Bill > SB258

This bill modifies Montana's school funding laws to explicitly clarify the legislature's authority regarding inflationary adjustments for school funding. Specifically, the bill amends existing law to specify that while the superintendent of public instruction calculates an inflation factor based on the consumer price index (CPI) for budgeting purposes, typically not exceeding 3% in each year, the legislature retains the right to provide inflationary adjustments that differ from or exceed this calculated amount. The CPI is defined as the U.S. city average for all urban consumers, using a 1982-84 base of 100, as published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The bill essentially reinforces the legislature's lawmaking and appropriation powers by explicitly stating that it can determine school funding increases independent of the standard calculation method. This change provides more flexibility for legislators in setting school funding levels and ensures that the legislature's budgetary discretion is clearly outlined in state law.

Education

https://bills.legmt.gov/#/laws/bill/2/LC1103