SB 215 Montana Senate · 2025 Regular Session

Revise the definition of public school system and requirements of school funding formula

SB 215 revises Montana's public school funding system by redefining the "basic system of free quality public schools" to explicitly include open enrollment, student achievement tracking, and transparency in spending. It requires the legislature to consider specific factors when setting funding - such as student needs (including special education, English learners, and American Indian students), school density, and teacher retention - while mandating that funding follows students across district lines during open enrollment. The bill also directs the funding formula to use current-year enrollment data, include annual cost-of-living adjustments, and clearly show how funds impact student outcomes. These changes apply to all public school districts in Montana, aiming to make funding more equitable and accountable.
Bill status died 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
Feb 2025
Senate Passage
Feb 2025
House Passage
Governor
Introduced Jan 27, 2025 Last action May 23, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

LC0964.pdf SB0215_1.pdf · 2 edits
MINOR
The bill was renumbered from LC 0964 to SB 215.1 and updated with a formal sponsor name. The most significant substantive change is the addition of a new requirement ensuring that funding follows students who transfer to other districts via open enrollment, without imposing additional tax burdens on the sending districts or counties.
Scope change
The bill's scope was expanded to explicitly address the financial implications of open enrollment transfers, ensuring the sending district is not penalized financially when a student leaves.
TECHNICAL

The bill number was changed from LC 0964 to SB 215.1, and the primary sponsor was identified as B. Beard.

FISCAL

A new provision was added requiring that funding follows open enrollment students across district boundaries, specifically ensuring that the sending district or county does not face additional tax burdens as a result of the student transfer.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 19, 2025

How they voted

2920
Passed · 1 other
Total votes 50
Feb 19, 2025
D Democratic18
18 Nay
100% Nay
R Republican32
29 Yea 2 Nay 1
90% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
31
Key actions
3
Committee
4
Amendments
1
Apr 7, 2025
Amended
(H) Tabled in Committee - (H) Education
lower
Feb 20, 2025
Committee
(H) Referred to Committee - (H) Education
lower
Feb 19, 2025
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (29-20-1)
senate
Feb 14, 2025
Upper · Passed
(S) Committee Report - (S) Education and Cultural Resources
upper
Feb 13, 2025
Upper · Passed
(S) Committee Executive Action - (S) Education and Cultural Resources
upper
Jan 28, 2025
Committee
(S) Referred to Committee - (S) Education and Cultural Resources
upper
Jan 27, 2025
Introduced
(S) Introduced
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Becky Beard
Becky Beard
RRepublican
MT
38