Program matches rural schools, professionals

MELSTONE, Mont. -- When rumors start swirling that one or two teachers may leave this small town, school administrators become nervous.

They know it won't be an easy task to attract young teachers to Melstone: The town of 150 people doesn't have much of a social life, and the closest mall or McDonald's is located some 80 miles away in Billings.

But beginning this spring, a program at Montana State University will match professionals seeking a new career with small, rural schools like Melstone that are growing more desperate every year to fill teaching positions.

Police officer Stephen Lundgren, of Atwater, Calif., is a perfect candidate for the program. A U.S. Army reservist who is working on a master's degree in military history, Lundgren, 51, has been substitute teaching, off and on, for years. But he's always dreamed of leading his own English or history class -- maybe even coaching football -- and of living in Montana.

"It's a dream come true," he said of the program. "I believe I've been scripted to teach."

Participants in the program who agree to teach for at least three years in any of about 160 mostly rural school districts in Montana, Wyoming or South Dakota will receive a $5,000 stipend to help pay for teacher education.

As part of the program, Internet courses are offered with the goal of having the first batch of participants in classrooms by this fall, getting supervised, paid training. Participants can be licensed and ready to teach on their own by fall of 2004.

School superintendents who have had difficulty attracting and retaining teachers praise the program's potential.

"Getting people to come here is tough," said Dick Thomas, the superintendent of Melstone, located on Montana's sweeping eastern prairie.

A small town like Melstone doesn't offer much in the way of a social life for a young teacher. The night life often revolves around the high school gym and the average age of residents tilts toward the retired crowd. The school has just 15 teachers and 74 students in grades K-12.

Koa McCullough, a first-year business and computer teacher in central Montana, tends to pal around with his students because they are closer to his age. He likes the small classes and enjoys his work, but doubts he'll be here much longer.

"The next step is always in the back of my mind," the 22-year-old said. "I might go to Alaska for a year or so -- for the money and for the experience in the bush."

Teachers right out of college don't stick around long -- maybe two or three years -- and then administrators like Tom Frankenhoff say they are looking to make new hires.

"All you can do is sell your school" as a good opportunity to potential teachers, said Frankenhoff, superintendent in McLaughlin, S.D., which is about 80 miles south of Bismarck, N.D., on an American Indian reservation. But that's not always easy, he said, when yours is among 200 or more schools at the same college or job fair going after the same batch of new teachers.

Another big obstacle to attracting teachers is pay. During the 2000-01 school year, the average salary for teachers in the three states didn't break $35,000, ranking near the bottom in the nation, according to the American Federation of Teachers. Schools in some states can even offer teaching recruits signing bonuses, something Thomas said is not an option at Melstone.

"Being able to attract people into the profession, who already have an income or the background, is key," said Greg Weisenstein, dean of MSU's College of Education, Health and Human Development in Bozeman. "The challenge is to attract people to these states."

But Weisenstein said he's been surprised by the level of interest in the program -- coming from as far away as Germany and as close as a few miles from some of the needy schools.

Lea Jordan, 31, was among the first to be accepted into the program. She said she quit her job as an environmental scientist when she tired of the routine: sitting in front of a computer, writing reports. She yearned for more human contact, the kind she says she now gets as an aide for middle school students who need help with reading and math.

"In the back of my mind I always said I would enjoy teaching," said Jordan, of Hamilton, Mont. "Why I didn't see that right away, I don't know."

On the Net:

www.montana.edu/nptt/