Plains Public Schools set levy ammounts

Deadlines are a fact of life for most everyone, and our schools are no exception.  Many of the deadlines schools work with are determined by state law.  School elections, both trustee and levy, are outlined in Montana Code Annotated (MCA).  MCA provides detailed descriptions on the rules and mechanisms for conducting the business of elections in a fair manner for all.  Funding of our schools is affected by both election laws and traditional legislative action. Plains Public Schools would like to outline how these laws and traditions have influenced recent school funding decisions.

The date for a regular school election is to occur on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in May as outlined in MCA 20-20-105.  Schools conduct elections for Trustees and levies on this date. This year the date is May 3, 2011.   The numbers of MCA indicate the various parts of state law for reference.  The first number is called the Title, and Title 20 deals with Education.  The next two numbers are called a chapter and a section, respectively; many points of law often also include a subsection following the section.  As in the case of the election dates, certain subsections allow for a variance of the law.  In the subsections of the school election law is a provision for the school to hold a special election for the purposes of school funding during years when the legislature meets.  This allows for schools to have some extra time to make decisions about school funding.

Another key factor for our schools to consider in funding decisions is based on legislative action.  Traditionally, the legislature does not finalize state educational funding decisions until the final few days of a legislative session.  This year, April 21 is the final day of the regular legislative session.  This tradition has nothing to do with law, but is more closely related to the difficult work our legislators face having to create a balanced state budget and adequately funding education for our children.  However, the fact is schools seldom know what funding will be like until the final week of the legislative session, and this tradition creates a problem for schools. 

The problem is mostly a matter of timing based on the requirements of the law.  MCA outlines the fact that School Trustees must pass a resolution stating the date and purpose of an election 40 days before the election. In addition, specific ballot language must be set 25 days before an election. These requirements mean that, this year, a decision regarding levies had to be made by April 7, or the decision to run a separate special election had to be decided.   As a result, educational leaders and School Trustees were faced with making difficult funding decisions about their local school without knowing the final outcome of the legislature. 

Plains Public Schools considered both the students and the community in its decision to run a levy.  The decision to not use a special election date was based on the fact the legislature has been particularly divisive on funding issues and it may be a while before education funding levels are determined.  It was also discussed that because of timing issues, the estimated additional expenses to hold another election was not a feasible option during this particular legislative year.  With this decision made, school officials worked on setting levy amounts.

The levy for the Plains Elementary district is set at $44,000 and the High School district is set at $52,000.  These amounts were determined after a great deal of consideration for the needs of our students and the well-being of our community.  Without knowing the final actions of the legislature, dealing with losses in ANB and ARRA funds, and facing legal deadlines the decision was made to try and do the best for our students and still be sensitive to the current economy.  These levy amounts, in conjunction with frugal budget planning, represent Plains Public Schools efforts to provide quality educational opportunities for our children, while continuing our best efforts to be productive with the financial support from our community.