WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, secured language in the House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill which would provide $91,000 in additional Impact Aid funding for the Heart Butte School District.

“Montana kids deserve the best education no matter where they live,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee and the Impact Aid Coalition.  “School districts located on one of Montana’s seven reservations often lack the funding that typically comes from property taxes.  Impact Aid provides a boost to these school districts and my provision will restore some much-needed funding for Heart Butte.”

In late January, the Heart Butte School District submitted their application to receive 2009 Impact Aid funding.  Unfortunately, due to a faxing error, the submitted pages were blank when they arrived at the Department of Education.  Once the error was discovered and the pages had been re-faxed, the deadline for application had already passed requiring a 10% reduction of Heart Butte’s 2009 Impact Aid payments.

Rehberg’s measure states that “the signature pages submitted by Heart Butte School District in Pondera County, Montana, as part of its application for Impact Aid…shall be considered to have been submitted timely and complete for purpose of receiving funding under such a program,” restoring an estimated $91,000 in payments resulting from the cut. There are approximately 147 Impact Aid students in the Heart Butte School District.

“Without Denny’s assistance, the reduction in Impact Aid funding would have been detrimental to our budget,” said Lori Falcon, District Superintendent of Heart Butte.  “We rely heavily on Impact Aid to run our schools and we’re really happy we’re one step closer to straightening this problem out.”

Impact Aid is a program designed to ensure military children, children residing on Indian lands, and children residing on federally-owned low rent housing facilities receive a quality education by helping school districts, which have lost tax revenue as a result of the federal presence in their district.  Since 2001, Impact Aid funding for Montana has increased 18.4% and 72 Montana school districts currently receive Impact Aid funds.

# # #