The Montana Board of Education voted unanimously to approve Gov. Greg Gianforte's more than $330 million unified education budget proposal, including funding for state education agencies like the Office of Public Instruction.
The education budget proposal -- which includes school funding for 2026 to 2027 -- will be put before the Legislature to consider during the upcoming 2025 legislative session.
Gianforte, a Republican who just won re-election, said he is supporting a $100 million investment toward increasing starting teacher pay, an $81 million investment in the school facilities trust, which will send funds toward building maintenance, and a $1 million incentive for reducing cell phone distraction for students in class.
"Our agenda protects record funding for K through 12 public education and puts the best interest of our students, teachers and parents at the top of the list," Gianforte said.
People are also reading...
Good riddance, Jon Tester | Brendan Work Community Medical Center targeted for alleged role in Hurst sex abuse case Public backlash sends Missoula street project back to planning Missoula County Fairgrounds to host two-day Zootown Music Festival in 2025 Missoula businesses can help nonprofits fight downturns with a one-two punch: Cash and crews Whitefish music fest Under the Big Sky rolls out 2025 lineup Believers bought airplane for dead preacher thinking he'd rise from grave to fly in it Citizen grand juries and county militias: The quiet rise of Tactical Civics in Montana Missoula authorized campsite proposals in works, city tweaks strategy with shelters New Missoula floodplain map delayed for more research into Orchard Homes neighborhood Bill Speltz: Searching for reasons to believe Griz can upset the No. 2 Cats in Bozeman UPDATED: One woman arrested during Missoula Westside standoff Fifth wolf killed in unit north of Yellowstone National Park despite quota New Missoula Latter-day Saints temple location announced Sheehy endorses some Trump cabinet picks, declines to respond on others
The board also voted unanimously to pass a resolution encouraging school districts to add a requirement for a third year of math instruction in high schools.
The Montana Board of Education is a joint body including the Board of Regents, Board of Public Education and the state superintendent, headed up by the governor. Montana statute requires the board to approve the governor's unified budget proposal before the legislative session.
What makes this proposal larger than in years past -- marking a nearly 16% increase in the budget as opposed to a nearly 9% increase in the 2025 biennium -- is the governor's inclusion of the proposed STARS Act (Student and Teacher Advancement for Results and Success). This proposed legislation would increase the state funding offered to districts who pay starting teachers at least $40,700.
The bill proposal builds off of what was offered in the TEACH Act, which passed during the 2021 legislative session.
Rep. Llew Jones, R-Conrad, one of the architects of the proposed legislation, told the Ravalli Republic Friday he was pleased to see that the governor is interested in addressing the challenges with beginning teacher pay.
"Along with the standard inflation that schools get, creating an incentive program that ensures a block of money goes to the classroom where the kids are and where the teachers are and where we have recruiting and retention problems seems like a great, very wise choice," Jones said.
The Montana Federation of Public Employees, which represents teachers unions, told legislators earlier this year it was wary of the STARS Act's potential for interfering in union negotiations.
However, MFPE said in a statement Friday that Gianforte's budget request is a step toward addressing the budget crisis hitting students and families.
"MFPE members look forward to working with him to support these requests, address remaining funding gaps, and prevent diversions of scarce public dollars to vouchers and private schools," said MFPE President Amanda Curtis.
Gianforte is also supporting putting $81 million for a trust dedicated to education within the state's coal trust.
Lance Melton, executive director with the Montana School Boards Association, explained the goal of growing the trust is to increase the funds to a total of $300 million, which would generate about $10 million in revenue that would be disseminated to schools for maintenance projects.
Gianforte mentioned to the board maintenance needs he saw in field visits across the state.
"I was up in Columbia Falls, and their school needs a roof. Gardner needs a boiler, and it's just very pedestrian things, but it's kind of hard to educate if you don't have heat and there's water in the classrooms," he said.
The Legislature can also raise the education budget to meet the increases in inflation.
"There's been a fairly significant gap in inflation that's been created, both during and in the wake of the pandemic, and the governor's proposal puts us on a path to close that inflation gap and get us back on the mend," Melton said.
Gianforte said his proposal allocated $1 million in incentives for reducing the distraction of cell phones in schools.
"Ultimately, students in our classroom should be focused on their teachers and learning, not on TikTok and Instagram," Gianforte said.
Gianforte signed into law legislation aiming to ban TikTok in Montana, but a federal judge blocked the legislation before it could be implemented.
Students are apparently on board for cell phone restrictions in Montana though, with state student leadership recommending a cell phone ban in classrooms on a 44 to 42 vote, according to student representative for the Board of Public Education Gavin Mow.
"You might not expect that out of kids our age," Mow told the board Thursday. "But I think we're at a point in time where student leaders, especially, are recognizing that these distractions are truly detrimental in classrooms, and they agreed to take away something which I think we all love a lot as high school students."
The board also unanimously passed a joint resolution to recommend school districts require a third year of math instruction for high school students. Many schools across Montana already require three years of math, but the recommendation comes during an effort to increase math proficiency in the state.
The resolution includes a statistic from the 2023-24 Statewide Assessment showing 30.7% of 11th graders are at or above proficiency in mathematics.
The Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education reported 19% of all first-time freshmen in the Montana University System do not meet mathematics proficiency standards and 40% of first-year college math students need additional remedial support, the resolution said.
Board of Public Education Chairman Tim Tharp said it's up to local control and it isn't a logistically easy thing to do.
"Making a change takes time. It takes money. It has to originate through the Office of Public Instruction through the negotiated rulemaking process and all of that," he said. "We feel that it's just vital to be able to get this information out."
The education budget interim committee will discuss the governor's budget proposal at their upcoming Dec. 16 meeting, according to Chairperson Rep. David Bedey, R-Hamilton.
Nicole Girten is the education reporter for the Ravalli Republic.
Nicole Girten
Education reporter for the Ravalli Republic