Helena Public Schools Elementary General Fund Mill Levy

Helena Public Schools and other AA schools in Montana are experiencing funding shortfalls as state and federal funding formulas no longer keep up with inflation and rising costs.

The shortfall is in the General Fund budget, which pays for people and operational costs. In other words, the district is short in the fund that pays for staff salaries and daily expenses such as electricity, gas and water.

The district is beginning a two-year process to close the gap between expenses and available funding:

• Phase 1, which is almost complete, has reduced expenditures to keep the district solvent for the 2023-24 school year. This included analyzing staffing needs to run more efficiently and eliminating some non-tenured positions; increasing class sizes; and relocating programs currently housed on the Ray Bjork Learning Center campus.
• Phase 2 of the budgeting process will require deeper cuts for the 2024-25 school year. A Budget Consensus Committee is being established to help lead this work. The committee will consist of trustees, parents, community members, certified and classified staff, students, building and central office administration, and community and business leaders. The committee will recommend budget options for the 2024-25 school year to the Board of Trustees.

An Elementary District General Fund Mill Levy on the 2023 school election ballot would not resolve the deficit, but would help close the gap. 

Mill levies are the only direct tool school districts have to raise funds. They are the mechanism established in state law by which communities provide ongoing, direct support to their local school districts. State law dictates how much a school district can seek from mill levies in each election to adjust for changing funding needs, putting sideboards on the process to safeguard taxpayers.

See the Official Elementary General Fund Ballot Language