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Missoula Educators Face Two Choices for School Funding

Posted on: Wednesday, 28 December 2005, 03:02 CST

By Chaney, Rob

Missoula education officials may throw their support to an alternative school funding proposal, although a local member of Montana's Quality Schools Interim Committee believes that may scuttle any chance of legislating changes this year.

Missoula County Public Schools trustees will have a special meeting Wednesday evening to consider endorsing the "Montana's Promise" proposal, developed by the Montana Quality Education Coalition. MCPS Superintendent Jim Clark said a phase-in version of the plan would infuse about $100 million in new state money to Montana's school districts in 2007, if approved by a special legislative session this December. A second phase would require $200 million more, but could wait until the regular Legislature meets in 2007.

But that December special session might not happen at all if school districts can't see a way to support the interim committee's work, according to committee member Rep. Holly Raser, D-Missoula. While more complex than the Montana's Promise plan, the interim committee's proposal comes closer to solving the state's long-term education funding problem, she said.

"I'm disappointed schools are taking that tack based on incomplete information they have," Raser said Tuesday after a public lunch conversation with Clark and his Key Communicators group. "(Montana's Promise) is taking this bad system-we currently have and gives it more money. That's all there is to it." On the other side, Clark said he knows what he's getting out of Montana's Promise, but is still waiting for explanations of how the committee's plan would work.

"We just haven't seen how they got their numbers," Clark said after the lunch. "We need to get specifics. Where did their figures come from? How might they affect us?"

Clark said he liked the Montana's Promise premise of adding $4,000 per certified staff member to each school district's budget. The proposal also calls for adding $300 per student, split among special education, Indian Education for All and operations and maintenance needs. That first phase would cost about $100 million in 2007.

A second phase would address adding school employees to the state's health insurance program, fixing a federal retirement fund glitch, providing money for statewide all-day kindergarten and increasing the basic entitlement money for each school district. That part could be handled in the regular 2007 legislative session, he said.

The interim committee's proposal provides $4,000 per classroom, with additional $4,000 allotments for librarians, counselors and other certified staff. It provides less funding for Indian Education for All, but targets districts with the greatest need instead of statewide. It also provides more money for deferred maintenance, operations and maintenance than Montana's Promise, Raser said.

The $4,000 allotment has been a hot button for several months. Montana's Promise supporters such as MEA-MFT President Eric Feaver have argued attaching it to certified staff is the best way to improve funding for all the professionals who work with children.

But Raser said that discounts the needs of school districts that haven't been able to attract the staff they need. Attaching funding to classrooms ensures those districts with difficulties recruiting workers will have a chance to improve.

"The only place I see we're different is how we come up with the number of teachers," Raser said. "We know the committee should refine the numbers, look at areas that don't make sense, like why are small schools funded with huge increases and large schools getting less, and then work on legislation. The bottom line is that we provide an adequate amount of money for next year that is equitable and educationally relevant."

Gov. Brian Schweitzer has declared he won't call a special session unless there's legislation ready to approve with a broad base of support.

Raser said she doubts either the interim committee or the governor would back a special session focused on the Montana's Promise plan. But if the committee's proposal can't win enough support, there could be no change until the regular session in 2007.

"We're hoping people will look at the big picture, as opposed to at this moment, how are we going to get there?' " Raser said. "The committee has focused on the long-term mechanism. Montana's Promise doesn't address court needs. So it depends on how well the two groups can gettogether in the next few weeks."

For Clark, it doesn't appear those answers may be available in time. The resolution going to MCPS trustees Wednesday night calls for the governor to focus the special session on Montana's Promise instead of the committee's plan. The hope is to gather enough support from Class AA school districts to change the governor's mind.

"I know what the coalition proposal means, so that's what I'm supporting." Clark said. "The committee has done a tremendous amount of work. We just haven't seen the specifics."

Copyright The Missoulian Nov 16, 2005

Source: Missoulian

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