Superintendent's Report

This legislative session the main school funding bill is House Bill 15 (HB 15). Currently, HB 15 passed a second reading in the House and is providing an inflationary increase of 2.7% for fiscal year 24 and a 3.0% increase for fiscal year 25. Since the State of Montana is sitting on a surplus of one-time money there are rumors of a bill coming that may seek additional money for schools. Grants and other one-time revenue are nice. However, schools cannot rely on these funds for operational expenses.

As I discussed in a prior article, a recent report stated that many school districts can expect major budgetary issues in the 2024-25 school year. I have even heard the comment at a regional superintendent meeting that there may be numerous superintendent vacancies after the revenue expires. Your trustees have done a good job of preparing for the future without relying on discretionary income. The Federal COVID related stimulus is about to expire. Only time will tell, but I believe it will be more important to prepare for life after the stimulus rather than how to expend the surplus.