Local schools prepare for cuts
Montana school districts will have to account for an estimated $6.6 million in budget cuts to for the upcoming school year as a result of overestimated state revenue projections.
Montana revenues have fallen far enough below projections to trigger $97 million in spending cuts across state government starting as soon as next month. Schools and health programs will receive the brunt of the cuts.
The expected $6.6 million in cuts to schools will be for the 2018 fiscal year. In total, Senate Bill 261 will reduce school funding by about $19.1 million over the 2018-19 state biennium.
The cuts will likely go into effect in August at a time when school districts are finalizing budgets. Local school districts are also waiting to find out where taxable valuations stand before final approval of budgets.
Schools districts’ general funds will be directly impacted by cuts to funding needs of at-risk, special education and high school vocational students. Data for Achievement payments will be eliminated, which covered costs associated with anything tied to data or reporting to the Office of Public Instruction, such as required state standardized testing.
Kalispell Public Schools clerk Gwyn Andersen said while Data for Achievement payments barely covered costs in the first place for Kalispell, elimination will be significant.
There will also be reductions in a combined block grant. Typically, this money goes into flexible spending funds such as in the case of Whitefish School District, and in a technology fund such as in Kalispell Public Schools.
According to the Office of Public Instruction estimates for the 2017-18 school year, Kalispell may see a reduction of more than $291,221 and Whitefish, $52,970.
Reduction amounts listed do not include reduction estimates to secondary vocational funding, which the state is currently working on, according to Office of Public Instruction Media Assistant Dylan Klapmeier. Amounts listed also do not account for what the Office of Public Education is describing as minimal impacts to advancing agricultural education, gifted and talented, adult basic education, in-state treatment and school foods funding.
For budgeting purposes schools are including amounts the state originally appropriated before the cuts in following formula requirements.
And while the state may tap into its reserves to cover costs, schools may also have to.
“We have to make up for that funding shortfall probably through our reserves,” Columbia Falls School District clerk Dustin Zuffelato said noting districts don’t have the ability to turn to taxpayers in this instance.
In the 2017-18 school year Columbia Falls School District may experience a funding reduction of more than $92,807, according to estimates from the Office of Public Instruction, not including reductions in vocational funding.
Rather than tap into reserves, some school districts may decide to trim spending.
“We have to figure out what we’re going to do without,” said Whitefish School District clerk Danelle Reisch, but it’s too early to say for certain while there are still moving parts yet in preliminary school budgets.
While the cuts may represent a small percentage of overall school district budgets, this round of cuts is significant according to Evergreen School District Superintendent Laurie Barron and district clerk Andrew Kruzich. For the 2017-18 school year, Evergreen School District may face about $25,065 in reductions, which could be used toward programming or a teacher’s salary.
Barron said the cuts negate the state’s inflationary increase funding for Evergreen. Despite funding reductions, Barron said the district will focus on continuing offering an “excellent classroom experience.”
Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.