Changes needed in funding public education

Over the past few months, there have been different articles published in newspapers around the state about school finances, from teacher salaries and budget shortfalls to levies and bonds. I would like to highlight another area of concern: equality of education and the state’s obligation to the citizens of Montana.  

The Montana State Constitution’s Article X, Education and Public Lands, states: “It is the goal of the people to establish a system of education which will develop the full educational potential of each person. Equality of educational opportunity is guaranteed to each person of the state ... The Legislature shall provide a basic system of free quality public elementary and secondary schools ... It shall fund and distribute in an equitable manner to the school districts the state’s share of the cost of the basic elementary and secondary school system.”

However, for decades and regardless of political party affiliation, there has been a lack of state funding for schools to operate properly and successfully. The funding received from the state does not cover the full cost of running a public school. Schools are forced to get creative, run levies, and apply for grants, but this still isn’t enough. Recently, the situation has been exacerbated by rising inflation and skyrocketing health insurance costs for employees. The cumulative lack of financial resources from the state to school districts has led to inequality of educational opportunities, in direct opposition to what the Montana Constitution guarantees.  The outcome of this dismal state funding year after year is that school districts are forced to ask local voters to approve levy requests to fund the holes in their budgets left by the state.