Missoula voters will see three school funding levies on the May special election ballot, the Missoula County Public Schools Board of Trustees decided on Monday.
The board approved placing an elementary school operational levy of $384,947, a high school operational levy of $164,315 and a high school safety levy of $1 million on the May 6 ballot, the Montana Free Press reports.
The board also approved permissive levy estimates, including a $1.6 million total increase for elementary schools and a $1.8 million increase for high schools.
District staff and trustees emphasized the need for the levies to make the most out of a tight budget.
Last year, the district had four levies on the ballot: the two general fund operations levies, plus elementary and high school safety and security levies. The $1 million high school safety levy was the only one that failed.
Staff recommended the district hold off on running the safety levy again because of a larger-than-typical increase in the permissive levies and to focus on passing the operational levies while being sensitive to taxpayers.
At current rates, the high school safety levy would cost the owner of a $300,000 home $12.24 annually and the owner of a $600,000 home $24.48.
The levy would take a burden off the general fund and help cover costs for school resource officers and applicable staff time, said Pat McHugh, executive director of business and operations.
“I want to be clear too that the lack of a safety levy doesn’t mean that we’re not safe,” he said. “We’re already doing these things and have been doing these things before safety levies were allowed. … So if they’re a larger cost of the general fund then this becomes an opportunity to move them outside the general fund.”
Several board members spoke in favor of running the levy to help alleviate the burden on the general fund and give the community a chance to support local education.
“We’re paying for building safety and school safety whether or not we have this levy and that does come out of money we can use for other things,” Trustee Lisa Davey said. “I feel like this is a lever we have. I think it’s really clear to people we need money coming into the school, we need a new revenue stream.”
The board voted 9-1 to put the levy on the ballot with Trustee Meg Whicher casting the lone “no” vote. Whicher said she is concerned about the burden on taxpayers, particularly those on a fixed income.
“As a board I want us to be calculated and pragmatic about how we’re approaching asking our community for money because if we all vote for it, that doesn’t mean that the people who didn’t vote for it still don’t have to pay,” she said. “Do I want this for our kids, our budget, everything? Yes. But I’m anxious about the total output.”
The board unanimously voted to put the general fund operating levies on the ballot. The levies are specific amounts needed to reach the district’s general fund maximum budget set by the state’s school funding formula, McHugh said.
“We’re in a very fortunate community that passes those overbase levies,” he said. “Even when they’re $110,000 like last year, they’re very meaningful because you’re capped. It’s a very unique budget situation in school districts where you guys don’t decide what the need is, you guys figure out how you can operate within the constraints of the budget.”
The elementary general fund levy would cost the owner of a $300,000 home an additional $8.67 annually and the owner of a $600,000 home $17.34. For the high school general fund levy, the owner of a $300,000 home would pay another $2 and the owner of a $600,000 home would pay $4.02.
The final amounts for the non-voted levies will be approved when the board adopts the budget in August. The permissive levies are for six district funds, including the transportation, tuition and building reserve funds.
McHugh said the total permissive levy increases for elementary and high school were larger than years past primarily because of increases in transportation costs and the tuition fund, which can be used for excess special education costs and to pay for students attending a different district.
For the owner of a $300,000 home, the elementary permissive levy increase will cost an estimated $36.61 annually and the high school increase will cost $22.79. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the district reduced permissive levies and is now having to catch up, McHugh said.
Declining enrollment and increasing costs are straining the district’s budget, and the state’s funding formula doesn’t keep up with inflation, McHugh said. Along with increases in staff salary and benefit costs, the district’s utility and insurance costs also increased, he said. The district has also seen a decrease in federal funding for at least the last seven years, McHugh said.
Even if the Montana Legislature passes the STARS Act, which would direct millions toward raising starting teacher pay, it would not be enough for the Missoula School District to catch up with compounding inflationary increases, Superintendent Micah Hill said.
“Even with this new funding and these things that are going on, it is not even coming close to the need that was demonstrated during that time,” he said. “We’ve got salary and benefit increases, all these things are increasing, and at the same time you’re going in the wrong direction when it comes to the funding.”
This story was originally published by Montana Free Press at montanafreepress.org.
