Missoula trustees hear staffing and budget squeeze as enrollment, federal funds fall

Missoula County Public Schools trustees on Tuesday were presented with projections showing declining enrollment, reduced federal Title funding and rising costs that together could require enrollment-based staff reductions and classroom consolidations for 2025–26.

Administrators told the board those pressures have already prompted preliminary planning steps under the district’s negotiated placement process: notices tied to leave‑of‑absence deadlines and nonrenewal dates, preliminary arena hiring activity and discussions about moving students between neighborhood schools to balance class sizes.

The presentation laid out why the board needs to consider local levies and state funding changes. “June 1 is the date in the Montana code that allows school districts to nonrenew any non‑tenure teacher without cause up until that date,” said Trevor, a district staff member who led the human‑resources portion of the briefing. He said the district prefers to notify employees early rather than wait and lay people off mid‑summer, and that several contract deadlines (February 15 for leaves of absence, early February spring count and March arenas) make the staffing cycle compressed.

Why it matters: the district reported a multi‑year drop in pupils that reduces state A&B funding (the student‑count formula used to calculate most state aid). Administrators said…