Friday Update From Superintendent Weltz | June 6, 2025
In today’s newsletter:
- Annual X-Town Engineering Competition
- HHS AP Chemistry Students Visit Bryant Elementary School
- Tech, Reading and Special Olympics Summer Activities
- Info on Kindersprouts Donations
- Summer SACC, Summer School and Free Summer Meals
Dear Families and Staff,
As this school year wraps up, planning for the future is already in the works. This upcoming Tuesday, the school board will be making decisions that will guide us in setting next year’s budget and approving major contracts as well as determining the direction of our district for years to come in order to best serve our students.
As the trustees move through the process of finalizing the FY25-26 budget by the August deadline, their June 10 vote on whether or not to close Hawthorne Elementary will be a significant step in determining how the district will allocate its limited financial resources for the next school year. Last year’s budget required deep programmatic cuts. Fortunately, our community supported the Elementary Levy this spring, but with minimal funding increases from this year’s legislative season and expenses still outpacing funding overall, the trustees continue to face difficult financial decisions such as this one. I appreciate all of the staff and community members who analyzed options and participated in this spring’s public process. It is clear to me and to the trustees that Helena cares deeply about the children all across this community.
On the June 10 agenda, votes will also determine our multi-year agreements with Sodexo, our food service provider, and Allegiance, our employee health insurance provider. These two agreements play major roles in the health and wellbeing of our students and our employees and require constant innovation in order to meet the demands of our district. With regard to health insurance, the District Health Committee and Administrative team have made recommendations to proactively and strategically restructure our health plan in order to control rising health insurance costs, gain access to federal programs to decrease our pharmaceutical costs, and explore an opportunity to join a statewide school health insurance trust if it is advantageous for the district and our employees. Controlling costs such as these helps our district to support our staff so that they can effectively work with our students. I will be advancing their recommendations to the Board on Tuesday.
Finally, on Tuesday, the trustees will discuss and vote on putting a bond before the community in September to remove and rebuild Helena High at the HHS campus, remodel Capital High, and remove and rebuild Kessler Elementary at the Kessler campus. As you can see in the chart below, compared to our neighboring districts of East Helena, Jefferson County and Townsend, our district has lagged behind in our investment in improving physical infrastructure designed to foster top quality educational opportunities for our students—our next generation of community leaders and workforce. Our trustees have decided it’s time to seriously consider making a long term investment for our students that will make our schools the pride of our community.
And speaking of pride, I am so proud of the many individuals who work in this district, and of the highly qualified new hires who will be joining us in the Fall. Whether its teacher/coach Eric Peterson taking the reins as the district’s Activities Director or teachers like Jamie O’Malley giving AP Chemistry students the chance to bring the magic of chemistry to Bryant Elementary students or DeLacy Humbert and Brandon Day testing their AP Physics students understanding of concepts in the annual crosstown cardboard boat competition (and getting wet!), or coaches Cliff McKay (Capital High) and Jarrod Murgel (Helena High) who have stepped forward to become our first girls wrestling head coaches, a commitment to students continues to be our top priority.
Respectfully,
Rex M. Weltz, Superintendent
Helena Public Schools
(This chart represents thirty years of data on our investment in school facilities as compared with neighboring districts)
Student & Staff Recognitions
Ryan Fuller, Conor Toivonen, Gavin Mow and Isaac Urban prepare to launch their boat
Annual X-town Engineering Competition
Once again, AP Physics students at both high schools met for a fun head-to-head engineering competition. This year, CHS teacher DeLacy Humbert and HHS teacher Brandon Day challenged teams to build cardboard boats following an extensive list of guidelines. With the help of the Montana Learning Center, the teams found a perfect stretch of water to first test their boats’ flotation and then race them to a designated spot. Lots of fun was had by all and no one was left high and dry!
HHS AP Chemistry students make chemistry magic for Bryant students
On Friday, May 30th, HHS science teacher Jamie O’Malley took her AP Chemistry students down to Bryant Elementary to inspire the next generation of scientists. The AP students did short demonstrations of chemical reactions including elephant toothpaste, genie in a bottle, dry ice bubbles, alka seltzer rockets, and flaming hydrogen bubbles. Everyone had a great time and Mrs. O’Malley hopes to bring another group of chemistry students down next year!
Community Events and Activities
Join the Summer Reading Challenge and get a free book to keep! Books are new and chosen from today’s hottest titles! Kids ages 7-18 can stop by the Lewis and Clark Library, pick up a Summer Reading Challenge tracker, and read 1,500 minutes between June 1 and August 16 (about 20 minutes a day, or 25 hour total).
Click here to register today! Registration is required.
Registration is now open for 2025 Summer School
Click here for details and registration!
Dive into Summer Fun with SACC!
Get ready for a summer packed with creativity, play and learning at the Summer SACC Program! Open to Helena Public Schools students entering grades 1–6, this full-day program offers exciting weekly themes and enriching activities in a safe, supportive environment.
Location: Central School
Dates: June 16 – August 15
Hours: 7:30 am – 5:30 pm
Closed: July 3 & 4
The registration lottery opens April 30 and spots fill up fast!
Visit the SACC website for registration details, tuition rates, and a sneak peek at weekly themes.