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Bozeman district previews budget, warns of structural imbalance and tax‑value uncertainty
Summary
At the July 29 retreat district staff presented a preliminary FY25 budget overview showing an anticipated total budget of about $62.29 million, an elementary deficit of roughly $3.4 million and uncertainty tied to taxable‑value protests; final levy figures expected after county releases values in August.
Lacey, the district budget presenter, told trustees on July 29 that the district’s preliminary budget work is ongoing and that final figures will depend on year‑end accounting and the county’s taxable‑value release in early August.
Lacey said the district is estimating a total budget for fiscal year 2025 of $62,287,943 and described diverging enrollment trends: K‑5 elementary and kindergarten counts are down (the incoming kindergarten class is the smallest since 2010), while high school enrollment increased by 113 students this year. The district expects to receive roughly $350,000 in basic entitlement funding for Bridger Charter Academy, which will boost the general fund.
The presentation outlined several structural pressures: an elementary structural imbalance that was roughly $3.1 million in FY24 and is estimated at $3.4 million for FY25, rising costs for substitutes and unfilled positions, and the so‑called ESSER 'cliff' as one‑time federal pandemic funds run out. Lacey said the district will not implement planned K‑12 FTE reductions at the high school because enrollment growth requires retaining staff; block scheduling produced some efficiencies that softened the impact.
Staff also flagged vacancy savings (many positions remain unfilled) and noted the district budgets assuming full staffing while actual spending can be lower because of vacancies. On taxable‑value outlook, staff said the district has conservatively used a 0% growth assumption because of numerous tax protests following last year’s large reappraisal changes; historic taxable‑value updates are expected the first Monday in August.
Trustees asked how protested taxes affect revenue; staff said protests reduce receipts and that the county and state could not offer a precise projection. Staff will return to the board with updated taxable values, final levy calculations and year‑end accounting at the August 19 meeting.
The presentation also previewed item 5.4 (boundary conversations for high school and K‑8 and district organization) to be discussed in breakout table work later in the retreat.
