GREAT FALLS – A $2.5 million grant will will be used to help fix what are described as “emergency health and safety conditions” in two Montana tribal schools.
On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) announced that Lodge Grass Elementary School District and Heart Butte School District will receive the money in construction grants for fiscal year 2016.
It’s estimated that more than 350 students will benefit from the projects.
Heart Butte will receive $1.7 million and contribute just over $1 million to fund the cost of the project, which includes replacing deteriorated and leaking roofs to both the high school and elementary portion of the the buildings.
Lodge Grass will receive $734,483 to fix plumbing issues.
“These grants will provide Heart Butte and Lodge Grass schools with additional resources to ensure the safety of their students and to better serve their communities,” Daines stated in a press release.“This additional support will help students on the Blackfeet and Crow Reservations to have the resources they need to learn.”