Jones school funding bill dies in Mont. Senate

The school funding proposal favored by the superintendent of Havre Public Schools died in a tie vote in the state Senate Wednesday night.

"It's hard to be something other than disappointed," Superintendent Andy Carlson said this morning.

Senate Bill 403, sponsored by Sen. Llew Jones, R-Conrad, died on third reading Wednesday in a 25-25 vote.

Sen. Rowlie Hutton, R-Havre, voted in favor of the bill. Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder, voted against it.

"I have a whole bunch of reasons, 200 million-plus reasons (for voting against it) " Windy Boy said this morning.

But Hutton said the arguments against the bill were part of an agenda, with grilling of Jones during the hearing using scripted questions.

"I think they lost sight of what this was all about. I think this was political in nature," he said.

He added that the bill may not yet be dead — Hutton said he thinks it may go back to committee for amendments.

Carlson said Jones' bill was the best he had seen as far as funding for the Havre Public Schools. Losing SB 403 will cost Havre schools about $400,000, Carlson said.

"Honestly, everything that we've looked at, there was nothing that came as close as Jones' bill was (to fund schools and take) the burden off our local taxpayers," Carlson said.

The district now will plan how to formulate its budget without the additional $400,000, he said.

"You can't do more with less, you do less with less, " Carlson said.

Jones' bill was a major topic of discussion in Havre Wednesday during a legislative video conference with lawmakers in Helena. Carlson, School Board Chair Lee Christianson and Hutton favored the bill, and commended Jones for his work crafting it.

Windy Boy said he had many problems with the bill, including how late it was presented. After two hours of testimony Wednesday night, many of the details are unclear.

But, he said, it appears to him that there are many problems including taking money from the Department of Public Health and Human Services — more than $200 million, Windy Boy said — to pay for the bill, as well as numerous sources of one-time-only funding.

"This thing is like an octopus," he said.

Hutton said most of that is untrue. While he said he could not speak to how much one-time funding might be in the bill, no money was shifted from programs to fund it. He himself regrets many funding cuts, such as to nursing homes and senior citizens, he said.

"He did not shift money from anywhere …, "Hutton said. "That is just politics."

Part of the problem he had with SB 403 was that it would, immediately or gradually, shift funding to the local property taxpayers, Windy Boy said.

The fiscal note prepared by the Legislative Fiscal Division showed that in 2014, it would increase local taxes across the state by $6 million in 2014 and another $8 million in 2015, Windy Boy said.

It likely would increase rates charged to consumers by utilities such as NorthWestern Energy as they are taxed more heavily by local districts, he said.

Windy Boy said he supports Gov. Brian Schweitzer's proposal. While there may be similar issues in that bill, at least everyone has had some time to look at the bill, he said.

"At least that has some sunlight on it," Windy Boy said.

He said he will be meeting with Schweitzer today to discuss the governor's funding proposal.

"Maybe I'll change my mind tomorrow," he said.

But Hutton said the Jones bill clearly was better than Schweitzer's, and that school administrators from Havre east would agree with that.

"It was a very disappointing day for me in the arena of education. They let a political agenda get ahead of the kids," he said.