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Montana committee hears bill to reinstate, expand 'Grow Your Own' teacher pipeline
Summary
Lawmakers heard testimony on HB 4.99 to revise and extend Montana's Grow Your Own grant program, which funds partnerships that prepare local students and paraprofessionals for teaching. Sponsors and witnesses said sustained appropriations are needed to turn more participants into classroom teachers.
Representative Cedus Crow told the House Education Committee that House Bill 4.99 "seeks to revise and extend the Grow Your Own grant program," calling it a targeted effort to recruit and retain teachers in rural and tribal communities. The bill would authorize the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education to administer partnerships between postsecondary institutions and K–12 districts and provides a last‑dollar grant intended to cover remaining tuition costs up to $5,000 per year and not to exceed $10,000 per student.
Supporters told the committee the program addresses persistent educator shortages in small and frontier schools. "The Grow Your Own Grant program has been a successful…
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