Glasgow schools share in $404,587

Glasgow High School and East Side School are among nine rural schools in Montana that will share a $404,587 grant to develop a distance learning consortium that will help improve the quality of rural education in Montana. The funding was announced Monday by Rep. Denny Rehberg.

The Glasgow schools will receive at least $50,000, according to GHS Principal Marj Markle. She said the grant matches some technology purchases the schools have made in the last year, about 40 new computers and two on-line learning programs. Discovery Education features data streaming programs that all teachers can use. Renaissance Learning is used to enhance math and reading at East Side School.

"We were chosen because we are so technologically advanced," Markle said. "We were asked to join the consortium for this grant because we are ahead of the curve."

"Improving education opportunities in Montana is a priority of mine in Congress," said Rehberg, a member of the House Rural Education Caucus. “Distance learning technology in Montana’s rural classrooms increases student access to a wide variety of world-wide learning opportunities, and provides the educator with a host of additional teaching tools.”

The funding is from the USDA Rural Development Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Grant Program, which provides equipment, software and training resources for education and health care institutions in rural areas.

The money will be used for a Web-based interactive and streamed media consortium of nine rural schools. The schools are located in Colstrip, Glasgow, Harlem, Noxon and Rocky Boy.