March 2013
SB 175, sponsored by Sen. Llew Jones, is the k-12 school funding bill of this session – and it has passed the Senate. Now it must pass the House.
Here’s what SB 175 does:
- Increases funding for schools to improve academic achievement for Montana’s children.
- Reduces local property taxes.
- Aligns the success of those who develop our natural resources with the success of our public schools.
- Ensures that school districts and taxpayers in oil and natural gas impacted areas have the resources needed to address such impacts.
- Protects the public’s investment in school facilities and provides a funding source to restore the public schools that will serve the next generation of Montana’s children.
Read more reasons to support SB 175 here.
Montana’s entire public education community has united around SB 175 and will stay united.
MEA-MFT has been working on the bill along with the Montana School Boards Assoc., Montana Rural Education Assoc., Montana Assoc. of School Business Officials, School Administrators of Montana, and Montana Quality Education Coalition to support.
Listen to MEA-MFT President Eric Feaver talk about the property tax relief aspect of SB 175 at the link below. You’ll also find videos of other Montana educators at that link, talking about various benefits of SB 175:
SB 175 has received tremendous bipartisan legislative support.
Unfortunately not every legislator likes big, innovative, problem-solving ideas. We anticipate a number of amendments will be offered to trim, delay, and confuse what SB 175 intends to do, and perhaps worse of all to amend SB 175 into yet another charter school bill.
SB 175 has a long road ahead of it. Please be ready to ask your legislators to support it.