Operational Levy Provides Resources to Students

Every year Boards of Trustees across the state evaluate the needs of their local districts to decide how much to ask their voters to help fund public schools. This annual budgeting process represents a shared state and local tax commitment that give Montana’s children a strong foundation for their future. Our Board, at the March 24th board meeting, approved an operational levy for both the elementary and high school districts to support 8,000 Helena Public School students. On Tuesday, May 5th residents will be asked to vote on the school levies.

Both the elementary and high school operational levies are critical to maintaining the academic direction of this district. For the past two years, numerous changes were made to find efficiencies and to dedicate resources to meet the needs of every child. The Board’s Budget Committee is scrutinizing every program for effectiveness and efficiency to strategically support students, rather than by only hiring additional people.

Investments were made in curriculum, support services, technology and professional development to ensure that educators have essential tools necessary for student success. Specifically, last year’s operational levy enabled the District to purchase a newly adopted English Language Arts curriculum. Further, we’re now able to assess students’ strengths and challenges and respond with interventions for children who need greater assistance with reading and math. We also developed a new partnership with Intermountain professional staff to extend the good work started by a five-year grant to continue providing mental health services to our students.

Investments are paying off with students across the district showing increased academic gains. The upcoming operational levy is essential to continuing the district’s commitment to student learning. The levy revenue would allow the District to:

Continue providing curriculum and support resources to students Continue with professional development for all staff with Professional Learning

Communities. Continue to assess students to understand their weaknesses and strengths and then to

provide enrichments and interventions Continue high expectations for students to attain at least one year are learning for one

year of school. Continue to ensure that all students are challenged no matter where they are on the

learning spectrum.

Should the levy fail, no one program will be eliminated but services across the board will be reduced. Our high learning expectations for all students come with responsibility of the administration, Board and community. Together we must provide sufficient resources for teachers to teach and students to learn. The Helena community has a long tradition of supporting an operational levy. Our educational community appreciates this support knowing

these funds directly supports every classroom, every day. Should you have questions about the May 5th election or our budget, please don’t hesitate to contact me at email, phone.

A successful levy on May 5, 2015 would allow the District to continue our efforts to ensure all staff have the necessary resources to meet every child’s needs and each child is academic gaining. Following are the amounts of the levy:

Elementary $350,000 $5.12 / Year on a $100,000 taxable value home

High School $88,500 $1.03 / Year on a $100,000 taxable value home