Scholarships Available For Tribal School Teachers

The Montana Department of Labor and Industry has announced that it is accepting applications for the Tribal Computer Program Boost Scholarship Program.

The purpose of this program is to support the development of computer programming courses at schools located on Indian reservations in the state to increase interest among Indian students in pursuing computer programming and other technology-related careers, and to enhance technology- related economic development in Indian country.

“Knowledge of IT and computer programming are crucial skills Montana businesses are looking for,” said Commissioner Sarah Swanson. “By helping teachers upskill in these critical areas, they can bring what they learned back to the classroom to help their students gain invaluable skills in this crucial field.”

This scholarship provides up to $2,000 per teacher and may be used to defray the expenses of professional development for a teacher that results in the creation or refinement of world-class computer programming courses offered at the teacher’s school. The department can provide three licensed teachers (two high school and one K-8) employed in a school located on each of the seven Indian reservations in Montana and in a school or schools serving members of the Little Shell Chippewa tribe.

The professional development courses must include coursework or other activities taken at a unit of the Montana university system, a community college or a tribal college located in Montana. Payment is disbursed directly to the college or university providing the course.

The Tribal IT Scholarship program was established at the Department under HB346, sponsored by Representative Jonathon Windy Boy, passed by the 2023 Legislature, and signed into law by Governor Greg Gianforte.

Teachers and administrators can learn more or apply for the scholarship by visiting https://wsd.dli.mt.gov/ Tr i ba l - Compute r- P rogram- Boost-Scholarship.