Committee hears bill to create school 'community facilitator' position funded from advanced‑opportunities funds

Senate Bill 278, which would authorize school districts to hire a “community facilitator” to connect students and families with advanced opportunities, was presented to the Montana Senate Education Committee and drew an amendment to clarify funding rules.

Mr. Jack McCracken, committee staff, summarized the bill by saying it creates a community‑facilitator position “to act as a liaison between the school district and the community in higher ed and the pupil and the pupil's family, to identify and help facilitate advanced opportunities for the student” and authorizes districts to use advanced‑opportunities funds to pay for the position and to include it in the quality educator payment.

Vice Chair Novak moved an amendment to SB278 intended to clarify how advanced‑opportunities dollars may be used. The amendment’s sponsor explained it was intended to preserve the bill’s original intent that 75% of advanced‑opportunities funds should be distributed to students (not used for salary or administrative costs), while allowing some portion to be used to pay for the facilitator within that threshold. The amendment was described as language clarification; no roll‑call or committee vote on the amendment is recorded in the provided transcript segment.

Committee members asked whether the amendment or bill changes the original intent that most advanced‑opportunities funding “go out the door” directly to students. The amendment sponsor replied that the language clean‑up does not change that intent.

No final committee action on SB278 is shown in the transcript excerpt provided; the amendment was posted and explained in committee and the bill remained under committee consideration at the end of the excerpt.