Montana State Legislature
School Funding Library
SCHOOL FUNDING LIBRARY
School Funding Materials
The interactive tool below can be used to examine & learn about school district budgets. The tool allows the user to select individual school districts and includes data for multiple years & multiple school district funds.
*Click the diagonal arrow on the bottom right to view the interactive data tool*
- LEG Days Training Presentations
- Lunch & Learn: School Funding (October 15, 2024)
- Lunch & Learn: Property Tax & School Funding Data Tools (October 29, 2024)
- K-12 Funding Training (Education Interim Committee, September 12, 2023)
- K-12 Funding: District General Fund FY 2025 (November 2024)
- K-12 Funding: District General Fund FY 2024 (March 2024)
- Guarantee Fund (August 2024)
- School District Fund Basics
- School District Transportation Fund Basics (March 2024)
- School District Retirement Fund Basics (March 2024)
- School District Building Reserve Fund Basics (March 2024)
- School District Debt Service Fund Basics (March 2024)
- School District Tuition Fund Basics (March 2024)
LITIGATION
- School Funding Litigation Background (Joint Education Interim Committees, January 7, 2021)
- Video // Presentation
COURT DECISIONS
- Helena School District v. State of Montana (January 13, 1988)
- Columbia Falls School District v. State of Montana (April, 2004)
- Columbia Falls School District v. State of Montana (December 15, 2008)
PREVIOUS LEGISLATIVE STUDIES
SCHOOL FUNDING STORY MAPS (2019)
- Overview of K-12 Funding in Montana
- Montana Special Education Funding Basics
- Property Taxes in Montana
- School District General Fund
- School District Retirement Fund
- School District Transportation Fund
- School District Debt Service Fund
INTERIM TRAINING PRESENTATIONS 2011-2012
The following trainings were conducted for the Education & Local Government Interim Committee (ELG) and the Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) during the 2011-2012 Interim by Dan Whyte (Legal) and Jim Standaert (Funding). These are excellent historical records, but should not be used for understanding the current school funding formula as numerous changes have been made since 2012.
- Legal I (September 15, 2011)
- Legal II December 6, 2011)
- Legal III (March 9, 2012)
- Funding I (September 16, 2011)
- Funding II (December 6, 2011)
- Funding III (March 9, 2012)
- Funding IV (September 13, 2012)
