State of Montana Newsroom
Superintendent Arntzen Grateful that Montana Legislature Delivers School Funding Promise
HELENA – Superintendent Arntzen was happy to attend the HB 15, Implement K-12 Inflation, bill signing at Smith School in Helena today. HB 15 amends § 20-9-306, MCA, and provides inflationary increases of 2.7% for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 and 3% for FY 2025 to the funding components of school district general fund budgets. The increases for the biennium, or the next two years, are applied to the:
- basic and per-Average Number Belonging (ANB) entitlements
- the quality educator payment
- the Indian education for all payment
- the at-risk student payment
- the American Indian achievement gap payment
- the data for achievement payment
- the special education allowable cost payment
“The most basic promise to our schools is the promise to guarantee funding opportunities for the next biennium,” said Superintendent Elsie Arntzen. “Today that promise is fulfilled as our Governor signed this BASE aid funding into law in a classroom filled with children. I appreciate all our representatives and senators who realized this promise and put all our Montana students first.”
Superintendent Arntzen, Mrs. Hasselbach, and Rep. Dave Bedey join Governor Gianforte for the signing of HB 15 at Smith Elementary School.
Inflation adjustments for BASE aid happen during every legislative session and affect the funding calculation for Montanan schools during the following two fiscal years. On average, 70% of a school’s general fund budget is supported by state dollars from BASE aid. These state dollars will contribute approximately $2 billion during the next biennium to Montana schools’ general fund budget.
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