Jan

31

Montana Policy Institute unveils School Spending site

January 31, 2009 | 1 Comment

The Montana Policy Institute, a new free market think tank, has created a a one-stop shopping source for school spending information in Montana:

http://www.SchoolsOpenMT.org

The Montana Policy Institute is a nonpartisan, nonprofit policy research center whose mission is to equip Montana citizens and decision makers to better evaluate state public policy options with a respect for individual freedom, an expectation of individual responsibility, and a belief that government intervention should be viewed as a last rather than a first resort.


Comments

1 Comment so far

  1. Awe' on January 31, 2009 11:24 pm

    Thanks for sharing the information. The data represents a lot of hard work and is generally accurate. They had incorrect revenue listings for a few districts; however, this was caused by
    the confusion of separating K-8 districts from K-12, and 7-12
    districts. Most Montana school districts are not unified K-12.

    In addition the revenue listings only showed Montana and local revenues. Districts that are mainly Indian (Plenty Coups, Hay-Lodge Pole, Browning, etc.) get almost half of their money from
    federal sources: Impact Aide, Title IX, JOM, etc. That data
    was not shown.

    In Montana all state funding is done through what is called the ANB Formula. As enrollment drops the state gives more money per pupil. Thus, a high school student in a small school (under 40 students)is worth over twice as much money as a kid from Billings West. That is why Montana has almost 500 independent school districts.
    It is difficult to get so small that the independent districts cannot be maintained. Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, and most states
    don’t fund in that manner. Thus Wyoming has only 48 school
    districts, Utah 22, Nevada 17, and Idaho around 100.

    Montana still funds like it does as it is the sole remaining rural state in the Rockies (most people don’t live in incorporated
    towns/cities). Nevada is the most urban state in the nation
    and thus has few public school districts. IOW, In Montana
    the city folk can’t force consolidation (like in Wyoming, etc.).

Name (required)

Email (required)

Website

Speak your mind

  • Montana News on Twitter

  • RSS Latest Montana News

    • Helena students "band" together for music festival
      In the Helena valley, music brought three middle schools together in harmony this week. The bands from Helena Middle School, C.R. Anderson, and East Valley Middle School joined forces for a music festival, with the 8th-grade students split up into two groups to practice sets of four pieces.Triona Matheson, a percussionist, said, "We all play together as […]
    • Montana communities not happy with state funds freeze
      According to the Montana Department of Commerce, 50 cities and counties across the state will not be getting money that was promised them.During the last legislative session, Congress approved spending $20-million dollars on rural projects. The state has spent $16.5-million of that, but is holding the remaining 10% due to the budget situation.State budget di […]
    • Montana water committee addressess federal proposal
      Montana's Water Policy Interim Committee is speaking out about the federal government's jurisdiction over Montana's water and has sent a letter to Montana's U.S. Congressional delegation.State law says Montana's water resources are state property and should be used for the people of Montana. Language before the U.S. Congress in the C […]
    • Belgrade resident Wolery sentenced for attempted sexual exploitation of teen
      The United States Attorney’s Office announced on Thursday that Rayne Allen Wolery, a 30-year-old resident of Belgrade, was sentenced in a Helena courtroom to a term of 180 months in prison, supervised release for 10 years, and forfeiture of computer and cell phone. Wolery was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to attempted sexual exploitation of ch […]
    • Montana unemployment rate ticks up
      The state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased slightly by 0.1 points in January to 6.8% while the national unemployment rate fell from 10% to 9.7% in January."The U.S. economy showed positive Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in the second half of 2009, but employment growth lags behind a recovery in GDP," says Labor Commission […]
    • St. Peters, county health agency team up to offer free mammograms
      The National Cancer Institute estimates about 40,000 American women died of breast cancer last year. Saint Peters Hospital in Helena is teaming up with the Lewis & Clark County Health Department to help with early detection by offering free mammograms for uninsured and low-income women.Saint Peters recommends women start getting an annual mammogram when […]
    • Sarah Palin returning to Montana for teen fundraiser
      Former Alaska Governor and vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin is making another trip to the Treasure State.Palin will be in Missoula on September 12 for a fundraiser for an organization called Teen Challenge;the faith-based organization helps teens deal with life's problems by teaching them Christian values.Money raised during the event will go towar […]
    • Custodian found dead in Butte school
      The body of a 49-year-old man was found at Kennedy Elementary School in Butte on Saturday.The man worked as a custodian for the school district, Butte-Silver Bow Sheriff John Walsh said.The body was found in a classroom by a teacher Saturday morning.The man was identified as Doug Weisenberger.The body was taken to the state crime lab for an autopsy, but it a […]
    • Superintendent's gun fires during class in Reed Point
      Reed Point High School students got quite a shock when a history lesson about a gun misfired on Friday. The gun actually went off in the middle of class and the bullet went through a wall. No one was hurt.Superintendent Dwain Haggard says he was teaching a history lesson and was showing off his .50-caliber Hawkens, an antique replica muzzleloader, when the g […]

  • Meta