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Montana appropriators consider inflation bump for tribal nonbeneficiary student funding
Summary
The Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Education discussed raising the per-student nonbeneficiary payment to tribal colleges from $3,280 (set in 2016) to an inflation-adjusted level of $4,224 and deputized Senator Windy Boy to develop a decision package if the committee pursues the change.
The Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Education discussed on the record whether to increase the state payment for nontribal (nonbeneficiary) students at tribal colleges, which has been set at $3,280 per student since 2016.
Members heard an inflation-adjusted figure of $4,224 for the 2016–2024 period from Shauna Lyons, director of budget and planning for the commissioner of higher education. "The number is $4,224," Lyons said when asked for a CPI-adjusted amount. Committee members said the student headcount for that program runs under 300, with current projections near 280 students. "We're talking about, in the neighborhood of, say, 250 to 280 students," the committee chair said, referencing fiscal-analysis projections.
The chair framed the discussion as informational and not a final decision, but he invited committee members to prepare decision packages (DPs) if they want action. After brief discussion about running alternative inflation metrics and fiscal impacts, the chair said he would assign the follow-up work to Senator Windy Boy; "Alright. Then, senator Wendy Boy, you have you've been thus deputized," he said.
Why it matters: the nonbeneficiary payment is a per-student state subsidy to tribal colleges for students who are not tribal members. Raising the per-student rate would increase state appropriations proportionally and affect the budgets of a small population of students (roughly 250–280 projected). Officials noted this is not an immediate appropriation but a topic for a potential decision package in the budget process.
Details and next steps: Lyons said the $4,224 figure reflects CPI inflation from 2016 to 2024. Committee staff and analysts offered to run alternative scenarios, including applying the K–12 three-year capped inflation method the legislature uses elsewhere. The chair directed members interested in pursuing an adjustment to work with committee staff to craft one or more DPs; Senator Windy Boy accepted that assignment.
No formal motion or vote was recorded during the work session on this item. The committee moved on to the community college funding discussion after assigning follow-up work.
