By Representative Brad Barker (Montana House District 55)
“The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty.”
~ James Madison
Montana’s School Funding Interim Commission (SFIC), which I’m honored to serve on, will meet next on Tuesday, October 14, and Wednesday, October 15, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the State Capitol. Public participation is welcome both in-person and via Zoom. You can find meeting details on the SFIC page on the Legislative website. You can find information on school funding basics, previous litigation, and historical background on the School Funding Library Dashboard at https://www.legmt.gov/lfd/publications/school-funding-library/.
The SFIC was created by the Legislature to evaluate whether Montana’s K-12 funding model remains equitable, effective, and aligned with its constitutional duty to provide “a basic system of free quality public elementary and secondary schools” to every student. These comprehensive reviews are required every 10 years.
Montana’s current school funding formula is complex and outdated. It’s made up of dozens of components and multiple local levies that are each intended to ensure fairness but often create confusion. The system doesn’t adequately link dollars to student outcomes, which is the measure that should matter most.
Our progress so far includes a full review of the district general fund mechanics, court cases that shaped school finance policy, and equity issues for rural and property-poor districts. You can explore these tools for yourself, including how your school district is funded, on the dashboard.
My Priorities
As your representative and a member of the Commission, I am advocating for three key outcomes:
Simplify the model. Our school funding structure should be understandable by parents, teachers, and taxpayers, not just accountants.
Tie funding to student success. We must reward districts using evidence-based approaches that achieve growth in reading, math, career readiness, and graduation.
Protect fairness across communities. We need to ensure that small, rural, and lower-property-value districts are not left behind.
Education is one of the largest parts of our state budget, and educated citizens are vital to the health of our democracy as a representative republic. We must ensure taxpayer dollars are well spent and are achieving the best possible outcomes. I look forward to sharing the next round of findings and recommendations as we work toward a model that supports students first.
As always, I welcome your questions and input. It’s an honor to serve you.
