What will happen to the school district if the General Fund Levy or Building Reserve Levy doesn pass?
A balanced school budget is required by law. The district’s preliminary 2010-2011 budget allows for 1.3375 certified staff FTE (full time equivalent) increase while maintaining the current (2009-2010) level of staffing and programs. Following the failure of the General Fund and Building Reserve levies in 2009, staff and programs were cut. The school district is not attempting to reinstate these 2009 cuts with the passage of this levy, but simply to operate at the same level as the 2009-2010 school year and to include the necessary (per State of Montana Accreditation Standards) certified staff FTE increase for required programs. If either of the levies fail, additional cuts in programs and staffing will be required in order to balance the budget.
