Educators demand better school funding

Montana’s system of paying for public schools is broken and something must be done to fix it, educators from around the state agreed at the Montana Conference of Education Leadership.

By GAIL SCHONTZLER, Chronicle Staff Writer

Montana School Boards Association members unanimously endorsed a resolution demanding adequate school funding, MTSBA President Carmen McSpadden said Friday.

State school funding fell dramatically behind inflation in the 1990s, the resolution contends.

To keep Montana’s high-quality education, the Legislature must at least make up the historical shortfall and guarantee schools enough money each year to cover inflation, it says.

"That’s the toughest decision we deal with — rather than ‘How do we grow our school district?’ the current funding system asks, ‘Where do we cut?’" said McSpadden, chairwoman of the rural Anderson School District just west of Bozeman.

"At Anderson, we’ve got growing enrollment, and still we have to deal with cuts."

Montana school board members met in Bozeman as part of the two-day MCEL conference, which drew 1,000 principals, superintendents, trustees and administrators from around the state.

One possible solution to Montana schools’ difficulties — the Montana K-12 Public School Renewal Commission — was discussed Friday. The 2003 Legislature created the commission to propose changes in school revenue, funding and governance. Its proposals are due Sept. 15, 2004.

Recommendations from blue-ribbon panels are often ignored, but commission members said Friday that may not happen in this case.

One reason is that the commission’s 28 volunteer members include top Republican and Democratic legislative leaders, plus representatives of key players — Montana taxpayers, farmers, business owners, the teachers’ union, large and small school districts, the governor and state school superintendent.

Second, a lawsuit charging that the state has failed to fund schools adequately goes to trial in January. The lawsuit — brought by the Montana Quality Education Coalition, representing more than 90 school districts — means people will take the Renewal Commission seriously, said Tonia Bloom, a Corvallis school trustee.

This week, the Renewal Commission agreed that a quality education should at least mean meeting the state accreditation standards.

Just reaching consensus on that wasn’t easy, said Ron Laferriere of Bozeman, president of the Montana Council of Administrators for Special Education.

Commission member Steve Johnson, Bozeman School District assistant superintendent, said the first four meetings have been "a little frustrating."

Bruce Messinger, Helena’s superintendent, agreed progress is slow, but said the work is critically important.

Either the commission will define the future of Montana schools, he said, or the Supreme Court will do it.

Gail Schontzler is at [email protected]

http://bozemandailychronicle.com/articles/2003/10/18/news/moneyschooolbzbigs.txt