Bill > SB486

This bill modifies the Montana Special Needs Equal Opportunity Education Savings Account (ESA) program by providing school districts with a new option for handling funding in a student's first year of program participation. Specifically, a school district can now elect to have the Office of Public Instruction (OPI) provide the calculated student amount directly from the BASE aid appropriation, instead of the district having to remit the funds. If a school district chooses this option, the OPI will front the money in the first year, and then in subsequent years, the district's BASE aid payment will be reduced by the original amount, adjusted for inflation. The bill maintains the existing framework where 95% of remitted funds are deposited into special needs education savings accounts for student resources, and 5% goes to program administration. The legislation ensures that participating students are still included in the school district's Average Number Belonging (ANB) calculation for funding purposes, even though they are not technically enrolled in the district. The bill will take effect on July 1, 2025, and is designed to provide school districts with more flexibility in managing special needs education savings accounts.

Education

https://bills.legmt.gov/#/laws/bill/2/LC3476