Montana school funding plan outlined

The coalition that sued the state over public-school funding rolled out its own plan Wednesday to fix the system, proposing changes that could add at least $260 million a year to school spending in Montana.

If implemented at once, the wide-ranging plan would increase overall spending on Montana public schools by at least 20 percent.

But a spokesman for the Montana Quality Education Coalition said its plan could be phased in over several years.

Jack Copps also said while the plan appears expensive, that should come as no surprise, since the Legislature has not provided adequate state funding for schools in a decade.

"It may look expensive, but, very frankly, it looks expensive because the state’s share of funding for schools has dropped 17 percent behind inflation over the past 10 years," he said. "That’s part of the problem. We need to act now." Elements of the proposal include:

By MIKE DENNISON – IR State Bureau

Full Story: http://helenair.com/articles/2005/09/22/montana/hjjejahihgeege.txt