Helena Public Schools > Supt. Weltz Friday Flyer | January 23, 2026
Supt. Weltz Friday Flyer | January 23, 2026

Dear Families, Staff, and the Helena Community,

After 20+ weeks of work, we are entering the final stage of selecting the partners who will reshape our schools. With GCCM submissions for Kessler Elementary due Jan. 26, we will have our final firm approved by the Board by the end of the first week of February. I am grateful to our selection teams and Board of Trustees, who tripled their usual meeting schedules to ensure we found the best visionaries for Helena. We are also incredibly fortunate to live in a region where local talent is of plenty. Helena, and Montana in general, are home to firms with extensive experience and distinct vision for school building projects. It is an honor to partner with professionals who understand our community’s needs.
 
Beyond the brick and mortar, these projects represent a massive investment in Helena’s economy. We look forward to reporting on the economic impacts—from local job creation to the procurement of materials—that these projects will generate for our neighbors and local businesses. And while on that topic, I want to talk a bit more about Helena citizens’ tax savings. On November 20, 2025, the $31.5 million Helena ESD and $130.0 million Helena HSD bonds were offered through D.A. Davidson. In a testament to the strength of our credit and the market’s confidence in our district, the bonds sold out within 30 minutes. The interest rates we secured were significantly more favorable than our initial conservative estimates:
HELENA ESD: Projected Rate – 4.75%
                Actual True Interest Cost – 4.18%
HELENA HSD: Projected Rate – 4.95%
                Actual True Interest Cost – 4.41%
By securing these lower rates (with 57% of the total bonds now issued), we have saved approximately $9.9 million in interest costs compared to our original estimates. From our Owner’s Rep to the projects’ Design Advisory Groups and committees, every every person involved is committed to one goal: doing this right. Together, we are ensuring these projects are efficient, sustainable, and a source of pride for Helena.
Thank you for your continued support and for being a part of this journey with us.

 

Sincerely,

Rex Weltz, Superintendent
Helena Public Schools

BONDS PROJECTS UPDATES

**View the FB live from the January 7 Brews and Blueprints event HERE.

 

01/11-01/17 Recap:

 

Bonds: The $31.5 million Helena ESD and $130.0 million Helena HSD that were advertised in the Independent Record and on our website, sold within 30 minutes of their offering (in $5,000 increments) through D.A. Davidson on November 20, 2025.

The true interest cost rates on the 2025 Bond issues were favorable at 4.18% and 4.41%, respectively, which are lower than the 4.75% and 4.95% projected rates used for the taxpayer impact estimates at the time of the elections. The savings in interest costs (at 57% of the Bonds having been issued) was about $9.9 million.

  • The sale of the first set of bonds was completed Thursday, December 18, 2025.

HHS + Project for Alternative Learning (PAL) Project: Week 13

  • A&E + SMA Design Updates:

    • Schematic Design Week 8 of 10

    • No School, MLK Day 1/19

    • HHS Staff Update

    • HHS Building Committee Meeting

  • Dick Anderson Construction Updates:

    • Preliminary Meetings

CHS Project: Week 11

  • Slate Architecture + RTA Updates:

    • Slate-RTA and Langlas Kick-Off meeting.

    • Developing options for Summer 2026 work packages.

    • Skilled Trades Meeting to discuss equipment and space needs.

    • Develop revised design options and site plan for review.

    • School Board Work Session to review design.

  • Langlas & Associates Construction Updates:

    • Preliminary Meetings

Kessler Project: Week 9

  • Mosaic Architecture + Cushing Terrell Updates:

    • Precedent Trip to Spokane, Coeur d’Alene, and Lolo. Visited 9 different school buildings.

      • Daily debrief of schools visited.

    • Working on physical site model.

    • Engagement board delivered to school for students to answer questions.

    • Programming document and Ed Spec deliverable started.

  • Kessler GCCM RFQ/RFP Notice #3 was published on Saturday, January 17.

 

Up Next: 01/25-02/01

 

HHS + Project for Alternative Learning (PAL) Project: Week 14

  • A&E + SMA Design Updates:

    • Schematic Design Week 9 of 10
    • No School, In Service Day 1/26
    • PAL Building Committee Meeting
    • PAL Student Engagement
    • HHS Building Committee

  • Dick Anderson Construction Updates:

    • Preliminary Meetings

CHS Project: Week 12

  • Slate Architecture + RTA Updates:

    • Jan. 26 – 27 – School Department Work Sessions
    • Jan. 27 – Design Advisory Group (DAG-4)
    • Jan. 27 – Board of Trustees Working Session
    • Jan. 28 – CHS Systems Meeting
    • Revised design options and site plans.
    • Start outlining renovation scope maps.

  • Langlas & Associates Construction Updates:

    • Preliminary Meetings

Kessler Project: Week 10

  • Mosaic Architecture + Cushing Terrell Updates:

    • Work on physical site model and physical program pieces for future engagement meeting.

    • Work on draft Ed Spec deliverable.

    • Review draft program of spaces.

  • Kessler GCCM RFQ/RFP submissions due on Monday, January 26. Submissions will be reviewed Tuesday, January 27.

If you have questions or want to chat about what’s next, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us!

Keep up-to-date on the bonds projects as we enter into each
phase of the processes:

COMMUNITY CORNER

Resources for students, families, and the HPS community.

  • HPS THREE WAYS TO DONATE

  • RUNNING RESOURCE LIST ON OUR WEBPAGE

  • HPS SCHOOLS’ FOOD DRIVES AND OTHER RELATED EVENT LISTINGS

  • CONTACT CENTER FOR QUESTIONS AND TO GET CONNECTED (WEBPAGE)

 

VIEW WEBPAGE

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Helena Area Chamber of Commerce is excited to host the 2026 Montana Central Region Civics Bee to boost civic education among young Americans.

Helena Middle School and CR Anderson students – this one is for you!

  • 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students must submit a 750-word (max) essay proposing their ideas for improving their community by February 3rd, 2026.

  • Top-scoring essays will be invited to participate in the Central Regional Bee in Helena on April 11, 2026 for the chance to win cash prizes. Finalists from each regional bee will be invited to compete in the Montana State Civics Bee in Helena in late spring/early summer 2026 for the chance to win cash prizes at the state level.

  • The winner of the State Bee will be sent on an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, DC to compete in the National Civics Bee in fall 2026 for the chance to win $100,000 towards college.

  • Additionally, the school that produces the state bee winner will receive a $5,000 donation!

To apply, students should visit the National Civics Bee webpage and create an account to access the application portal. (There is also a mail-in option.)

You can find more info and resources HERE.

 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW?

 

There will be a total of 12 lucky winners chosen from grades 3rd -5th grades here in Helena. These finalists will compete in our in-person contest at the Capital High Base Kitchen on March 7th – 8am-12:30pm. All contestants will receive a personal chef coat and hat just for making it to the competition. The grand prize winner will win a 3’ fire trophy and have their recipe submitted for the regional and nation level competition. There are also a variety of other prizes available in each of the other categories the student chefs can win.

Please fill out the recipe card (found below) and turn into your school’s office or with the kitchen staff. A student can submit as many recipes as they want, but only one can be chosen. The recipes must be submitted by February 6th. All winners will be chosen by February 20th. All parents/guardians will be called after the 12 contestants have been chosen, and they will need to verify that their chef will be able to physically compete in a real-life cooking competition on the day of the event.

 

BLANK RECIPE CARD

 

 

 

 

 

A few spots are available to join the free, professional-grade Winter Media Arts programs at MAPS Media Institute!

These hands-on courses are a perfect way for students (ages 12-18) to build real-world career skills while exploring their creative passions in a supportive environment:

  • MUSIC: The Way of the Wave – From producing original beats to mastering voice dubbing for animation, students will learn to record and edit like pros using GarageBand. It’s the perfect outlet for aspiring musicians and podcasters!

  • DESIGN: Drawn to Story – Special spots held for public school students! While this course is nearly full, we’ve reserved space for your students to dive into character design, world-building, and comic book illustration.

Go to: MAPS Application Page

MAKE A NOTE:

 

 

  • Pen and Ink Submissions NOW DUE ON JANUARY 30TH!
  • Great Ideas & Spark Grants due January 27th
  • Distinguished Achiever Nominations are due Friday, February 6 – Nomination Forms can be found HERE.
        • More about Celebration of Excellence HERE.

 

GO TO THE HEF WEBSITE

WHAT’S COMING UP THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT?

January 24, 2026 – February 7, 2026

Saturday, January 24:

  • Kessler GCCM RFQ/RFP Notice #3

Sunday, January 25:

Monday, January 26: NO SCHOOL (PreK-12)

  • High School In-Service and Records Day

  • Kessler GCCM RFQ/RFP Due

Tuesday, January 27:

  • Kessler GCCM RFQ/RFP Submissions Review

  • HEF Great Ideas and Spark Grants Due

  • Snow School – Central

  • Board of Trustees Work Session at Capital High School, 5:00 p.m. – Capital High

  • Broadwater Game Night, 5:30 p.m. – Broadwater Library

Wednesday, January 28:

  • CRA Platinum Team Ski Trip – Great Divide

  • CRA 6-7 Parent/Teacher Conferences

Thursday, January 29:

  • CRA 6-7 Parent/Teacher Conferences

Friday, January 30:

  • Central Coffee with the Principal – Central

  • HEF Pen and Ink Submissions NEW DEADLINE
  • Bryant Night HHS Girls Basketball Game, 7:00 p.m. – Helena High

Saturday, January 31:

  • Symphony Kids’ Punch’s Farcical Parcel and Free Orchestral Concert of Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite, 10: a.m. and 11:00 a.m. – St. Paul’s Methodist Church

  • Kessler Family Night @ Capital High Lady Bruins vs. Flathead Bravettes Basketball Game, 2:00 p.m. – Capitah High

Sunday, February 1:

Monday, February 2:

Tuesday, February 3:

  • Kessler GCCM Interviews

  • BOT Policy Committee Meeting, 12:00 p.m. – LC

  • Jefferson Parent/Teacher Conferences – Jefferson

  • Warren Parent/Teacher Conferences – Warren

Wednesday, February 4:

  • Warren Parent/Teacher Conferences – Warren

Thursday, February 5:

**10th Day of School

  • Jefferson Parent/Teacher Conferences – Jefferson
  • HHS One Act Play, 6:00 p.m. – HHS Little Theater

Friday, February 6:

  • HEF Distinguished Achiever Nominations are due

  • Special BOT Meeting, 12:00 p.m. – LC

  • HHS One Act Play, 6:00 p.m. – HHS Little Theater

Saturday, February 7:

  • CHS Winter Formal, 8:00 p.m. – Lewis and Clark Fairgrounds

If we missed something, please let us know – helenamtschools@helenaschools.org. As a good rule of thumb, always check with your school on what they have going on. You can also find upcoming event information and more in this year’s calendar online at https://helenaschools.org/25-26-calendar-flipbook.

If your student is interested in participating, please see the attached flyer below. The district has decided to pick up the tab for the registration fees for the students again- use discount code CAPITAL2026