Montana School Funding Study Calculates Cost of Meeting State and Federal Standards

In August 2002, five leading education interest groups in Montana released the results of a "costing-out" study that identifies the components and costs of an adequate education for all Montana students. To define an "adequate" education, the education finance firm hired to perform the study relied on Montana's school accreditation requirements and its student achievement standards, which specify what students should learn and be able to do. The study also incorporated the requirements of the new federal No Child Left Behind Act.

The study used the professional-judgment methodology and found that the essential resources for an adequate education include: qualified teachers with access to quality professional development; appropriate class sizes; and, pre-school for disadvantaged children. The school boards association explained that school funding would have to increase by $171 million to provide the resources envisioned in the study. That's a 17% increase over the $996 million (from all sources) spent by Montana schools in the 2000-2001 school year.

The groups who sponsored the study are: the Montana School Boards Association, the Montana Quality Education Coalition, the Montana Rural Education Association, the Montana Association of School Business Officials, and the Montana Association of County School Superintendents.

Prepared August 23, 2002