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House hears HB 266 to adjust how K‑12 inflationary increases are calculated
Summary
Representative Luke Miskiewicz said HB 266 would revise the statutory method for calculating the K‑12 inflationary adjustment so that school funding better keeps pace with actual inflation; proponents said the bill is a means to prevent a growing multi‑million dollar gap, opponents urged deferral to the decennial funding study and cautioned on fiscal exposure.
Representative Luke Miskiewicz presented House Bill 266 as a complementary measure to HB 265, explaining that HB 266 changes how the inflationary adjustment for K‑12 base aid is calculated and reported. Sponsor materials included Legislative Fiscal Division analysis showing the three‑year average statutory calculation was capped at 3% for recent years and created a cumulative gap (LFD estimated a multi‑year gap between $87 million and $92.5 million depending on assumptions).
Proponents — including Lance Melton (MTSBA), Siobhan Hawthorne (Helena School Board chair), and Kim Popham (MFPE) — argued the bill provides a structural, gradual mechanism to keep school funding from eroding. Opponent Bob Story said the legislature already has authority to provide higher inflation amounts through HB 15 and warned that ad‑hoc changes before the decennial study risk making long‑term changes harder to reverse. Paul Taylor (OPI) explained fiscal‑note drafting standards and said the fiscal gap the bill addresses would shrink if other bills (STARS Act, HB 15) pass. Sponsor and proponents emphasized that the bill’s reconciliation would not mandate immediate outlays until fiscal year 2029 and that HB 266 primarily documents a process and a backstop for long‑term alignment between inflation and base aid.
