key faq

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

§  What is new about the election process? 

Ballots will be mailed between April 9 - April 19 to registered ACTIVE Great Falls voters to authorize the Great Falls Public School District to levy taxes for the schools’ operating budget for 2010-11.  Registered voters who did not vote in the last election are not considered active and must re-register at the county elections office prior to May 6 in order to vote in this election.

§  What’s Needed?

Over the past few years, the state has provided a much lower percentage to education than in the past.  The past two years, state funding has dropped below true costs.  The impact leaves schools in need of a school levy from local taxpayers to be able to offer the same quality instruction to students in the coming year as was offered last year. 

§  Doesn’t the state pay for education?

In Montana, taxes for schools are collected at the local level and a portion goes to the state.  It is then re-distributed on a per-pupil basis to districts to provide educational equity regardless of the resources of a particular community.  Districts are also allowed to levy additional taxes up to a cap set by the state.  In Great Falls we have room to use this discretionary levy. Overall, the district receives about 55% of the operational budget from the state and about 45% comes from local taxpayers. There is a good six minute movie on school finance on the school district's website.

§  What about stimulus? How can the school need more money?

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (commonly called stimulus) distributed money throughout the education system of America. The local school district did receive funds through though stimulus - but the funds are received as one-time-only funds (meaning they won't come back next year). There are also many laws governing what stimulus money can be used for. Stimulus can't be used to pay for most teachers and staff and can't be used to cover normal programming in our schools. Get more facts on how school dollars are split up on the district's school finance website.

§  The Governor says schools have been well funded.   Why do they need more?

The Governor and the legislature authorized one-time-only money to schools for such things as energy costs, capital improvements, facility maintenance, and constitutionally-mandated expenses.  Much of that money cannot be spent for classroom instruction.  This levy will continue the core instructional program for children in the classrooms.  It will also add three elementary school counselors to support children in stress and allow Great Falls Public Schools to maintain accreditation in accordance with student-to-counselor ratios set by the state.  Great Falls schools are advancing in math, science, and technology instruction within current levels of funding.

§  What happens if the schools get more funding from other sources?

The District has a long history of being good stewards of the taxpayers’ money. The District will operate the same way this year.  At maximum, it will cost $14.30 per year on a home tax-valued at $100,000.

§  How much will the levy really cost me?

BASIC INFORMATION: The District is asking for $895,000 or 8.38 mills. This levy would cost a homeowner $14.30 per year on a home’s taxable value of $100,000. This is not the amount a home would sell for, but it is the amount taxes are based on.

Every property owner can figure out what the levy would cost.

For example, the Net Taxable Value of a condo is $2012. The next door neighbor’s condo just sold for $125,000. If the condo owner multi plies $2012 X .00838, the mill levy will cost the owner $16.86.

§  Doesn’t the District have Reserves and a PPL tax distribution that will fix the problem?

For 7 years PPL protested its taxes.  To maintain the instructional program, the District spent approximately half that money, but reserved some in case the suit was lost and the District had to repay PPL.  The suit was resolved and the reserves were freed for district use. The district has been using the released tax reserves to equalize holes over the past few tough economic years. This PPL money has helped the district maintain the quality education the community has come to expect.

This year, the school district will use the remainder of the PPL money to once again reduce the need to ask for a larger levy from the community. Even with the spend of these PPL dollars, it doesn't fill the entire need. To maintain quality education, it is necessary that we rally around the schools and give this educational levy our support!