The budget cuts coming to the entire Missoula County School District are a source of large concern, for both students and teachers. The budget is vital when determining the outcome for a school year.
There are many components in the making of the district budget. It is essential to understand the many sources of funding and how each is incorporated into a large budget to find the source of the current deficit.
According to the Office of Public Instruction Montana, educational budgets are based on state entitlements, enrollment, numbers of educators and licensed professionals, and the demographics of students enrolled. This money then comes from both the state and federal government, with each having their own respective influences. Federal programs such as CTEs (Career and Technical Education), Special Education, and Title 1 (which provides assistance to children from low-income families) are funded by the federal government.
Amounts of federal funding are additionally determined by community poverty levels and the overall local economy. Montana schools receive funding per student for the Indian Education For All program, making a section of state funding focused on cultural learning.
Local Mill Levies constitute 30% of the educational budget funding; for example, levies for the MCPS district are imposed taxes on Missoula County as a whole. The schools within the district request specific levies for voter approval. Kasey Dirnberger, the district’s CTE coordinator, explained that there is currently a levy called the “Student Safety and Security Building Reserve” for the high schools to receive $1 million.
In any given district only a percentage of local property taxes can be called upon for a levy without a vote, so many large monetary projects are on local ballots. If voters approve of proposed levies, some of the pressure put on the district for general funding is released. The safety levy in particular will be voted upon in November. This levy could help school security, student safety, and pull in more preventive services for any lockdown or alternate disaster scenario.
When looking at different budgets per year, funds also get increased or decreased depending on certain factors. Take the 2023 MCPS Budget versus the 2024 MCPS Budget (where expenses appear differently). This can be because of differences in cost of living per year, wage raises, and grants expiring or not being renewed, among other factors.
An article published in February 2024 by Montana Free Press lays out more factors by which educational funding is received in Montana. This article itemizes the different funds the school receives, down to the dollar amount provided per student entitlement-the basic entitlement being what they need to provide for each school no matter what.
Districts also give each school a tiered fund based on the grade the student is in. K-6 receives the most with the amount decreasing at a consistent rate from that point onward. All schools receive additional funds for special needs students, and the schools are also provided more funds based on the qualifying state programs. For instance in Montana, there is a program that provides an additional $235 of funding per Indigenous student.
Sentinel Principal Stephanie Thennis provided additional insight from the school side of the budget. Each school receives what’s called a “building budget”, which is then divided among the different departments internally within the campus. In addition the campus principals allocate a portion of this budget to assist in any project which is too big for an individual department to handle. This can include things like purchasing furniture for classrooms.
Districts provide budgets to each school based on their size. A bigger school is going to get a bigger budget. Voter approvals may be needed as well for certain budget levels.
The 2023 formula for public school funding in Montana was 40% from the state, 36% from local property taxes, 19% from the federal government, and 5% from other taxes (including oil and gas).
Sentinel marketing teacher Dylan Reynolds explains that some budget comes from federally-funded grants. Grants are written by individuals or teams within the schools or the district, and those over $5000 must be approved by the school board. One of the most talked about grants is the ESSER grant, which stands for Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief. (link to Lydia article when published)
Additional funding can be received in private grants, which are given by outside organizations. MCPS recently hired a grant writer to get additional funding; however this may be a position that is let go once COVID relief money runs dry.
In order to create an annual budget, a district’s board of trustees provides a financial statement and preliminary budget sheets to the state superintendent. These go through the county superintendent and county treasurer, after which point the county commissioner approves or rejects the budget. After an initial budget is approved, tax levies can be voted upon in November.
In 2023, Missoula County received a budget of ~ $60 million for K-12. The 2024 base budget is ~ $62 million; however, shortfalls in the budget arise with the general fund, inflation, and the reduction in ESSER. The general fund is down by $3 million, and ESSER by $5 million, creating an $8 million discrepancy. Additionally a low birth rate has led to declining elementary school enrollment. This negative trend eventually led to fewer entitlement funds in future school years.
In an interview with Montana State Superintendent Elsie Arntzen, she points out the expiration of COVID relief money in September and the usage of these funds. The hiring of staff and teachers, construction, and HVAC systems with the now expiring relief money. “We told all our districts across the state, that the money from the federal government – if they chose it – that the COVID money, it was a gift, not to sustain”.
District superintendent Micah Hill emphasizes the process to maintain the district in a minimally harmful manner. Public opinion is valued and has weight in the committee and trustee processes that create the budget, but difficult decisions are to be made.
Montana state law has safety nets designed to protect against inflation, one of which includes the Safe Harbor 3 year average for enrollment. This also includes an inflation factor in funding set by the statute. Despite designs in the law, MCPS has reached the limits of the funds.
MCPS plans to combat these monetary discrepancies by eliminating upwards of 100 positions in both K-12 school staff and district administrative staff. Additionally, it plans to make up to $2 million in levies that will be on the ballot this November election.
Changes in budget mechanics have created obstacles for the district. As a result, MCPS must adjust to continue serving Missoula students.
