State of Montana Newsroom
Superintendent Arntzen Accepts $92.3 Million From Trust Land Revenue for Common Schools Fund
HELENA - As one of five members of the Montana Land Board, State Superintendent Elsie Arntzen accepted $92.3 million on behalf of public schools from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC). The $92.3 million is comprised of:
- $59,472,714 for the Common Schools Fund for public schools, or the Guarantee Account
- $1,954,374 for the School Facility and Technology Fund
- $30,937,072 a one-time payment from the Avista settlement
Agriculture leases, timber sales, wheat, barley, and hay, grazing, oil and gas, coal, and mineral revenues contribute to the Common School Fund. More details can be found in DNRC’s Trust Lands Annual Report. During the upcoming biennium, the School Facility and Technology Fund will be used to enhance the Debt Service Assistance program described in section § 20-9-367, MCA. The Avista settlement stems from litigation involving the use of riverbed acreage occupied by hydroelectric dam projects in Montana.
“These funds are the first dollars used to support our public schools,” said Superintendent Elsie Arntzen. “Our state trust lands are working to help lower the impact to Montana taxpayers. I appreciate all of the work that DNRC’s Trust Lands Management team and my fellow Land Board commissioners have done over the last year to put our Montana students first.”
During Superintendent Arntzen’s time in office, the following distributions have been made available for the benefit of Montana’s public schools:
- 2017: $43.1 million
- 2018: $41.9 million
- 2019: $45.9 million
- 2020: $41.1 million
- 2021: $47.7 million
- 2022: $46.3 million
- 2023: $48.6 million
- 2024: $59.4 million
All state trust lands are managed by the DNRC Trust Lands Management Division and benefit public schools through the sale of timber, surface, and mineral resources. The Land Board members are the five constitutionally elected officials in the state -- the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, and the Commissioner of Securities and Insurance.
When Montana became a state in 1889, the Enabling Act set aside a vast number of lands that support Common Schools. Today, the State manages 5.2 million surface acres and 6.2 million mineral acres in state trust lands that benefit Montana’s Common Schools.
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