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Trustees debate MTSBA membership; board schedules further review before dues deadline
Summary
Board members discussed pros and cons of continuing membership in the Montana School Boards Association, citing strong legislative advocacy by MTSBA but also concerns about representation of Double‑A districts and superintendent reservations; board asked for a follow‑up action item in June.
Missoula trustees spent an extended portion of their May 27 meeting discussing whether to continue membership in the Montana School Boards Association (MTSBA) and how best to press the association for Double‑A district concerns.
Vice Chair Walker Andrews framed the conversation as part of a larger review of board priorities with MTSBA. Several trustees and the superintendent described MTSBA’s advocacy role during the recent legislative session as a major benefit. Trustee Walsh said MTSBA’s timely legislative tracking and representation in Helena were valuable and credited the organization for preventing policy changes the board viewed as harmful. Trustee Anne (last name not specified in transcript) said she had found MTSBA’s advocacy “worth every penny” during the session.
At the same time, Trustee Garris expressed frustration that MTSBA leadership had not made in‑person outreach to the board and questioned whether the association represents both giver and taker counties fairly. Superintendent Hill and other trustees urged the board to be explicit about priorities it expects MTSBA to pursue and suggested using the delegate process to push for change. Staff noted some MTSBA services (pooled work‑comp credits, unemployment/workers’ comp programs and legal consultation) are linked to membership and would require planning to change.
The board did not vote to drop or renew membership at the meeting. Trustees agreed to continue the discussion and to place an action item on the June agenda so the board can consider dues, possible requests for proposals for insurance services and specific expectations for MTSBA advocacy before the July 1 renewal deadline. McHugh reported an approximate dues figure and a work‑comp credit number in the discussion: dues of roughly $26,000 and a work‑comp offset roughly $65,000 were cited in the meeting as context for the tradeoffs.
Ending: The board scheduled follow‑up work and a potential action item for June; trustees asked staff to research alternatives for pooled insurance programs and to prepare a list of specific advocacy priorities to present to MTSBA delegates.
