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Committee hears widespread support for bill to fund preschool special education through school formula
Summary
The House Education Committee heard testimony from sponsors, educators and parents backing House Bill 168, which would let districts include mandated special-education preschool instruction for 3–4-year-olds in A and B funding counts to address a long-running funding gap.
Representative Jonathan Karlen opened testimony on House Bill 168, saying the bill makes a technical but consequential change so preschool-age children with disabilities can be counted in the school funding A and B formula based on aggregate hours of instruction. Karlen told the committee the change would address an “unfunded mandate” created by the current statute (cited in testimony as 27 4 11).
The bill drew broad support from school boards, disability advocates, early-childhood providers and parents. Isabel Melton, who testified for the Montana School Boards Association, described the measure as a necessary technical cleanup because current law prevents preschool programs from being included in A and B calculations. Doug Reisig of the Montana Quality Education Coalition and Katelyn Jensen of 0 to 5 Montana said allowing A and B…
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