Governor says school funding has limits

Gov. Brian Schweitzer says that the state has addressed the school funding lawsuit adequately and that a coalition of schools which sued over quality education should not expect a funding "superhighway" in next year's legislative session.

In a far-ranging interview Tuesday, Schweitzer also discussed his energy development plans, ethics in politics, bison management and his upcoming appearance on the "60 Minutes" news program.

The Democratic governor said the $80 million funding boost provided in December's special legislative session put an end to the school funding lawsuit, although some education leaders have said they view it as a temporary fix that did not satisfy claims in the lawsuit.

"The lawsuit did go away," Schweitzer said. "We have a legally defensible case if they were to take us back to court. I am confident we have addressed the relevant factors in the plaintiffs' claims."

Schweitzer said his position is based on consultations with legal advisers for his office and the Montana attorney general's office.

In a December message to union leaders, Eric Feaver, president of the MEA-MFT teacher and school employees unions, wrote: "The governor's school funding plan is not the 'final solution' insofar as adequate school funding goes…. It does not eliminate the adequacy lawsuit we and many others filed against the state."

Feaver went on to say that "school funding advocates will be able to march into the 2007 Legislature to push for more money to flow in an observable, understandable way to better fund our schools."

Schweitzer said Tuesday that the education community will have to recognize that the state has a limited budget and that the Legislature also must address needs in corrections, human services and higher education. He said the funding infusions provided in 2005 have filled "potholes" in the education system.

"For them to expect a superhighway in the next legislative session, that won't happen," he said, adding that he will continue with his preference to avoid new or increased taxes.

On another topic, Schweitzer said he expects significant changes in the management of bison that leave Yellowstone National Park. That's largely because a 2001 agreement that put the management burden on the Montana Department of Livestock will be renegotiated this summer, according to the governor.

"This summer there will be a brand new memorandum of understanding and that will have a whole new scheme for managing buffalo."

The branch of the federal Department of Agriculture that certifies Montana's cattle industry as being free of brucellosis has been a sideline player in the controversial issue, dictating terms that force the Department of Livestock to haze, capture and slaughter bison.

"The referee is the one that decides whether we are keep our brucellosis-free status," Schweitzer said. "I'm trying to get the referee in the game … They are part of the management scheme."

Schweitzer said he intends to pursue funding to move cattle off of land north of the park, which would allow bison to move into the area during the winter. The change would provide winter range and clear the way for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to manage bison like elk or moose.

Hunters would manage herd numbers rather than the Department of Livestock, he said, adding that he is "dedicated" to maintaining the state's bison hunt, which resumed last fall for the first time in 15 years.

Schweitzer said he continues to pursue energy development as well, with particular interest in tapping Eastern Montana's huge coal reserves. Two business consortiums are exploring the potential development of two specific areas for coal gasification plants, he said.

And there is a $1 billion investment in wind power generation in the Judith Basin, along with potential for biodiesel production, he said.

Schweitzer's interest in energy development has attracted national attention.

The "60 Minutes" news program is doing a profile on Schweitzer, who said the show's producers seemed to be particularly interested in his energy agenda. Schweitzer said he flew over the Colstrip coal mining facilities with correspondent Lesley Stahl earlier this month.

He also was interviewed at a Helena-area ranch and at the Capitol with his border collie, Jag, nearby.

Asked about the lobbyist scandals that have emerged in Washington, D.C., Schweitzer declined to comment directly about the attention being paid to indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff and several senators, including Montana Republican Conrad Burns.

But he did reiterate his belief that in Washington, ethical standards have dropped to a level where politicians can correctly claim that they haven't broken the law when they have behaved unethically.

"The bar has been set pretty low," he said.

Schweitzer pursued an ethics reform bill for Montana legislators and state officials, but it was rejected in the 2005 Legislature.

Now, the governor said he intends to spearhead an effort to put it on the ballot this year as a referendum.

His reform bill included measures that would have required lobbyists to report all gifts or contributions to legislators or state officials, and it would have established a two-year period during which state officials could not be hired as lobbyists after leaving their government jobs. He cited several top officials in former Gov. Judy Martz's administration who moved directly into lobbying positions.

"It just doesn't look very good," he said.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com