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Lawmakers hear bill to create state funding stream and teacher stipends for English learners
Summary
House Bill 361 would create a state funding formula for English language learners and provide stipends to teachers with specialized training. Sponsors and a broad coalition of educators, advocates and universities urged passage, citing rising ELL enrollment and insufficient federal Title III funding.
Representative Connie Keogh, D-Missoula, opened the Feb. 12 hearing on House Bill 361, saying Montana currently lacks a state funding mechanism for students with limited English proficiency and is one of two states without such funding. "Montana is not unique. We have students in our schools and families in our communities with very unique and different circumstances around language," Keogh said, explaining the bill pairs direct funding for ELL students with professional stipends for teachers who earn a culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) certification.
Keogh walked the committee through OPI-produced materials showing state counts and languages of identified English learners. OPI data in the hearing packet cited an increase in identified ELLs from about 3,661 in 2020 to roughly 4,450 in 2023–24 and noted Title III federal grant funding provides…
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