Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Ell Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
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 approximately $90.09 per identified student in recent years. Keogh said the bill would use that student count as a basis for a state funding allocation and would fund stipends for teachers with specialized CLD credentials.
Witnesses from a wide set of organizations testified in favor, including the Montana American Indian Caucus, local chambers of commerce, MFPE, the Coalition of Advocates for Montana's Public Schools, refugee and immigrant service organizations, university researchers and classroom teachers. Multiple witnesses described gaps between federal Title III dollars and actual program costs; Rob Watson, representing the Coalition of Advocates for Montana's Public Schools, said Bozeman receives about $30,000 in federal Title III funds while his contacts estimate the full local ELL program costs nearly $700,000. "The proportion of federal funding that schools receive to support EL programs is woefully insignificant in covering the actual staff costs needed to support our EL students," Watson said.
Front-line teachers described staffing and caseload pressures. Allie Campbell, a first-year EL teacher, said budget constraints sometimes force districts to hire part-time or split positions and can delay required testing and instruction because one teacher covers multiple schools. Informational witnesses from the Office of Public Instruction and Montana State University's Center for Bilingual and Multicultural Education described identification and assessment processes, including the WIDA screener and the annual WIDA ACCESS proficiency assessment. Serena Wright, OPI English Learner Program Specialist, told the committee OPI had identified roughly 4,450 ELLs statewide and that about 3,641 students were currently receiving Title III-funded services because districts must apply and meet grant thresholds or form consortia. Wright said there are 204 teachers with active EL endorsements on file with licensure.
Committee members asked technical and fiscal questions. Keogh acknowledged the bill contains an appropriation line that, as drafted, would deposit $5,000,000 from the state general fund to OPI for fiscal years 2026–27; she and OPI staff discussed how Title III grant mechanics currently operate and how consortia are used by small districts to access federal funds. Multiple speakers urged the committee to consider teacher training pathways and supports for districts to recruit and retain EL-certified instructors.
No opponents offered testimony. The hearing closed without a committee vote; Keogh said she looked forward to committee questions and follow-up.
