Teacher shortages at Indian schools in Montana are a chronic problem

Desperate for new teachers, Hays/Lodge Pole School District http://www.hays.schoolaccess.net/HLP%20Home%20Page.html Superintendent Margaret Campbell has pulled out all the stops: A three-bedroom home to live in for $230 a month, with utilities paid; a $1,000 signing bonus; and even a dollar-for-dollar match for up to $300 on monthly student loan payments.

And still, luring teachers to the school district on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in the shadow of the piney Little Rocky Mountains is extremely difficult. Starting pay is about $26,000 a year.

"A lot of people don’t want to live in a remote area," said Campbell, who this summer is looking to hire three teachers and a principal. "It’s isolated here."

By Tom Lutey

Read more: http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/teacher-shortages-at-indian-schools-are-a-chronic-problem/article_8fc8ac62-9652-54b4-b435-53500f1308f0.html#ixzz367mN5Yu1