This bill updates Montana's school funding laws by revising the definition of a basic system of free quality public schools and establishing new requirements for how state funding is calculated and distributed. It directly affects Montana public school districts, the state legislature, and all students by mandating that funding formulas account for specific factors such as student needs, open enrollment transfers, and student achievement growth relative to funding increases. Key provisions require the legislature to consider elements like special needs students, American Indian cultural integration, teacher retention, and transparent reporting on how additional funding improves outcomes, while also ensuring the formula includes automatic annual inflation adjustments and equitable distribution across districts. The bill aims to create a more structured and accountable approach to school funding that reflects constitutional requirements for educational equality throughout the state.
This bill authorizes Montana's Community Choice School Commission to seek and receive public funding for its operations, in addition to its existing ability to accept private donations. The legislation amends state law to clarify that the commission can obtain public funds as long as they align with the commission's purposes of supporting choice schools. It also maintains the commission's current structure, which includes seven members appointed by various state officials, and allows the commission to use private gifts for either its own operations or to distribute to authorized choice schools. The bill takes effect immediately upon passage and approval.
This bill creates a Montana state income tax credit for parents who pay for nonpublic school education expenses, including private school tuition, homeschooling costs, textbooks, and extracurricular fees. The credit allows taxpayers to deduct up to 44.7% of eligible expenses paid for a qualifying student who receives full-time academic instruction in a nonpublic education setting, with the credit limited to the taxpayer's actual tax liability. Eligible expenses include tuition, educational therapies, computer hardware used for learning, and fees for activities commonly offered in public schools, while excluding entertainment devices and certain costs like meals and travel. The Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction would have rulemaking authority to implement specific details of the program.
This bill revises Montana's public charter school laws by clarifying definitions and streamlining the application process. It requires the Office of Public Instruction to provide fiscal analysis during charter school applications and directs the Board of Public Education to limit costs while prioritizing proposals focused on personalized and proficiency-based learning. The legislation also removes the board's ability to waive statutory requirements in charter contracts and allows charter school districts to access public funding and donations through the Innovative Education Tax Credit Program. Additionally, it establishes financial obligations for a child's resident school district when serving students with disabilities through a charter school district.
This bill allows Montana school districts to choose whether the state Office of Public Instruction pays a portion of funding for special needs equal opportunity education savings accounts in the first year of a student's participation. Under current rules, school districts must pay this amount from their general funds, but the new option lets districts have the state cover the initial payment instead. If a district selects this option, the state will later reduce the district's regular funding by the equivalent amount when the student leaves the program, ensuring the total funding remains consistent. The change takes effect on July 1, 2025, and applies only to students participating in the special needs education savings account program.
This bill revises Montana's education laws to clarify how students can attend schools outside their district of residence. It allows parents to request out-of-district enrollment while establishing clear rules for when school boards can deny these requests, such as when accepting a student would exceed classroom capacity, violate safety standards, or jeopardize the district's accreditation. The legislation also clarifies that families are generally responsible for transportation costs unless the receiving district chooses to provide it, and it removes the requirement that students seeking remote instruction must apply to the nearest district offering such services. Additionally, the bill updates reporting requirements for school districts and clarifies tuition responsibilities for nonoperating districts and partial-year attendance.
This bill creates a new Educational Opportunity Fund within Montana's Coal Severance Tax Trust Fund and uses earnings from that fund to increase the maximum limits for educational tax credits. The legislation affects taxpayers and corporations by allowing them to claim tax credits for donations to public schools for innovative programs and to student scholarship organizations. Key provisions include raising the annual aggregate limit for tax credits from $5 million to a higher amount based on fund earnings, removing the sunset date for these credit programs, and establishing rules for how school districts must handle excess donations. The bill also requires school districts to seek department preapproval for donations before issuing tax credit receipts to donors.
This bill establishes Montana's Academic Prosperity Program for Scholars (MAPPS), a voluntary program allowing parents to use income tax credits to fund private education expenses for eligible students. The program creates a council to oversee operations and a program manager to administer tax credits for donations and qualified education expenses, which can include private school tuition or other instructional costs. Participating parents gain flexibility to direct their children's education while schools must transfer student records, and the program operates alongside the state's existing public school funding system.
SB 486 revises the funding mechanism for the Montana Special Needs Equal Opportunity Education Savings Account program. Currently, resident school districts are required to remit a portion of their state education aid to the Office of Public Instruction (OPI) for students participating in the program. This bill allows a school district to elect to have the OPI pay this remittance amount in the first year a student participates in the program within that district. If this option is chosen, the OPI will later reduce the school district's state aid payment by the initial amount, adjusted for inflation, once the student is no longer participating in the program in that district.
This bill creates a Montana income tax credit for parents, guardians, or teachers paying K-12 education expenses. It allows a credit of up to $1,250 per year, covering costs like tuition, textbooks, online learning programs, tutoring, therapies, and school supplies. The credit can be claimed even without taxable income, with any excess refunded. It applies to expenses paid for children in public schools, accredited private schools, non-accredited tutors (with written disclosure), or compliant homeschools. The bill aims to help offset rising K-12 education costs for families and educators.
