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District previews permissive-levy estimates as budget committee prepares recommendations
Summary
MCPS staff presented early estimates for permissive levies including transportation, tuition (excess special-education costs) and building reserve; officials said figures will be refined before the March 25 meeting and noted potential state funding via the STARS Act.
The Missoula County Public Schools finance team presented preliminary estimates of permissive levies the board must identify before the end of the month, including transportation, excess special-education tuition and building-reserve levies.
Deputy/Business Officer Trevor McHugh (presenting the estimates) said the transportation estimate reflects negotiated percentage increases and planned vehicle purchases, including vans the district hopes to staff directly. He said the tuition levy — which covers excess special-education costs and, under a recent change in state law, some tuition obligations for students attending out-of-district programs — may rise on the elementary side to the full allowable amount (an estimate the district listed as $5.50 per pupil on the draft worksheet).
McHugh said the building-reserve permissive levy estimate shown in the draft was reduced because the district expects the state to assume more of that obligation, and noted the bus-depreciation figure will be added to the final resolution. He described planned permissive-levy scenarios (examples shown at $300,000 and $600,000) and said the district will refine numbers with the budget-levy committee and at the March 25 board meeting.
Board members asked clarifying questions about whether the figures in the presentation represented increases or totals; McHugh said the values shown in the final columns represented the change. Trustee Davy asked whether the special-ed permissive levy was listed; McHugh said that cost is in the tuition fund line and that the district is calculating levies based on per-student excess costs.
McHugh briefly reminded the board that the STARS Act at the state level could provide roughly $3 million to the district, which would materially affect levy decisions. He recommended the board consider operational and safety levy timing together and noted staff will present FY27 projections to the budget-levy committee the following week.
