The MT Lowdown is a weekly digest that showcases a more personal side of Montana Free Press’ high-quality reporting while keeping you up to speed on the biggest news impacting Montanans. Want to see the MT Lowdown in your inbox every Friday? Sign up here.“Crisis.” That’s the word Belgrade elementary teacher Becky Croghan used during a Free Press Fest panel this month to describe the current state of funding in Montana’s public schools. Her assessment echoed what we’ve been hearing from districts throughout the state for more than a year: teachers leaving for better-paying jobs elsewhere, school board trustees struggling to contend with budget shortfalls, and administrators watching as housing, insurance and utilities costs skyrocket.Those voices have increasingly called out for the state Legislature to do something — anything — to route more funding to schools. This week, lawmakers responded by outlining several near-term changes they hope to make to the state’s education funding formula in next year’s legislative session that would increase state funding to schools by as much as $75 million. Readers might recall that, earlier this year, MTFP published a detailed guide explaining the various bits and pieces that make up the state funding formula, which sets bounds for how big school budgets can be and determines how much funding comes from the state budget versus local property taxes. One part of the formula contains specific chunks of state revenue to support quality educators, special education programs and instruction on Indigenous culture and history. Now, legislators are proposing to add two more components to the equation targeting teacher pay and dual enrollment.The new plan would wield state funding like a carrot, incentivizing local districts to increase educator salaries and grow student participation in college-level courses. House Appropriations Chair Llew Jones, R-Conrad, described it to colleagues Wednesday as “the TEACH Act on steroids,” a reference to his 2021 bill incentivizing pay raises for early career teachers, with the proposed component expanding eligibility to all licensed professionals in a district.“If we are going to put a big block of money into schools — since the TEACH Act concept put about $3 million in but it wasn’t enough to move the needle — we were going to pursue a similar concept but with a much bigger number,” Jones said.Jones and his colleagues also suggested increasing the maximum budget allowed for districts with high housing prices in order to fund employee housing stipends or district-provided housing. However, as that idea is currently proposed, districts would have to ask voters to raise local property taxes to make that adjustment.The legislative plan doesn’t directly address a major concern raised by educators that lawmakers’ adjustments to per-student funding levels in recent years haven’t kept up with the rising cost of inflation. Jones and Rep. David Bedey, R-Hamilton, have both posited that the new components would increase overall funding while targeting specific challenges cited by local officials.Public school advocates did point to a few potential issues with the plan this week, but acknowledged that the coming session will present opportunities to iron them out. The overall reception was one of hope that lawmakers recognize the current crisis and are actively pursuing concrete ideas to address it. As School Administrators of Montana Executive Director Rob Watson put it in comments before a legislative committee, while the bulk of the work still lies ahead, the new proposals hold promise. “I think the challenges we can overcome,” he said.—Alex Sakariassen, ReporterDeparted 🥀Arlyne Reichert, the oldest living delegate to Montana’s 1972 Constitutional Convention, died at 98 in Great Falls in May. We’ve been working on a story, published this week, that explores her long life and multi-faceted legacy.Reichert grew up in Buffalo, New York, and moved to Great Falls in the 1940s with her husband, Harold, who was enlisted in the Air Force. Harold died from kidney cancer in 1968. She worked at the McLaughlin Research Institute, a medical science facility, for 25 years. At her retirement, it was announced that a full executive staff would be replacing her.At the Constitutional Convention, she was one of 19 women elected as a delegate. Over the decades that followed, she was a staunch advocate for what she called a “remarkable document.”Years after serving in the convention, she also returned to Helena as a legislator for one term. Bill Bronson, Reichert’s friend and collaborator, said that she was deeply dedicated to public service and using the system of government to affect change.“I’ve looked back on it and thought it takes a person like her to really be a leader because she would never take no for an answer and deploy every legitimate tool,” Bronson said. “Public persuasion, the courts, talking to people.”Reichert was active in many community causes, but she’s most known in Great Falls for the 26-year endeavor to save the historic 10th Street bridge in Great Falls, which escaped multiple planned demolitions. Reichert led the charge to save and fundraise to restore the bridge.Her work on the very public project earned her the nickname “The Bridge Lady.” A celebration of life is planned for Saturday, Sept. 21 on the bridge.READ MORE: From the state Constitution to the Missouri River shoreline, Arlyne Reichert helped shape Montana.—Matt Hudson, ReporterBy the Numbers 🔢Montana’s ranking in a National Association of REALTORS index assessing the least-affordable states in the nation in terms of housing prices.The association says its methodology for calculating its affordability index assesses the current home purchase options available to residents in a variety of income brackets, as opposed to the more commonly used approach of comparing only median incomes and median sale price. Montana’s current score, which reflects data from April, ranks the state as the least-affordable in the nation, followed by Idaho, California, Hawaii and Oregon.—Eric Dietrich, Deputy EditorTough Nut to Crack 🌰Managing and locating shelters for homeless residents continues to be a major issue in communities around Montana. The Kalispell City Council voted Monday to revoke the permit of the Flathead Valley’s only low-barrier homeless shelter in response to complaints from neighbors. On the same night, the Missoula City Council approved a two-year contract with a nonprofit to continue operating the city’s Johnson Street homeless shelter despite similar concerns from nearby residents. The city and Missoula County first contracted with the Poverello Center, which also runs a 150-bed shelter on West Broadway, to open the Johnson Street shelter in November 2020. It continued as a 24-hour winter shelter for three seasons and reopened last September with funding for year-round operations. The shelter is currently funded through August 2025. On Monday, a handful of residents voiced concerns about the shelter remaining open in the neighborhood, saying it makes them feel unsafe and citing reports of drug use, violence and littering. Missoula Mayor Andrea Davis said that while she doesn’t consider the shelter’s location ideal, it provides people a safe place to sleep, eat and connect to support services. The council approved the new shelter operations contract on a 10-2 vote.Davis said the city is trying to address concerns of neighbors and unhoused people staying at the shelter, but that the issue is difficult to manage without funding from the state or federal governments. The city is exploring future options but doesn’t have money currently available to build a new shelter, she said.The city and Poverello Center are working on minor improvements to the property, including upgrading the doors for better security and repairing and adding fencing to provide more of a buffer for neighbors, Davis said. Earlier this year, the city installed modular bathrooms and showers at the site. The contract adds a requirement for Poverello staff to track the number of shelter guests who move into temporary or permanent housing, with a goal of six per month during the second six months of the contract and nine per month in the second year of the contract. A security firm contracted by the city, Black Knight Security, patrols outside and around the shelter. The Poverello Center will continue to host a monthly public meeting to give shelter updates and take comments. SEE ALSO: Kalispell revokes permit for Flathead’s only low-barrier shelter.—Katie Fairbanks, ReporterHappenings 🗓Montanans have at least two chances next week to attend candidate forums with all four Montana Supreme Court candidates running this year:Date: Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 11:45 a.m. Location: Great Falls International AirportHost: Montana Farmers Union, moderated by veteran political journalist Mike Dennison Date: Thursday, Sept. 26 at 6:30 p.m.Location: Gaines Hall, Montana State University campus, BozemanHost: Gallatin County Bar AssociationCurrent state district court judges Dan Wilson and Katherine Bidegaray are facing off for the seat currently held by Justice Dirk Sandefur. Former federal magistrate judge Jerry Lynch and Broadwater County Attorney Cory Swanson are competing to replace Chief Justice Mike McGrath.— Mara Silvers, ReporterFire Report 🔥Rainstorms swept across much of Montana Monday and Tuesday, the second major precipitation event in as many weeks. Despite a weekend forecast featuring drier weather, this week’s slow fire growth, limited fire starts and cooler temperatures indicate Montana’s fire season is continuing to wind down. Montana’s largest active blaze, the Short Draw Fire, is burning at roughly 35,000 acres along the state’s southeastern border. The fire was first reported on Sept. 11 in Campbell County, Wyoming, before growing into Powder River County. According to Carmen Borchelt, a public information officer with Montana’s Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, early week precipitation greatly diminished fire activity. The fire’s perimeter did not significantly increase despite strong winds on Wednesday and firefighters do not expect it to grow substantially in the coming days.Over in western Montana, heavy rainfall dampened blazes across Ravalli County, which hosts the Sharrott Creek, Johnson, Railroad and Daly fires. According to public information officers stationed at the fires, Tuesday’s rainfall had a substantial impact and none of the fires are expected to significantly increase in size in the coming days.—Zeke Lloyd, Fire Reporting InternHighlights ☀️In other news this week —Gov. Greg Gianforte, a Republican seeking re-election, and Democratic challenger Ryan Busse may in fact meet on a debate stage before this election season is over. As Mara Silvers reports, weeks of debate-calendar wrangling between the two campaigns appear to have resulted in both camps agreeing to an Oct. 16 debate moderated by former statehouse reporter Mike Dennison and NonStop Local host Bradley Warren.One of Montan’s longest-tenured journalists, Missoulian editor and reporter Rob Chaney, was laid off last week after 28 years at the paper. Katie Fairbanks reports that Chaney was told his current position, which was created less than a year ago, was eliminated in a round of budget cuts. (The Missoulian’s parent company, Lee Enterprises, also owns the Ravalli Republic in Hamilton, the Montana Standard in Butte, The Independent Record in Helena and the Billings Gazette.)On Our Radar Amanda — Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is asking recreationists to reflect on their experiences using the state’s lakes and rivers as it considers management changes to address crowding and complaints about poor user behavior. The results of the eight-question survey will be forwarded to the recently convened River Recreation Advisory Council. JoVonne — While absent-mindedly scrolling through my Instagram feed earlier this week, I saw a photo of a familiar penguin statue on a New York Times post. Turned out, a NYT travel article that followed Amtrak’s Empire Builder route featured a couple of Montana stops on the Hi-Line, with one in Cut Bank highlighting the Glacier Gateway Inn’s famed penguin mascot.  Katie — This time of year, between back-to-school season and full-fledged fall, always brings the urge to rewatch one of my comfort shows, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” The blend of ‘90s nostalgia and demon fighting pairs well with a hot drink on a chilly night.Jacob — In this blog post, Ken Shirriff talks about stumbling upon a 1994 Navajo/Diné weaving mimicking the layout of the original Intel Pentium processor at the National Gallery of Art exhibit “Woven Histories: Textiles and Modern Abstraction.” The piece was commissioned by Intel as a gift to the American Indian Science & Engineering Society and is one of my favorite tech stories so far this year. Tom — I had been following Missoulian reporter Rob Chaney’s work, before his job was eliminated, about the U.S. Air Force’s efforts to rebuild missile silos in central Montana. I went down the rabbit hole of Cold War silos for sale and found some gems in Kansas, New Mexico and Nebraska.Zeke — Cold, cloudy weather inspired me to spend much of the last week burrowed in reading nooks around Helena. In search of a good fall read, I’ve found Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood” to be a timeless classic of narrative nonfiction. Eric — Will the interest rate cut announced by the Federal Reserve this week make it easier for Montanans to buy houses? Perhaps not. This Vox article lays out what experts expect.*Some stories may require a subscription. Subscribe!The post A fix for Montana’s school funding woes?  appeared first on Montana Free Press.