On Tuesday, May 5, ballots were due and votes diligently counted for two Missoula County Public Schools (MCPS) operational levies, one for high schools, and one for elementary schools. Both were passed, much to the relief of MCPS staff and administrators. The Missoula High School General Fund Levy passed by a close 51%, while the Elementary School General Fund Levy came in with a higher percentage of 58%.
MCPS relies heavily on community support from levies to continue offering opportunities to students. While 80% of school funding comes from the state for basic educational needs, the other 20% is covered by local taxpayer money. Because of levies and other taxpayer initiatives, MCPS, and, at the high school level, Hellgate, is able to offer students more options, classes, and programs that wouldn’t be possible without local support.
MCPS high schools require more of their students than meets the state standard. “The state requires 20 credits to graduate, but Missoula County requires 24 credits to graduate,” explained Judson Miller, Hellgate’s principal. “That additional four credits are education beyond the basic rate … levies and community support make up that difference.”
In fact, levies fund a number of things, including school programs. “I would argue that our students have more opportunities because of levies,” said Miller. “[Students] certainly have more options because of levies.” Additionally, levies allow schools to buy supplies or remodel parts of the building, and help support staff positions in the district.
This year, the General Fund Levies were especially important for MCPS due to declining enrollment across the county. “We have fewer families enrolled in schools in Missoula County schools, so our overall budget is going down because budgets are funded on population,” said Miller.
However, school costs remain the same. Principals like Miller have to keep paying the same number of staff and keep up the same number of programs in order to continue delivering, as Miller explained, “the same level of program that [MCPS] is used to.”
State funding isn’t a fixed rate, and a high level of education like Hellgate offers, fit with AP and IB courses, is maintained by levies. “If the levy wouldn’t have passed, we would’ve been dealing with declining enrollment and fewer resources to bridge that gap between the basic state allocation and what we want in Missoula,” said Miller.
Levies are essential to maintaining what Miller calls “enhanced opportunities” available to students at Hellgate. Our school would look a lot different if it wasn’t for continued community support, for which MCPS is very grateful.
