to Missoula Schools to help at‑risk students. Jay Christopher, who said he contributed to the grant application, described the district’s role in writing the proposal and outlined immediate and long‑range effects.

Christopher said he helped compile statistics and sections for the grant and described an at‑risk student as someone disadvantaged “for psychological, social, intellectual, familial reasons” that leave them less advantaged in school or the community. On the grant’s immediate impact at Big Sky High, Christopher said: “I think that there will be some officers that will be in our building on a regular basis to help, kids to understand that, you know, we do wanna provide a safe environment for everybody. So I think that's probably the most immediate effect of this.”

He said longer‑term effects should include “a better system of keeping track of what we do, you know, like, how many kids' statistical stuff, how many kids are involved in what and, you know, like drug and alcohol use and, keeping track of grades and failure rates and those kinds of things.” The broadcast did not specify the grant’s funders or the detailed budget breakdown for the $2,750,000 award.

The segment said the grant aims to help “at‑risk kids” across the district; specifics about the timeline, which schools would receive what shares of funding, and which agencies would administer parts of the grant were not provided on air. Christopher said the grant team wrote the application in the spring and that he met with the writing team “on several occasions.”