School board wants better state funding
School District 6 board members are frustrated by the state funding of public education in Montana.
“We feel underrepresented,” Board Member Dean Chisholm said at the board meeting Sept. 21.
Over a decade ago, the district was the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit to challenge the Montana Legislature’s funding of education.
“We wanted a funding formula based on some type of sound educationally-based reasoning, which we don’t really have yet,” Board Member Jill Rocksund said Monday.
The Montana Quality Education Coalition was part of this fight to get more funding. Since then the district has not seen the increase in funding that they were promised, whereas other larger districts have seen an increase.
The district’s membership in MQEC for 2016 is up for renewal. The board is considering not renewing because they don’t see a benefit.
Dianne Burke, MQEC executive director, was at the meeting to give a presentation on the current work of the organization. She said that they’re the organization that will go after litigation if it is needed.
Former superintendent Mike Nicosia said at the time of the lawsuit the board thought having membership in organizations such as MQEC and the Montana School Board Association would give the district a bigger voice, but in hindsight it actuality didn’t help.
The district’s board is unique compared to other boards in the state because the members have been together for many years, and even the newer ones are veterans, Nicosia said. This makes for a well-informed board that is not willing to simply look at the shallow issues. Burke agreed that she doesn’t hear other districts talking about the same concerns as District Six.
The board voted in favor of tabling the decision to until November, with board members Scott Emmerich and Barb Riley absent. The membership costs the district $2,500 in dues.
In other school board news:
• District enrollment overall is down by 47 this year as of Sept. 21 compared to last year at the same time. The high school has the only drop from 689 in 2014 to 634. The drop was expected because a large class graduated. Glacier Gateway Elementary is about the same. Ruder Elementary increased by 10 and the junior high is up by almost 20.
• Discussion continued with North Valley Hospital about school-based health care. The goal is to gradually start the program in January 2016 with just two half days at the high school to provide wellness exams and acute care for the students, and work with the school nurse. Later, as the program shows success, it will be expanded to provide behavioral health and it would be implemented at the junior high school, Rhonda Tallman from North Valley Hospital said.
• The district health insurance plan had more activity than expected. The paid claims for July and August were expected to be $328,176 but actually came to $392,269. Board members said this a concern, but it is still early in the year.
• A policy change to pep band travel was discussed. The change would remove the time limitation of 2 p.m. for when the band may leave for overnight travel to post-season tournaments. It was the first of three readings before the board votes on the change.
• The pay for a substitute teacher was increased from $70 to $75 per day and from $35 to $37.50 per half day. The board voted all in favor of the increase.
• Ruder Elementary students are taking on a challenge of kindness this year. They have taken a pledge to be kind to both students and adults. The students will be rewarded for random acts of kindness.
• The next meeting is Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. in the District School Board Room in the Administration Building at 501 6th Avenue West.