Education

Increasing education opportunities in Montana isn’t going to happen through another federal mandate or a one-size-fits-all regulation. We need to empower our state, our local school boards, our teachers and parents to work together to develop solutions that best fit our kids’ unique needs.

As we work to grow Montana’s technology and resources jobs, we cannot underestimate the importance of encouraging our students’ interests in science, math, engineering and technology or of trade schools. In Montana, students are often forced to leave our state to find good-paying and long-lasting careers. We need to ensure that our students have the skills they need to find good-paying jobs that can keep them here at home after graduation.

Daines Announces $2.5 Million for Montana Tribal Schools

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today announced that Lodge Grass Elementary School District and Heart Butte School District were awarded nearly $2.5 million in construction grants for FY2016.  Heart Butte and Lodge Grass Elementary school districts are among seven educational agencies nationwide to receive Impact Aid Discretionary Construction Grants this year. The funding will be used to address emergency health and safety conditions in school facilities. “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. “This additional support will help students on the

Daines Announces Over $500,000 in Education Funding for Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today announced more than $500,000 in federal funds for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) to bolster their educational programs and provide additional tools to advance self-determination in an educational setting. The Salish Kootenai College (SKC) was awarded $220,000 through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) the Tribal College Research Grants Program (TCRGP), which was created by the 2014 Farm Bill. The tribe was separately awarded $287,769 through the Department of Education’s State-Tribal Education Partnership (STEP) program. “These grants will provide Salish Kootenai College and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes with additional resources to

Daines Honors Montanan of the Week: Jessica Anderson of Deer Lodge

Senator Steve Daines today honored Jessica Anderson, the 2016 Montana Teacher of the Year. Ms. Anderson is an outstanding educator at Powell County High School in Deer Lodge. Through his “Montanan of the Week” initiative, Daines each week will highlight a Montanan by submitting a statement of recognition in the official Congressional Record, the document that reflects the official proceedings of Congress.   Daines’ recognition in the Congressional Record is available here. Daines welcomes anyone to nominate fellow Montanans for Daines’ “Montanan of the Week” program by calling Daines’ office at 202-224-2651 or by filling out the contact form on Daines’ website: http://www.daines.senate.gov/connect/email-steve

Daines Announces Over $350,000 for Montana State University – Northern

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today announced $350,388.00 in funding for the Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions (NASNTI) program at Montana State University (MSU) – Northern in Havre.  The NASNTI program provides grants and related assistance to Native American-serving, nontribal institutions to enable such institutions to improve and expand their capacity to serve Native Americans and low-income individuals. “Montana State University – Northern plays an important role in providing a quality education every year for hundreds of Montanans, including many Native American students,” Daines stated. “Access to quality education and training services is critical for our students’ futures. I’m excited that Montana State

Daines Honors Montanan of the Week: Principal Jacob Francom of Troy

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines honored Jacob Francom as the Montanan of the Week today at Daines’ office in Washington, D.C. Jacob Francom was recently named 2015 Montana Principal of the Year. Click here to download a high-resolution photo of Daines and Francom. Through his “Montanan of the Week” initiative, Daines each week will highlight a Montanan by submitting a statement of recognition in the official Congressional Record, the document that reflects the official proceedings of Congress. Daines’ recognition in the Congressional Record is available here. Daines welcomes anyone to nominate fellow Montanans for Daines’ “Montanan of the Week” program

Daines Honors Montanan of the Week: Caley Clark of White Sulphur Springs

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today honored Caley Clark, a teacher in White Sulphur Springs, Montana. Ms. Clark was the only Montanan selected from a pool of more than 300 applicants to participate in this week’s Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Summer Teacher Institute. Daines presented Ms. Clark with her award this week while she was in town for the teaching institute.   Click here to download high-resolution photos. Through his “Montanan of the Week” initiative, Daines each week will highlight a Montanan by submitting a statement of recognition in the official Congressional Record, the document that

Daines: Our Country’s Most Sensitive Data Can Be in the Hands of Our Enemies

“We must act more quickly and more nimbly than those seeking to wage a terrorist attack on our nation’s cybersecurity infrastructure.” WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines, a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, today emphasized the growing threat of a serious cyber attack from the Islamic State— including the potential to penetrate America’s vehicles, like the risk that spurred the recent recall from Fiat Chrysler.  “Recent news reminds us that we must also consider the security of the cars that are driving on our roadways. In fact, just in the past week news broke that Fiat Chrysler announced the recall

Daines, Blumenthal Introduce Bill to Protect Students’ Data

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senators Steve Daines (R-MT) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) today introduced legislation to ensure proper safeguards are in place to protect students’ data.    The Safeguarding American Families from Exposure by Keeping Information and Data Secure (SAFE KIDS) Act protects student privacy by establishing clear parameters for third-party operators when using data collected from students. The legislation empowers parents to control access to their children’s information. The current federal protections for student data, including the tools currently available to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), are woefully inadequate. The SAFE KIDS Act empowers the FTC to oversee and enforce collection, storage and usage of

Daines Announces New Books Program for Montana Schools

WASHINGTON, D.C. —Senator Steve Daines today announced a new partnership with the Library of Congress to donate surplus books to Montana public schools.  Through the program, three different Montana schools and libraries will receive books each month to encourage education and learning. The first recipients include: Harlowton Public Library in Wheatland County Troy Public High School in Lincoln County Brockton Public High School in Roosevelt County “As a product of Montana public schools, I know the importance of ensuring our schools have the resources and tools they need to prepare Montana’s students for success,” Daines stated. “I am excited to partner