Tuesday, Billings voters passed the elementary general fund levy for School District 2, which will provide support to the district as it wrestles with a structural budget deficit. It will cost $9.79 per $100,000 in assessed property value to fund the requested $1.6 million.
Superintendent Greg Upham hopes to see a culture of consistent levy passage, and this acted as another step towards that goal. He believes that communication from trustees and school staff to the public will help paint a clearer picture of the state’s school funding formula. “We’ve worked hard to answer difficult questions,” he stated.
The school election had been delayed from its usual date in May due to the coronavirus shutdowns, and the pro-levy campaign was also subdued compared to the previous years, so proponents focused on social media instead.
Coupled with this, the sudden switch to remote learning in the spring required parents and guardians to communicate with the schools more, Upham said. This peeled back the curtain on educators’ efforts to continue learning with school buildings being closed. “I think our communities just got to see the total package that public education has to offer our community,” said Upham.
CLICK HERE TO READ ENTIRE STORY
