Bachmeier warns of budget impacts on education

State Rep. Jacob Bachmeier, D-Havre, said in a press release Friday that “crippling budget cuts and misguided philosophy” threaten public education in Montana, including the state’s higher education system.

The  release by Bachmeier came hours after it was reported that Gov. Steve Bullock raised the possibility during a meeting with the Bozeman Chronicle Editorial Board of closing a campus within the Montana State University system to deal with a cut of 5 percent, or $23.3 million, proposed by the Republican-led Legislature. In his budget Bullock, a Democrat, has proposed keeping higher education funding stable.

Though Bullock did not mention a specific campus, Bachmeier said a small campus like Montana State University-Northern would be a likely target, something that would have a devastating effect on north-central Montana.

“MSU-Northern is the heart of the Hi-Line,” the release said. “Our teachers, nurses and technicians all come from Northern. The sad reality is that without Northern, the Hi-Line would die.”

Marissa Perry, press secretary for Bullock, said Monday that Bullock made the  statement in response to a question during the interview as to whether the cuts being proposed were so severe that they could lead to the closure of a campus within the Montana University System. Bullock said then said closing a university is something that would have to be looked at.

Perry said Bullock’s response was meant to illustrate the impact the proposed cuts would have.

“In the article when they were reporting it, I think they were just missing that clear distinction,” Perry said.

She added that if the Legislature was to look at enacting several proposals made by Bullock and state Democratic lawmakers — such as increases in consumption taxes on cigarettes, e-cigarettes and wine or the creation of a new tax bracket for incomes over $500,000 — that would reduce the need for such budget cuts.

Paul Tuss, chair of the Montana University System Board of Regents said that he has not heard any talk among the Regents about closing a campus.

“I haven’t heard anyone suggest that we should shudder a unit of the system,” Tuss said.

Though in the past, on occasion, state lawmakers have privately suggested closing a campus, the decision to do so would come from the Board of Regents, Tuss said. He added that not only has no member of the Board of Regents talked about closing a campus, but that never in the history of the board has a member actually come forth with a proposal to do so.

Still, a $23 million budget cut does present a problem for the state university system, an amount that would be larger than each of the campuses within the university system with the exception of Montana State University in Bozeman and the University of Montana in Missoula, he said.

This week, the full proposed budget will go before the House Appropriations Committee. Tuss said that, under current conditions, stable funding is likely the best the university system can hope for. However, if cuts are to be made, Tuss said he hopes that the cuts are less than those now being proposed by the Legislature, smaller cuts that can be addressed through a slight tuition increase and perhaps some minor spending cuts to programs.

In his release, Bachmeier also expressed worries about the state of public and elementary school funding. He said that so far this session, the state has failed to pass House Bill 32 funding special education and gifted and talented programs.

Bachmeier said the state constitution mandates such programs be funded and if the state doesn’t provide funding for special education and gifted and talented programs, school districts will have to pick up the cost.

“School districts along the Hi-Line have a higher level of poverty and cannot afford the increase in local taxes,” the release said.

Bachmeier also expressed opposition to HB 423 proposed by state Rep. Seth Berglee, R-Joliet, that would allow public money to follow students to nonpublic schools.

At the end of the release, Bachmeier calls for several steps to be taken to address the drop out rate, such as expanding options for technical and vocational education, increasing opportunities for language immersion and other cultural education programs, increasing mental health and rehabilitation offering in public schools.

Graduation Matters Montana, a program started by former Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau should also be restarted, Bachmeier said, adding that the program was successful in beginning to address the high school dropout rate.