Montana kids deserve better
A 20-year-old funding formula is forcing Montana’s public schools to cut deeper than ever before—hurting students, families and, communities. The challenges are real, but they’re fixable.
Together we can fix it. And here's how.
Fix the funding formula.
Strengthen Montana.
1
Modernize funding
Montana’s school funding formula was built for a different time. It caps what schools can receive, even as real costs rise, creating operational gaps that local districts can’t cover on their own. This isn’t about unlimited spending. It’s about fixing how school funding is calculated, capped, and allocated.
2
Protect opportunity
Most Montana families rely on public schools. When funding falls behind, schools are forced to cut programs like art, PE, counseling, and technical education — the very programs that keep students engaged, supported, and on track to thrive. These prepare kids for future jobs in agriculture, tech, and trades.
See exactly where school funding comes from, where it goes, and why the formula hasn't kept up.
Montanans have real questions.
Here are real answers.
Property taxes keep rising. Schools keep cutting programs. Those two things feel like a contradiction. They aren’t.
And the explanation matters. Montanans are asking reasonable questions, like:
These aren’t trick questions. They’re what Montanans should be asking. The answers point to a structural problem that is well-documented, well-understood by lawmakers, and fixable. The School Funding Interim Commission (SFIC) studied exactly these issues and has submitted its recommendations to the 2027 Legislature. Lawmakers will decide what happens next. Now is the time to ensure they hear from you.
Now is the time for change
Montana's school funding formula isn't set in stone. By law, every ten years, lawmakers must meet and assess how well it's working. That work has just wrapped up. The School Funding Interim Commission (SFIC) met from June 2025 through August 2026 to study school funding and has now submitted their recommendations. Those recommendations go before the 2027 Legislature next January. You can still be involved and make a difference.
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Every meeting, report, and public comment is on the record. Now it's up to lawmakers, and they need your input.
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