MISSOULA — Missoula County Public Schools (MCPS) is facing significant budget shortfalls.
In a letter sent to parents Monday, Superintendent Micah Hill reports a $3 million deficit in the general fund and a $5 million loss due to the end of federal COVID-19 funds. The shortfalls are causing nearly 100 MCPS positions to be impacted. Hill notes there has been advocacy for some positions facing a potential cut.
One of the proposed position cuts is the MCPS Arts Education Director who oversees and coordinates all arts programs including visual, drama, and music for the District. The proposed cut has a former arts education director — and the arts community raising the alarm on how this cut could negatively impact fine arts in Missoula public schools.
“It's a critical position for an art-centric community like Missoula," former MCPS Arts Education Director John Combs told MTN News.
Arts Education Director is a position with a big impact — one that Combs knows all too well.
“There is one arts administrator who really knows how to make that vital and important program the best it could be for those students with or without budget cuts. But you need at least one administrator to take care of something that's that important to this community,” he shared.
Since the director has a fine arts background, if the position is cut, the schools lose that resource and programming for the arts which means student enrichment opportunities at the Missoula Art Museum could be lost.
“We've been working for 39 years with the arts education director and, and their staff and the art teachers," Missoula Art Museum Laura Millin Executive Director detailed. "It provides an important kind of learning, you know, kids respond to all different kinds of learning styles and also learn creative problem-solving skills through the arts that are applicable to everything.”
Both the Missoula Art Museum and Combs see the benefit of keeping arts programs in schools.
“The people in this community care about it and we want our school district to reflect that," Combs explained. "What we really want to do is to show the school board and a new superintendent the place of the arts in Missoula that the fine arts program eventually affects every student K-12 in Missoula County Public Schools.”
Millin echoed that sentiment, “I think what we're hearing in response is a very strong dismay and taxpayers don't want to see the arts program cut to this degree and practically eliminated from our public schools. It's important to people here.”
It's important to note that MCPS is aware of how overwhelming the proposed cuts would be for the community. In his letter to parents, Superintendent Micah Hill writes nothing is taken lightly when it comes to reductions.
But he adds, "There isn’t a single position that isn’t important to our students and school community. Yet, the committee was tasked with the impossible - to bring forward recommendations for staffing reductions and other budget cuts."
Hill also included they would make every effort to uphold programs and opportunities valued by the MCPS community.
The Missoula Public School Board meeting will take place on Tuesday, February 13, 2024, beginning at 6 p.m. where the proposed budget cuts will be discussed.
The board meets in the Administration Building at 909 South Avenue, next to Sentinel High School.
Read the full letter sent by MCPS Superintendent Micah Hill below.
Dear MCPS Families:
As you may be aware, MCPS is projecting significant budget shortfalls for the coming year. I would like to update you regarding these challenges. Declining enrollment, the expiration of one-time ESSER relief funding and inflationary costs that exceed funding have contributed to a difficult financial situation for our district. MCPS is not alone in these challenges, as many other AA districts in Montana are facing very similar situations. Understandably, there is anxiety and concern when it comes to looming budget cuts and potential staff reductions. We appreciate your patience, understanding and support as we work through these tough decisions. (Apologies in advance for the length of this email.)
First, I want to express that MCPS is extremely grateful for the long history of generous community support for our schools both financially and otherwise. Being fiscally responsible with taxpayer dollars while maximizing educational opportunities for students is a monumental challenge and one that MCPS takes very seriously. This will always be a top priority. The difficult discussion of projected budget shortfalls and the subsequent steps of considering how to best reconcile the situation is a continually evolving process. We are using a consensus approach in a committee vested by the Board of Trustees (The District Budget and Levy Committee) that includes representatives from the school board, administration, and staff associations. Over the past several months, the committee has been meeting regularly to review finances and budget projections, and consider potential solutions to addressing budget shortfalls. We have also received, and continue to welcome, input from district parents and members of our community. Significant time and effort has been put into analyzing data and balancing all perspectives. I will attempt to briefly summarize the most recent, very lengthy, discussion of the committee at this point of a four-month process:To be blunt and honest, the depth of these cuts are overwhelming. Please know that this is an agonizing process for the leadership that is faced with making these decisions. Nothing is taken lightly when it comes to reductions. It is widely recognized that those impacted are people with families, obligations, and deep connections to our community. These are people that we care about. These are people who are our friends, and who love and care about our students. There isn’t a single position that isn’t important to our students and school community. Yet, the committee was tasked with the impossible - to bring forward recommendations for staffing reductions and other budget cuts.
- The committee reviewed the Elementary and High School Districts’ most recently updated finances and considered several different plans for addressing the expected budget shortfalls which are projected to be over $3,000,000 in the general fund, in addition to a $5,000,000 reduction in ESSER funded expenditures. The options moving forward are also dependent on some key factors with outcomes that are not yet known. One factor, for example, is the February student enrollment count. Another major factor is the levy requests that will be decided by Missoula County voters during the school elections in May. (The successful passage of these levies will be significant in helping fund projected shortfalls. We will communicate with you in greater detail about these levy requests in the coming months.)
- With the information that is known at this time, the committee first looked at plans for shifting some costs in order to preserve as many staff positions as possible. Ultimately, the committee also faced the difficult reality that we would have to consider staffing reductions, including cuts at the administrative level. The reductions discussed are based primarily on our declining enrollment environment and expenditure recalibrations (adjusting for true numbers and not just inflation). Additional reductions include ESSER-funded positions that will no longer have a funding source. The full preliminary reduction plan is available online in the Board packet [mcpsmt.org] for our Board meeting on February 13.
- At the K-8 level, approximately 20 certified position reductions are being considered based on declining enrollment. At the high school level, 13 certified position reductions are being considered. At the central office and administrative level we will propose the reduction of 13 positions. Between the general fund deficit and the loss of ESSER funding, nearly 100 positions will be impacted. Through this process, there is not a building or department at MCPS that will be unaffected in some way by these reductions.
Understandably, there has been some advocacy for positions that have been recommended for reduction. I think we can all understand and appreciate the desire to protect the positions and programs that we care deeply about. However, please keep in mind that when we are talking about reducing general fund budgets by $3,000,000 and ESSER budgets by $5,000,000, this isn’t about a single position - this is about many positions, all of which have merit and value. Significant effort and advocacy to retain one position only means you’re asking us to consider cutting another somewhere else. In some ways, advocacy for one can be perceived as diminishing the value of others that are also impacted. Also, please understand that the reduction of a position is not an indication that we don’t value a particular program. Even with reductions, we will make every effort to uphold programs and opportunities that are highly valued by the MCPS community.
As we continue to navigate challenges, we will strive to make the best decisions we possibly can at every step - while continuing to uphold the ideals of our district strategic plan and continuing to offer the best educational opportunities for our students. We kindly ask for your patience and understanding as we work through difficult but necessary decisions during this challenging time.
The Budget & Levy Committee will continue to meet on a regular basis, and these meetings are open to the public. You can check the date and time of upcoming public meetings on the MCPS website [mcpsmt.org], where you can also view meeting agendas. In addition to those resources, we are also posting updated budget information here [mcpsmt.org]. You will find a more comprehensive description of the budget reduction plan here [mcpsmt.org] (starting on page 131 of the agenda).
We genuinely thank you for your continued support of MCPS.
Micah Hill,
Superintendent, Missoula County Public Schools,
(406) 728-2400 x1022
