GREAT FALLS — The Great Falls Public Schools (GFPS) Board of Trustees called a special meeting on Thursday to move forward with considering the budget for the upcoming school year.
Initial projections put the budget at over $74 million, but that number isn't set in stone until the board officially approves the budget at its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday. As of Sunday afternoon, the entire budget book was not yet released on the district's website, although the district previously disclosed that it received $2.38 million in CARES Act funding from the federal government in March, and an additional $4.9 million allocation from the governor.
School boards in Montana are required under Montana law to meet and finalize their budgets by no later than Aug. 20.
Nationwide, most U.S. school districts get an average of 47% of funding from the state, about 45% locally, and only about 8 to 10% from the federal government, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Wealthier school districts tend to rely on local property taxes, which are a relatively stable source of funding during recessions, more than higher poverty school districts, which rely greatly on state funding.
In Montana, the average ratio is about 60% of revenue from the state, and 30% from local sources. In GFPS, about half of the money in the district comes from the state, with over a third coming from the district and county. About 50% of money in the general fund goes toward instruction.
Brian Patrick, GFPS director of business operations, first presented the budget for the upcoming year in February -- that was before pandemic hit and forced most school districts in Montana, including GFPS, to pivot to remote learning. Patrick said one big change in the budget this year has been the district's reliance on federal funding because of those changes.
"Those dollars are really what we need, and are using, to address things like our Jumpstart program that we did at the elementary school, before school started this year," he said, "as well as all the PPE and precautions that we're taking."
Patrick, who has worked in school administration and finance for decades, called this year the most difficult one he's ever had when it comes to putting together a budget. At the meeting on Thursday, GFPS Supt. Tom Moore said a number of factors complicated the budgeting process this year, including the Calumet tax protest, that made federal funding even more important.
"It's been an absolute necessity for our school district to have those funds so that we can start school," Moore said. "So Mr. Patrick's done a great job."
Congress has reached an impasse on another federal stimulus bill, although initial drafts from Republicans and Democrats included more aide allocations for K-12 education.
The next board meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Monday in the Aspen Conference Room at the GFPS District Office Building.
