The Glasgow School Board met on March 9 and voted to put a general fund levy before the voters in addition to this year’s trustee election. The election will be a mail-in election with ballots due by May 3 to the Valley County Clerk and Recorder office. The meeting also recognized Kyler Hallock as State wrestling champion, the approval of adding Juneteenth National Independence Day as an official district holiday, adopting a new kindergarten through eighth grade reading curriculum, as well as policy readings for approval,
According to meeting minutes of the school board meting, the 2021-22 general fund budget is $6,696,022 and the 2022-23 preliminary budget is set to be $6,830,679 provided the passage of a levy in the amount of $49,116.48. The impact of the increase in budget authority would be used for the purpose of operation and maintenance of schools, specifically a wage increase for staff. “A salary increase would be for all staff within Glasgow schools, including bus drivers, custodians and teachers,” stressed Superintendent Wade Sundby to the Courier.
The voters will be able to decide on the passage of 3.12 mills with an impact on taxpayers of $4.21 on a home with a market value of $100,000 and $8.42 on a home with a market value of $200,000. Sundby recognizes the steep numbers being asked of the community and stresses the overall impact to the taxpayer would be much lower due to taking into account the permissive levies, such as adult education, bus depreciation and building reserve.
“We were able to decrease the permissive levies so the overall increase in taxes voters would see is 0.57 mills which on a $100,000 home the impact is 77 cents and on a $200,000 home the impact is $1.54,” explained Sundby. “We looked at other ways to minimize taxpayer impact. We don’t want to add a huge stressor to everyone in the community.”
Sundby recognizes the current state of the community due to events that have occurred over the past two years, specifically farmers and ranchers dealing with drought, families dealing with the effects of COVID and just the overall stresses the community is facing financially. According to meeting minutes of the school board meeting, school board members feel the same way with Angie Page stating there is a huge part of the community having setbacks due to the drought and fuel prices while also acknowledging the agriculture community is suffering during these hard times. Mona Amundson agreed with Page’s stance, while also stating if the funding is not kept up, the gap will continue to widen. After discussion, Chrissa Nelson moved to approve the 2022 General Fund mill levy resolution and Amundson seconded. After hearing no discussion or hearing, the motion was called for a vote with all present in favor.
In addition to staff wage increases, the levy would also assist with retaining highly qualified educators and support staff within the district. During the 2021 legislative session, lawmakers passed the TEACH (Tomorrow’s Educators Are Coming Home) Act which directed $2.5 million to incentivize school districts to raise pay for early career teachers. The program offers districts approximately $3,500 per teacher receiving a raise, but requires that raise to equate to 70 percent of a mid-career salary in most districts. Teachers in their first three years of teaching are eligible for the bump in pay and most districts must chip in for teacher raises to receive the money from the state. “We met the requirements last year and are beginning to meet them this year,” stated Sundby. He also stated the passage of the levy would allow the requirements for the Act to be meet. “It continues to be a stressor to retain highly qualified education and support staff inside the district.”
In the event voters vote against the levy, Sundby explained there would be a reduction in aspects of the budget, including building upkeep. He did stress staff would still get a wage increase, but it would not be as much as if the levy would pass.
“Unless the state of Montana provides a different way of funding schools, a majority of the funds come from property taxes,” explained Sundby. Though he does acknowledge the school district received COVID funds, they cannot be put into salaries or benefits due to their temporary status. “Looking forward, we want to use those COVID funds in a fiscally responsible way. It’s not out of the question to use those funds, but it’s not something we want to use as a practice,” stated Sundby.
Sundby welcomes questions regarding this levy from the community. He can be contacted at 406-228-2406 or by email at [email protected].
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