Photo: Ayuq Blanchett and Josaia Lehauli receive awards from the Tlingit Culture Language and Literacy program at Harborview Elementary School on Monday, Feb. 6, 2023. (Clarise Larson / KTOO)

In Alaska, the Juneau School District is expanding its support of a local language immersion program.

After multiple meetings and extended debate, the school board has agreed to fund more of the Lingít language immersion program in the upcoming school year – even amid statewide school budgeting concerns.

KTOO’s Yvonne Krumrey reports.

The program in question is Át Koowaháa: Expanding the Tlingit Culture, Language, and Literacy Program (TCLL).

The school district and the nonprofit arm of a regional Native corporation have historically roughly split the cost.

The school board signed a memorandum of agreement Wednesday with Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) to increase its investment in the project.

But school board members brought up questions about whether the district should pay for more of the TCLL program amidst widespread concerns about funding.

Board member Elizabeth Siddon said the school board supports TCLL, but they have to balance that with the needs of the entire district.

“But we support it amongst how we support all of our 4,000 students. So I’m trying to keep in mind that these 119 are not the only students we’re responsible for.”

The school board initially approved the change during its budget process.

They were then under the impression that the grant SHI used for the program was ending, according to the school board president.

But SHI was later approved for an extension of the grant.

The program isn’t growing, but now the Juneau School District will fund eight of its 11 positions.

The change requires additional funding from the school district’s budget.

SHI Education Director Kristy Ford said the program is intended to increase the number of Lingít language speakers.

“We have less than 10 fluent speakers left, so the need and the urgency to put an intensive amount of support and instruction into the TCLL program was asked of us.”

In recent meetings, some school board members said the program only serves a small percentage of Juneau students, but Ford said the scope is intentional.

It’s intense and immersive so that there is a group of dedicated speakers to make sure the Lingít language doesn’t go extinct.

Artist’s rendering of the proposed Children’s House. (Courtesy Kaala’s Village)

Montana’s Native families face higher rates of separation with a disproportionate number of Native kids in foster care.

A nonprofit in Lodge Grass is developing a center aimed at keeping tribal families together and out of social services.

Montana Public Radio’s Victoria Traxler has more.

Mountain Shadow Association recently began construction of a family healing center to support communities on the Crow Reservation.

Executive Director Megkain Doyle explains addiction and behavioral health issues can break apart families.

She says children from the reservation are often sent to foster care families out of state when these issues arise.

The center, called Kaala’s Village, aims to change that.

“That’s what Kaala’s Village is really trying to do is provide this consistent and constant relationship and connection and to help repair those places where connection and relationship are broken.”

The center’s approach is based in restorative justice, which aims to address the root cause of crimes, instead of incarceration.

Doyle says they hope to help break cycles of abuse and trauma.

Kaala’s Village was developed from years of direct dialogue between the nonprofit and Lodge Grass community members.

“They really wanted it to be a safe place for them and for their children. And they also wanted to make sure that they were gonna be surrounded by people who shared similar goals with them in recovery.”

The 13-acre campus will have housing, along with a preschool and caretakers to help supervise children.

Doyle says they hope to fully open by the end of 2026.

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