A reliable laptop is now as essential as a textbook once was. With most curriculum now online, today’s Chromebook is yesterday’s textbook. 

Yet, the district cannot afford to replace student Chromebooks as they wear out. Elementary students are already sharing laptops at school. Our middle school students can no longer take their laptops home – a serious disadvantage for families without a computer. 

The situation will become acute next year, as nearly half of the district’s Chromebooks are now five or more years old and will soon have outlived their useful lifespan. At the current funding level, the district cannot afford to replace them. 

Nearly half of the district’s Chromebooks are now five years old and will soon have outlived their useful lifespan. The Chromebooks were initially purchased with federal COVID relief dollars to enable remote learning.  

At the current funding level, the district cannot afford to replace them. The district is already experiencing a laptop shortage as Chromebooks age out. Elementary students are now sharing laptops among classrooms and middle school students can no longer take their laptops home to do homework. 

The levy would also cover basic tech operating expenses – things like internet service, phones, building security systems, wiring and routers. 

Many of our current tech needs didn’t exist when our first tech levy was passed in 2004. Consider that the concept of software licensing was in its infancy at that time. Software was a one-time purchase that came in the form of a CD. Today, costly annual software license renewals are needed for just about everything we do – from operating secure doors and phone systems to delivering curriculum.  

So, too, with today’s sophisticated cybersecurity software, which was relatively primitive in 2004. 

The district needs a consistent funding source for our most basic technology needs for the next ten years. 

The district needs about $4 million annually to meet its technology needs. It currently receives $1 million a year through its first and only technology levy, passed more than 20 years ago  

The district has been making up the difference by subsidizing its technology needs with one-time monies from the district’s Interlocal Fund, which is essentially a savings account. 

However, these subsidies are no longer sustainable. 

Nearly half of the district’s Chromebooks are now five or more years old and will soon have outlived their useful lifespan. At the current funding level, the district cannot afford to replace them. 

The levy would also cover basic tech operating expenses such as the cost of maintaining the district’s Wi-Fi network and cybersecurity tools. The district is currently unable to afford backup equipment and service plans to prevent Internet service disruptions as aging network equipment fails. Currently, an equipment failure has the potential to leave a school without Internet service for a week or more, creating learning disruptions. 

District IT Director Gary Myers says it best when he states that the technology levy would “simply allow us to keep the tech lights on.” 

Yes! Helena Public Schools has a strong track record of fiscal responsibility. The district’s audits are consistently clean, including our just-completed audit for 2024. 

Annual audits look at financial reporting, internal controls and compliance with laws, regulations, contracts, grant agreements and other financial matters. 

District Business Administrator Janelle Mickelson is recognized by her peers as a statewide leader in school finance. 

All district audits are available on the Helena Public Schools website at https://helenaschools.org/departments/business-finance/ 

Helena High School’s steam heating system is in imminent danger of failure.  

Designed with a lifespan of 40 years – 50 max – the system is now 70 years old. 

A temporary fix to keep Helena High’s heating system running for another 10 years would cost up to $475,000, according to estimates by Billings-based Engineer Jeff Gruizenga. If we don’t act, the building will become uninhabitable within the next decade, leaving our community with the choice of consolidating into a one-high school district or passing a bond for a full HVAC replacement that would take years and cost millions. 

Meanwhile, the HHS building itself is decaying as it settles into the swamp beneath it, suffering ongoing water damage from the leaking steam and condensate pipes. Sump pumps operate beneath the school 24/7. 

In other words, long-term repair or replacement of Helena High’s steam heating system would amount to throwing good money after bad. 

Meanwhile, Capital High School, while its bones are good, has $14 million in deferred maintenance needs (HHS, by comparison, has $21 million in deferred maintenance). Capital High’s electrical system, most of which is original to the building constructed in 1965, is having disruptive outages.  

Both Capital and Helena high need significant safety and security upgrades. 

Last spring, the district asked voters for a sizable levy to fund technology and safety needs and to fund staffing and student programming. 

Voters told us they couldn’t afford it. And we listened. 

This spring, the district is asking for less than a quarter of what we sought last year, seeking funding only for our most basic technology needs. The 10-year technology levy would cost the average Helenan approximately $8 a month. It would provide $4 million a year for district technology needs, replacing the current, perpetual levy which provides $1 million a year. The existing $1 million levy was passed 20 years ago, and technology needs have changed dramatically since then.  

The levy would allow the district to repair and replace its existing laptops, projectors and other basic technology that students and teachers rely on every day. The levy would also support basic technology operating expenses such as the cost of maintaining the district’s Wi-Fi network and cybersecurity tools. 

The district takes a conservative approach to replacing technology such as the Chromebooks used by students. A Chromebook is an inexpensive, durable, workhorse of a laptop. Used by schools across the country, Chromebooks offer only the basic functionality that students need to access their coursework, most of which is online.  

Nearly half of the district’s Chromebooks are now five years old and will soon have outlived their useful lifespan. At the current funding level, the district cannot afford to replace them. The district is already experiencing a laptop shortage as Chromebooks age out. Elementary students are now sharing laptops among classrooms and middle school students can no longer take their laptops home to do homework.   

The levy would also cover basic tech operating expenses such as the cost of maintaining the district’s Wi-Fi network and cybersecurity tools. 

• Aging technology. At current funding levels, the district cannot replace basic technology that our students and staff rely on daily – such as laptops that have outlived their useful lifespan and can no longer be repaired or receive operating updates. This also includes classroom projectors, smart boards, components of the district Wi-Fi network, and software and licensing agreements for curricular resources.

• Aging facilities. Our district’s school buildings, excluding the three new elementary schools, are on average almost 75 years old. Our high schools lack modern safety features and need immediate action to prevent failures of heating, plumbing and electrical systems. The district is at risk of having to move all high school students to Capital High if the boiler at Helena High fails.
  
•  Ongoing budgetary strain. Five-year budget projections show continued deficits for Montana’s public schools due to inflation and inadequate state and federal funding formulas. As a result – unless the district makes adjustments – we will continue to face:
  – Reductions in student programming and student opportunities as a result of staff reductions.
  – Inability to appropriately compensate staff.
  – Workforce shortages due to non-competitive pay.
   
• Declining birthrate. Demographic forecasts show a continued flattening or decline in Montana’s population of school-age children, including here in Helena. This directly impacts the district’s state funding, which is largely based on enrollment. Declining birthrates are a factor as well as lack of affordable housing, which makes Helena less attractive to young families. 

• New and changing neighborhoods. Our community is changing as new housing is built and as existing neighborhoods age and/or turn over to new generations. The district needs to redraw school boundaries to balance enrollment between its elementary, middle school and high school buildings. This is a vital part of the district’s efforts to maximize district staffing and resources. Redrawing school boundaries is also necessary to address inequity in high school course offerings between Capital High and Helena High caused by uneven enrollment numbers. 

• Rapidly escalating costs for employee health insurance. Like all employers, public schools are struggling to keep healthcare costs down for employees

• Federal funding uncertainty. Approximately $8.5 million of the district’s annual budget is at risk due to spending reduction initiatives at the federal level. These include potential changes to funding for federal Title programs to support low-income students, the school lunch program under the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Carl Perkins Career & Technical Education funding, and funding for our special education programs through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
   

The Superintendent’s recommendations, presented to the Board March 11, 2025, are as follows:   

• Seek elementary and high school construction bonds in Fall 2025
  Construction of a new Helena High School, construction of a new Kessler Elementary School and major renovations at Capital High. 

• Redraw elementary, middle school and high school boundaries. 
  Redrawing school boundaries will balance our student body between the district’s two high schools and enable us to provide broad and equitable education opportunities to all students.– Boundary adjustments will be gradual. The plan we’re drafting is aimed to be implemented during the 2026-2027 school year (not this coming fall).
  
  – Current students will remain at their schools. Families will have the option to keep siblings together at the same school, if desired. (The future of Hawthorne Elementary and arrangements for Hawthorne students are still under consideration.)
  
  – The in-district boundary exception process will remain. If a family wants their children to attend a school outside their assigned attendance area, they can apply for an exception, as long as space is available.
  
  – Transportation will be affected in 2026-27. Students who wish to remain at their current out-of-boundary school will need to use existing courtesy routes, if available. 

•  Determine the future of Hawthorne Elementary
  – Option 1: Closure at the end of the 2024-25 school year.
  – Option 2: Closure at the end of the 2025-2026 school year.
  – Option 3: Status quo – continue with current elementary operations at Hawthorne. The Board of Trustees will vote on future use of Hawthorne Elementary June 10. 

• Sell/lease district properties
  – Sell or lease the May Butler building.
  – Sell or lease the Front Street Learning Center, which currently houses the Project for Alternative Learning Charter School (PAL). This would be contingent upon voter approval of a construction bond to provide a new location for PAL in the new Helena High building.
   

• Purchase 60 to 80 acres for transportation and future needs
  This would be a positive financial move because the district’s transportation contractor currently rents the site of its bus facility, passing the cost along to the district. The district also leases athletic fields. Purchase of land for the bus facility, athletic fields and other uses that would generate revenue.  

Taken together, these proposed actions would position the district to address our current facilities and budget issues, maximizing our resources to meet current needs for all students. 

The Board of Trustees asked Superintendent Rex Weltz to develop strategic recommendations because of a host of challenges facing our district (link to what are the challenges question) and public schools across Montana.  

If the district does nothing to adjust to these realities, our Helena Public Schools will look dramatically different from the district our community knows and loves. 

The goals of these recommendations (link to the recommendations) are as follows:  

Provide basic technology to teach and learn 

A reliable laptop is now as essential as a textbook once was. With most curriculum now online, today’s Chromebook is yesterday’s textbook. 

Yet, the district cannot afford to replace student Chromebooks as they wear out. Elementary students are already sharing laptops at school. Our middle school students can no longer take their laptops home – a serious disadvantage for families without a computer. 

The situation will become acute next year, as nearly half of the district’s Chromebooks are now five or more years old and will soon have outlived their useful lifespan. At the current funding level, the district cannot afford to replace them. 

The technology levy would enable the district to replace the laptops our students and teachers use every day as they wear out. 

Meanwhile, the district is struggling to cover costs for our most basic tech needs – things like internet service, phones, building security systems, wiring and routers. 

Consider that the concept of software licensing was in its infancy when our first tech levy was passed in 2004. Today, costly annual software license renewals are needed for just about everything we do – from operating secure doors and phone systems to delivering curriculum. So, too, with today’s sophisticated cybersecurity software, which was relatively primitive in 2004. 

The district needs a sustainable, ongoing funding source for our most basic technology needs. This would in turn relieve pressure on other district funds that can be used to support student programming.   

Preserve our district’s excellent education model:  

Helena Public Schools has long been known for academic excellence. Our students consistently perform among the top in the state on college preparedness tests and are enriched by a broad range of academic course offerings and student support. 

However, this model of education, which our Helena community has long valued and come to expect, is in jeopardy. 

These programs and resources are at risk because of continuing funding shortages coupled with inflation. The district must make changes from within to maintain our current model of student programming and services. 

Provide safe high school facilities 

In 2017, Helena voters passed a bond that included major safety improvements to our elementary schools such as secure entryway vestibules, cameras and emergency alert systems. However, the bond was for the elementary district only. 

Our high schools are among the most deficient in the state in terms of safety features. Students must walk outside to attend classes such as welding, auto mechanics and photography in annexes, leaving the safe perimeter of their main building. Lack of adequate cafeteria space results in students leaving our campuses at lunchtime or eating in their cars.  

Our high schools also lack window coverings and safety locks on doors. In addition to safety measures to secure schools from human-caused threats, the schools lack health and safety features such as adequate ventilation, updated electrical systems and adequate bathroom facilities, including specialized facilities for disabled students. 

Prevent Helena from becoming a one-high-school town.  

Our community is at risk of an emergency consolidation to a single high school. The original, 1955 steam heat system at Helena High is in imminent danger of failure. In that event, all high school students would attend Capital High, with the student body split between morning and afternoon shifts. 

Provide equal opportunities for Helena students.  

Currently our schools are unbalanced, with approximately 986 students at HHS and 1,307 at CHS. As a result, we have disparities in course offerings between the two schools, with Helena High unable to offer some honors courses because of reduced student enrollment. 

Redrawing school boundaries will balance our student body between the district’s two high schools and enable us to provide broad and equitable education opportunities to all students. 

Provide fair and competitive employee compensation and benefits. 

As Montana’s school funding formula falls further behind the actual costs of providing a quality education, we’ve reached a tipping point. Our district, and other AA districts across the state, are now forced to choose between appropriately compensating teachers and preserving programming and staffing. 

Meanwhile, like other employers, Helena Public Schools is struggling to keep the cost of health benefits down for employees. Competitive pay and benefits are vital to recruitment and retention of high-quality educators and other personnel. 

• Elementary and high school construction bonds in Fall 2025 
  A Board decision is needed by the end of June 2025 in order to place a construction bond measure, if approved, on the ballot for a special election September 9.

  This would enable the district to open the doors of a new Helena High and Kessler Elementary in Fall 2028. It would also include major renovations to Capital High.

  If a bond vote were pushed back to the Spring of 2026, the new schools could not open for another year because of the need to move into the new facility during the summer break.

• Determine the future of Hawthorne Elementary 
  The Board will vote on the future of Hawthorne Elementary at its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, June 10.   

• Reboundary the elementary, middle school and high schools
  Boundary adjustments will be gradual. The plan the district is drafting is aimed to be implemented during the 2026-2027 school year (not this coming fall). 

• Sell/lease district properties
  – May Butler building
  – Front Street Learning Center: Sale or lease of this building would be contingent upon voter approval of a construction bond. If a bond to build a new Helena High School is approved, the Project for Alternative Living (PAL) program that currently occupies the Front Street building will be included in the new Helena High design, with its own entryway and dedicated space. During the construction phase, PAL would be temporarily relocated. 

While other AA districts have invested in their school buildings and athletic facilities – Butte, Bozeman, Kalispell and Missoula have all built new high schools or upgraded existing schools over the past decade – it’s been decades since Helena has made a significant investment in its high schools. 

The average age of our school buildings is nearly 75, excluding the three new elementary schools opened in 2019. Meanwhile, the district has a total deferred maintenance backlog of approximately $100 million.  

Nowhere is the need more evident than at Helena High, whose original, 1955 steam heating system is in imminent danger of failure. 

Billings-based Structural Engineer Jeff Gruizenga, who recently gave a presentation to Trustees on the HHS heating situation, put it like this: “Your building systems are now 70 years old. They are designed to last 40 years. You’re now at almost twice their expected life expectancy. They are worn out.” 

The boiler system operates at 45 to 55 percent efficiency, Gruizenga said. 

Watch outtakes of Mr. Gruizenga’s presentation here. 

The steam heat system that was installed when Helena High was opened in 1955 is almost obsolete. There are very few HVAC technicians in the greater Northwest region who can service it.   

In order to keep the current Helena High building functional, the steam heating system would need to be converted to a hot water system. That means replacing brittle old pipes that are encased in concrete and wrapped in asbestos. 

That leaves our community with three choices:  

1. Seek a construction bond to build a new Helena High, build a new Kessler elementary and bring Capital High up to 21st Century standards.
2. Seek a construction bond to replace the HHS boiler with a hot water heat system. This option is problematic on two fronts: 
   – The latest cost estimate for conversion to a hot water heat system is $15 million, which would require the district to ask voters to pass a bond. The money would be spent to install the new HVAC system in a building that is already substandard.
   – This HVAC project would take five summers if students were to remain in the building. In the meantime, we would have to cross our fingers that the current boiler continues working. The alternative would be to complete the HVAC project in a year and a half, during which time all high school students would attend split shifts at CHS.
3. The final option is to do nothing and wait for the HHS boilers to fail, forcing all students to attend CHS on split shifts. 

Capital High has $14 million in deferred maintenance needs for things such as heating and ventilation, roofing, safety and security needs, and electrical upgrades.  

A spate of power outages this school year has interrupted class time and athletic events.  

But the bones of the school, built in 1965, are good.  

The construction bond would bring Capital High up to 21st Century standards, positioning the school to serve the community for decades to come. 

Prior to the Elementary Construction Bond overwhelmingly passed by voters in 2017, our community had not constructed new school buildings in 40 years.  

The goal is to put the district on a regular schedule of building replacement and renovation to avoid expensive deferred maintenance backlogs and facilities emergencies.  

Consider: 

• If our district were to remodel or replace each of our 11 elementary school buildings every 10 years, it would be 130 years before we returned to the first schools replaced or remodeled. 

• If Trustees were to seek a bond this spring to include construction of a new Kessler building, our three “new” elementary schools – Bryant, Central and Jim Darcy – would already be almost 10 years old by the time the new Kessler facility opened. 

There will be no better time to address the district’s facilities needs than now, as construction costs will only continue to rise.  

Consider that it cost $53 million to build the district’s three new elementary schools – Bryant, Central and Jim Darcy in 2018. Today, just seven years later, it would cost 63 percent more to build the same three schools – an estimated $86.5 million. 

The district is conducting “pre-bond work” this spring to further define the scope of the project and the amount of bond financing the Board of Trustees would potentially seek.  

This pre-bond work includes:  

• Gathering stakeholder input at meetings with staff, community forums and facility tours. 

• Cost/benefit analysis. 

• Determining the district’s bond capacity. 

• Defining the bond language and scope. 

If the Board of Trustees decides to move forward with seeking a construction bond this fall, a firm dollar amount and estimated monthly and annual impacts to taxpayers will be available by early summer. 

If the Board were to decide to pursue a construction bond and it was approved by voters, it would be the first time Helena has significantly invested in its high schools since the mid-1990s, when voters passed a $13.5 million bond for renovations and additions at each high school. Approximately $500,000 in bond financing was also issued for land acquisition. 

These mid-90s high school bonds were paid in full in 2017. 

The last time Helena passed a bond for construction of a new high school was for Helena High, built in 1955. (Capital High was built as a Catholic School in 1965, and purchased by the district in 1973.) 

In 2017, Helena passed a $63 million bond for the construction of three new elementary schools – Bryant, Central and Jim Darcy.  

If the district were to open a new Kessler Elementary School in 2028, these three new elementary schools would already be 10 years old! 

If the district were to build a new elementary school every 10 years, it would take 130 to come back around to the first new school! 

While other AA districts have invested in their school buildings and athletic facilities – Butte, Bozeman, Kalispell and Missoula have all built new high schools or upgraded existing schools over the past decade – it’s been decades since Helena has made a significant investment in its high schools. 

For decades, our district has taken the best possible care of our buildings at the lowest possible cost to our community to serve generations of Helenans. That’s a good thing. But, with limited funding, generations of school board leaders have postponed expensive upgrades to keep taxpayer costs down. We have simply reached the point where we can’t operate that way anymore. 

Nowhere is this more evident than at Helena High, whose antique steam heating system is in imminent danger of failure. 

Bonds are for buildings and levies are for learning. Bond funds can only be used for construction and renovations. Operating levies are a legally separate funding stream that voters can approve to support classrooms and educational programs. Levies can fund staff, classroom supplies and equipment, curriculum and other basic operating needs. 

Montana school districts did not receive additional funding as a result of last year’s increased property tax collections at the state level.  

That’s because the state’s public schools are funded through a set formula established in state law. This formula is based largely on student counts, along with other multipliers. When the state brings in increased tax revenue, these monies simply offset the state’s annual cost for funding school districts. 

Nor do public schools receive funding boosts from any other tax windfall, such as the Montana Lottery or cannabis revenue. 

Montana’s public-school advocates are optimistic that schools will see some budgetary relief from the 2025 Legislative Session. 

In particular, the STARS Act (HB 252), which would provide some budgetary relief. The bill aims to increase teacher salaries, address the high cost of housing, and expand funding for work-based learning and dual credit. 

However, even if the STARS act passes with its current level of funding intact, our district is likely to face a budget shortfall. This is because inflation has outpaced the state’s school funding formula by more than 10 percent over the past four years. 

The STARS Act is critical because it would allow us to provide staff with modest pay increases.  

If STARS does not pass, any teacher or other staff pay increases would need to come out of the district’s general fund, worsening the deficit. 

Since Superintendent Weltz took the reins in the fall of 2021, the district has found approximately $7 million in cuts, savings and revenue generation to address our ongoing funding deficit. These savings have come primarily through reductions in staff and reductions in operating budgets at the building and department level. Meanwhile, the lease of district property has generated revenue.  

As the district cut deeper in the current, 2024-25, school year, our reductions in music and PE staff grabbed headlines. However, staff and students have been feeling the impact of staff reductions for several years, at every school and at every level from changes such as combination classrooms and high school teachers having less prep time. 

Below is an overview of budget measures the district has taken since 2017 – when the district sounded the alarm on the coming fiscal cliff and began acting. 

2017 

Helena Public Schools commissioned a budget and funding analysis, which forecast a significant shortfall in the district’s General Fund – the fund that pays for staff salaries and operations. A more detailed report was prepared the following year. 

In anticipation of the projected budget shortfall, Helena Public Schools began directing savings to an “interlocal fund” for future needs. These savings created a financial safety net of one-time monies that were used to offset deficits in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years. The Interlocal fund consists of one-time savings that are not automatically replenished.  

JANUARY 2020 

Helena Public Schools began offering retirement incentives to help address the forecasted General Fund shortfall. 

MARCH 2020 

The COVID-19 pandemic arrived, and federal relief funds created a temporary budget reprieve as the focus shifted to supporting students through the pandemic. These monies were used as intended to purchase PPE and cleaning supplies, reopen schools, provide summer school in 2021 and 2022, and provide instructional coaches to help close learning gaps. 

Federal relief funds allowed the district to sustain staffing and programming levels longer than anticipated in light of the funding shortfall, helping with students’ academic recovery. Federal relief dollars also paid for the purchase of Chromebooks (laptops) for students and teachers, which are soon in need of replacement. 

SPRING 2023 

Helena Public Schools announced the beginning of a two-year, two-phase process to balance the district’s budget. 

Phase 1
Adjustments taken to make the district solvent for the 2023-24 school year included: 

• Non-replacement of retiring employees and non-renewal of a limited number of non-tenured employee contracts. 

• Relocation of programs housed at the Ray Bjork Learning Center to allow the building to be leased, generating revenue.  

• More combination classes at the elementary level for the 2023-24 school year and beyond. 

In addition, the district eliminated three administration positions, one each year from 2022-23 to 2024-25. 

Phase 2
A Budget Consensus Recommendation Committee was established in spring 2023 to make recommendations for a balanced budget for the 2024-25 school year. The committee consisted of trustees, parents, community members, certified and classified staff, students, building and central office administration, and community and business leaders. 

JUNE – AUGUST 2024 

In June 2024, the Budget Consensus Recommendation Committee (Committee) – after nine months of budget review, analysis and consensus-building meetings – provided the Board of Trustees with a list of recommendations for budget reductions for the 2024-2025 school year.  

In August 2024, the Board of Trustees adopted a balanced budget for the 2024-25 school year, with $2.5 million in cuts based on the recommendations of the the Committee. Please see the breakdown below.  

Budget Consensus Recommendation Committee for the 2024-25 School Year 

Looking ahead to the 2025-26 school year, based on the most accurate data and forecasts available at this time, the district expects an approximately $2 million budget shortfall. The estimated budget deficit fluctuates and assumes passage of the technology levies and elementary operational levy on the May 6 ballot.  

Montana’s public school advocacy coalition is optimistic that schools will see some budgetary relief from the 2025 Legislative Session.  

The Governor has signed House Bill 15, which authorizes the maximum 3 percent inflationary adjustment that school districts can receive. Under state law, the district will automatically receive 80 percent of that 3 percent inflationary adjustment. However, the district must go out to voters with a levy to seek the remaining 20 percent – hence the elementary operational levy on the May 6 ballot. The district is not eligible to run a high school levy this year. 

While the maximum allowed inflationary adjustment is 3 percent, inflation has outpaced the state’s school funding formula by more than 10 percent over the past four years. Even with the inflationary adjustment, the district faces the aforementioned $2 million deficit in its elementary general fund. 

Public education advocates are hopeful that the Legislature will pass the STARS ACT (HB 252). STARS funds, which are intended to support staff salaries, would enable the district to provide pay increases for 2025-26, which we are now negotiating with the Helena Education Association. If STARS does not pass, any teacher or other staff pay increases would need to come out of the general fund, worsening the deficit. 

The Board of Trustees is currently considering multiple strategies to continue to address the public education funding shortfall, including closure of Hawthorne Elementary and sale or lease of district property, as well as purchase of property that would enable the district to generate additional revenue and save on current rental and lease costs. 

The district has already found ways to generate revenue. By moving five programs out of the Ray Bjork Learning Center and leasing out the buiding, the district collects over $272,000 a year in revenue from St. Peter’s Health. 

The district also leased out the 7th Avenue Gym Building to the Queen City Football Club. While the lease doesn’t generate revenue, it puts the building to good use supporting kids and saves utilities, heating and maintenance costs. 

The Board of Trustees is the sole entity with the authority to close a school. Any such action would need to occur at a future, publicly noticed, open meeting following a detailed public process required by Board policy (Policy 9150). 

The Board of Trustees asked Superintendent Weltz to provide recommendations to address the school funding shortfall faces by our district and others across the state. 

These recommendations, which include options for the future of Hawthorne Elementary, are outlined here.  

No single piece of the action plan can meet the district’s challenges on its own – each recommendation is a vital piece of the puzzle. Taken together, the proposed actions would position the district to address our current facilities and budget issues and set the district on the path to a healthy future – one that maximizes our finances and facilities to meet today’s changing needs. 

Closure of Hawthorne Elementary would support the proposed action plan before the Board of Trustees in multiple ways, outlined in this document presented to the Board of Trustees at a recent public hearing on the future of Hawthorne. 

The average elementary school enrollment in the Helena district is 307 students. 179 students are enrolled at Hawthorne School, with 125 coming from within the Hawthorne boundaries.  

There is room for all 125 in-boundary Hawthorne students to attend Central and Kessler Schools, as well as space for the 54 students from outside of the Hawthorne boundary to return to their “home” schools. (The remaining 58 students are fifth graders who will enter middle school).