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Billings Schools Face Critical Choices on English Learner Programs, Funding
After recent program launches and funding awards, district leaders must determine how to maintain services for English learners and allocate new equipment.
How we reported this
Billings Public Schools opened its Multilingual Academy in fall 2024, and officials now face choices on how to sustain and adjust that program as enrollment patterns continue to shift.
The academy was created specifically to address barriers for English-learning students in Billings. Growth in that population from 25 students in 2015 to 348 by 2023 created pressure for dedicated services, and the district responded with the new charter school. That response places immediate planning questions before administrators about staffing, curriculum adjustments, and facility use in the coming school years.
Resource Distribution and Teacher Pay
Billings Public Schools received $114,000 through Montana's Innovative Educational Tax Credit, which the district used to buy laptops, iPads, and desktop computers. At the same time, teacher compensation rose, reaching up to $58,000 at the start of the current school year. These two developments intersect with the academy's operations, since the new equipment and wage levels affect how classrooms function and how staff are retained.
The United Way of Yellowstone County headquarters will host a backpack distribution for students and families from Aug. 19-21, providing another concrete point of contact between the district and households. This event occurs against the backdrop of the Multilingual Academy's first full years of operation and gives families a direct way to obtain supplies while larger programmatic questions are addressed.
Next Steps for District Planning
District administrators will need to review how the purchased devices are deployed across schools and whether additional applications for the Innovative Educational Tax Credit are warranted. They must also evaluate whether current pay scales are sufficient to keep qualified teachers in English-learner classrooms. Families can prepare by noting the August distribution dates at the United Way of Yellowstone County headquarters and by watching for announcements from Billings Public Schools on any changes to academy enrollment or technology access.