Montana State Legislature
2015-2016 School Funding Interim Commission
About the School Funding Interim Commission
Senate Bill 128 created a 16-member School Funding Interim Commission for the 2015-16 Interim and each successive fifth interim. The bill requires the commission to:
- conduct a study to reassess the educational needs and costs related to the basic system of free quality public elementary and secondary schools;
- if necessary, recommend to the following legislature changes to the state's funding formula; and
- issue a report on the commission's findings and recommendations, including any draft legislation for amending the state school funding formula, by no later than the 15th of September preceding the next regular legislative session
School Funding Interim Commission Final Report
- REPRESENTATIVE JEFF ESSMANN (R)
- REPRESENTATIVE DONALD W JONES (R)
- REPRESENTATIVE KATHY KELKER (D)
- REPRESENTATIVE DEBRA LAMM (R)
- REPRESENTATIVE EDIE L MCCLAFFERTY (D)
- REPRESENTATIVE SUSAN WEBBER (D)
- SENATOR ELSIE M ARNTZEN (R)--Vice Chair
- SENATOR TOM FACEY (D)--Chair
- SENATOR KRISTIN HANSEN (R)
- SENATOR MARY MOE (D)
- SENATOR MATTHEW ROSENDALE (R)
- SENATOR LEA WHITFORD (D)
Public Members
- Dave Lewis, Senate
- Patricia Hubbard, Senate
- Renee Rasmussen: House
- Aidan Myhre: House
School Funding Interim Commission Topics
At its initial meeting on September 23, 2015, the commission determined to focus on 4 topics (commissioners ranked additional topics in an online poll following the meeting--see meeting summary):
- Recruitment and retention
- School facilities
- Special education
- District structure and equity
Below are links to materials distributed to commissioners by staff organized by topic. For handouts distributed by presenters and copies of public testimony, please see the minutes log for each meeting by clicking on "Meetings and Materials" to the right.
Recruitment and retention
- See EAQ #1 (questions on employee health benefits and paraprofessionals)
- See EAQ #2 (question on teacher pipeline numbers and out-of-state teachers)
- Memo on school health benefits
- Quality Educator Loan Assistance Program brief
- ECS memo on Recruitment and Retention
- Dr. Ingersoll presentation
- SB 331 (2015; Hansen) and emergency authorizations memo
- ECS memo on Health Insurance pooling
- SAM Leaders Professional Learning Program Overview 2016-17
- SAM LPLP 2015-16 2nd Quarter Executive Summary
- RISE4MT Purpose and Values
- Measuring Rurality and School Isolation in Montana
- Previous proposals for statewide pooling of K12 health benefits
School facilities
- See EAQ #1 (question on bonding limits)
- See EAQ #2 (question on SB 348 safety upgrades)
- Overview of 2008 School Facility Inventory
- School Renewal Commission and QSIC recommendations and legislative responses (see final 3 pages with tables listing state payments for facilities since 2003)
- Memo on School Facility Reimbursements (aka Debt Service GTB)
- Debt Service GTB history (1995-2016; OPI)
- Funding for Capital Improvements handout (MASBO)
- Memo on WY school facility model, QSIC final report, and MUS long-range building program
- Memo on SB 354 (2015; Ripley)
- Working paper on facilities funding options
- Coal severance tax and trust fund flow chart
- INTERCAP loan program
- INTERCAP loan history
- Facility expenditures and district charcteristics
- Bond election trends
- Memo and bill draft with INTERCAP changes
- Facilities grant program memo for discussion
Special education
- See EAQ #1 (questions on cost of 19-21 year olds, use of SB 191 tuition levy for special ed, and fed, state, and local revenues over time)
- See EAQ #2 (questions on cost of applying inflationary factor and special ed identification rates)
- Special education funding handout (OPI)
- Special education cooperatives in MT
- Special education cooperative membership
- OPI Task Force proposal for coop funding
- HB 451 (2015; Pope) background
- LC SPIN -- bill draft for applying inflationary adjustments to special education payment
- LC SPCO -- bill draft for applying inflationary adjustments to special education payment and increasing funding for coops
- LC SP19 -- amending ANB calculations to include older special education pupils
District structure and equity
- See EAQ #2 (question on number of districts over time)
- School District Structure and Reorganization brief
- Brief on the Decrement
- ECS memo on District Consolidation
- GTB one-pager
- Nonlevy revenue brief
- Use of permissive and voted levies
- Background report on the former state equalization account
- Options for equalizing BASE mills
- Equalizing BASE mills presentation
- BASE mill equalization memo
- Basics of Impact Aid (handbook by National Association of Federally Impacted Schools)
- Overview of tuition laws
- OPI chart on tuition laws
Miscellaneous
General Background Resources:
The Legislative Fiscal Division's K-12 Public Education Finance page includes links to:
- School funding presentations to the 2011-12 ELG by Jim Standaert and Dan Whyte
- Various school funding staff reports
- School funding court decisions
- Previous school funding studies
Executive Summary of the 2008 School Facility Condition Assessment
The Quality Schools Interim Committee page has information on the 2005 school funding study.
Final Report of the 2003-2004 K-12 Public School Renewal Commission
Background materials distributed to members July 2015:
July 2015 Interim newsletter "Back Page" article on school funding
Final Report of the 2005 Quality Schools Interim Committee
"Understanding Montana School Finance and School District Budgets" (OPI; November 2014)
Final Report
- Draft final report
- Commissioner-requested amendments to final report (will be posted by August 22)
- Amendment #0 (Pad) -- correction related to debt service GTB
- Amendment #1 (Sen. Moe) -- changes to "Backgrounds" section
- Amendment #2 (Sen. Moe) -- changes to "Recruitment and Retention" section
- Amendment #3 (Sen. Moe) -- changes to "Special Education and Special Needs" section
- Amendment #4 (Sen. Moe) -- changes to "District Size, Structure, and Equity" section
- Amendment #5 (Sen. Moe) -- proposed addendum on Overall Adequacy and Equity
- Amendment #6 (Sen. Moe) -- proposed Minority Report addendum (revised 8/16/16)
- Amendment #7 (Rep. Kelker) -- changes to various sections related to special needs
- Amendment #8 (Sen. Facey) -- various changes
Bill Drafts
Recruitment and Retention
- LC QELP -- bill draft to revise Quality Educator Loan Assistance Program
School Facilities
- LC ICAP -- bill draft to revise INTERCAP loan program
- LC EFBT -- bill draft to provide transferability of funds to building reserve
- LC GRT1 -- bill draft for new facility grant program
- LC GRT2 -- bill draft revising Quality Schools Facility Grant Program
Special Needs
- LCs SE01, SE02, SE03 -- bill drafts to increase the state special education payment
- LC GFTD -- bill draft creating a state-funded, per-ANB component for programs to serve high ability/high potential students
- LC SNSY -- draft resolution to request an interim study of funding for programs to serve special needs students
School Employee Health Benefits
- LC HLTH -- bill draft to create task force study of K-12 health benefits
Final Report
- Final report outline for commission discussion and input
- Commissioner-requested changes and comments on final report outline
Bill draft updates
The bill draft updates will vary depending on completeness of bill draft; some may be brief conceptual updates, others may be reviews of nearly finalized drafts. The commission will make final determinations at its final meeting later this summer.
Special Needs
- Special Education funding overview (dist by OPI in January) and graphic
- Update on LCs SE01, SE02, SE03, drafts to increase the state special education payment
- Fiscal impacts of LCs SE01, SE02, SE03
- Update on LC GFTD, draft to create new component for funding gifted and talented programs
- Update on LC SNSY, draft to request study of funding for special needs students
School Facilities
- Update on LC ICAP, bill draft to revise INTERCAP loan program
- Update on LC EFBT, bill draft to provide transferability of funds to building reserve
- Concepts for
- LC GRT1, bill draft for new facility grant program
- LC GRT2, bill draft for new facility grant program
- LC DSGB, bill draft to shore up funding for facility reimbursements
Recruitment and Retention
- Update on LC QELP, bill draft to revise Quality Educator Loan Assistance Program
- Update on LC HLTH, bill draft to create study on K-12 health benefits
District Structure and Equity Issues -- Tuesday May 3 AM
- Basics of Impact Aid (handbook by National Association of Federally Impacted Schools)
- Districts with overmax general fund budgets
- BASE mill equalization memo
- Isolated school definition and loan forgiveness program
- Possible tuition law changes
- District closures 1994-2017 with ANB (requested during meeting)
School Facilities -- Tuesday May 3 PM
- Facilities grant program memo for discussion
- Fully funding Debt Service GTB program
- Memo and bill draft with INTERCAP changes
- Transfers from district general fund to building reserve (ppt)
The commssion will not convene Wednesday May 4 PM
Special Education and Gifted and Talented Funding -- Thursday May 5 AM
- LC SPIN -- bill draft for applying inflationary adjustments to special education payment
- LC SPCO -- bill draft for applying inflationary adjustments to special education payment and increasing funding for coops
- LC SP19 -- amending ANB calculations to include older special education pupils
- LFD fiscal analysis of LC SP19
- Gifted and Talented (High Ability/High Potential) funding options, costs, considerations
District Structure and Equity Issues -- Monday AM
- Nonlevy revenue brief
- Use of permissive and voted levies
- Equalizing BASE mills
- Equalizing BASE mills ppt
- Overview of tuition laws
- OPI chart on tuition laws
Facilities -- Monday PM
- Facility expenditures and district charcteristics
- Bond election trends
- INTERCAP loan program overview
- INTERCAP loan history
- INTERCAP memo
- Facilities funding options working paper
- Revenue possibilities
Recruitment and Retention -- Tuesday AM
- SAM Leaders Professional Learning Program Overview 2016-17
- SAM LPLP 2015-16 2nd Quarter Executive Summary
- RISE4MT Purpose and Values
- Measuring Rurality and School Isolation in Montana
- Previous proposals for statewide pooling of K12 health benefits
Special Education -- Tuesday PM
Gifted and Talented -- Tuesday PM
Background materials mailed March 16, 2016
- Cover letter to commissioners
- Facilities
- District structure and equity
- Recruitment and retention
K-12 Education and Demographics
School funding formula
- Guarantee account flow chart (LFD)
- Overview of district-level funds (MASBO)
- Budgeted funds chart
- Nonbudgeted funds chart
- Variations in state funding in district general funds
- State payments to district general funds
- Explanation of district school funding maps (work in progress)
- Map Data (excel spreadsheet)
- Federal funding overview (OPI)
- ECS presentation on reserves and district size
School facilities
- Funding for capital improvements overview (MASBO)
- School facility entitlements (aka debt service GTB)
- Debt service GTB summary 1995-2016
- ECS presentation on school facilities funding
Recruitment and retention
- School staffing difficulties presentation - Dr. Richard Ingersoll
- Overview of 2005 QSIC study on salaries and recruitment
District structure and boundaries
Special education
- Special education funding (OPI)
- Special education cooperatives (OPI)
- Special education cooperatives membership (OPI)
Technology
- EducationSuperHighway K-12 Connectivity in Montana Snapshot
- EducationSuperHighway presentation
- Montana Digital Academy presentation
Background materials mailed/posted December 31, 2015
- Cover letter to commissioners
- Draft agenda
- Small group breakout description
- Updated commission timeline with possible meeting dates
- Memo on School Facility Reimbursements (aka Debt Service GTB)
Background materials mailed/posted December 4, 2015
- Cover letter to commissioners
- Overview of 2008 School Facility Inventory
- Decrement brief
- ECS memo on Recruitment and Retention
- ECS memo on District Consolidation
- EAQ #2
Background materials mailed/posted November 13, 2015
- Cover letter to commissioners
- Summary of September meeting with ranking of topics from "parking lot"
- Memo on school health benefits
- School Renewal Commission and QSIC recommendations and legislative responses
- Quality Educator Loan Assistance Program brief
- School District Structure and Reorganization brief
- "Easily Answered Questions" (EAQ) document
Administrative matters and commission background
- Rules, Procedures, and Guidelines for Interim Committees
- Public Comment Guidelines
- Article X, Montana Constitution
- Senate Bill No. 128 (2015)
Input on school funding study
School funding in Montana
- Montana school funding from 50,000' (ppt)
- School district funds presentation (MASBO)
- Other Budgeted Funds chart (MASBO)
- Non-budgeted funds chart (MASBO)
- K-12 Funding brochure (LFD)
- District general fund presentation (OPI)
- FY 2016 General Fund Budget Overview and Worksheets (OPI)
- FY 2016 General Fund Budget Overview and Worksheets (pages 13-32; Lewistown; OPI)
- FY 2016 General Fund Budgeting speadsheet (Excel; OPI)
- Individual district info prepared for budgeting exercise
Commission resources and work plan
- Montana State Library GIS map of school districts
- OPI GEMS Data Warehouse - School Finance
- Education Commission of the States
- Possible Commission timeline and meetings
Other materials
Proposed Rules for School Funding Interim Commission
The School Funding Interim Commission is not one of the regular interim committees of the legislature and does not have duties related to administrative rule review pursuant to 5-5-215, MCA.
