Sign up for the free Missoula This Week newsletter and stay in the loop on Missoula city government, public school meetings, business news and upcoming entertainment and events. Sign up 04/10/2026 “Missoula This Week” is reported and written By Katie Fairbanks. Send your Missoula news and tips to [email protected]. Ballots to include school, fire levies  When Missoula County voters begin receiving ballots late next week for the school and special district election, they should remember three things, said Bradley Seaman, the county’s elections administrator. Make an educated decision, write their birth year and signature on the envelope and postmarks do not matter in Montana.  A new state law that went into effect last October requires voters to include their birth year on the envelope next to their signature. During last year’s municipal general election, Missoula County recorded 1,090 rejected ballots, a significant increase from the 140 rejected in the previous municipal general election, Seaman said. While election staff helped voters resolve 57% of those rejected ballots, Seaman said voters remembering to include the birth year will help ensure their ballot is counted.  “It’s a great reason to make an educated decision and turn in your ballot as soon as you can,” he said.  Voters can track the status of their ballot on myvoterpagemt.com. The Missoula County Elections Office will mail ballots Wednesday for the May 5 election. Polling places will not be open for this all-mail election, but eight drop-off locations will be open on Election Day.  The U.S. Postal Service recommends voters return their ballots by mail seven days before the election. Seaman said in Montana, ballots are due by 8 p.m. on Election Day, and postmarks do not apply. If a voter sees their mailed-in ballot has not been accepted by Election Day, they can register to vote and get a replacement ballot at the county elections office, Seaman said.  Missoula County’s election turnout is typically better than the national average, and Seaman said he expects it to be in the mid-40% range for this election.  “Many districts are running a levy, so we see more voters participate when there’s an item that hits their pocketbook,” he said.  Depending on voters’ location, the ballot may include levies for school districts and fire districts, as well as school board positions and special district positions. Missoula County Public Schools and a handful of outlying districts are requesting operational levies to help pay for the day-to-day costs of running schools.  The state’s funding formula sets the school district’s general fund maximum budget, largely based on enrollment. The state supports 80%, while the district is responsible for generating the remaining 20% through measures such as operational levies.  Missoula County Public Schools is requesting a $1.35 million elementary school operational levy and a $1.13 million high school operational levy. The money would help cover salaries and other rising costs amid declining enrollment, district officials said last month.  The elementary general fund levy would cost the owner of a $300,000 home an additional $18.63 annually and the owner of a $600,000 home $39.79. For the high school general fund levy, the owner of a $300,000 home would pay another $8.30, and the owner of a $600,000 home would pay $17.73.  Bonner, Frenchtown, Potomac, Seeley Lake and Lolo school districts are all requesting general fund levies to help pay for operations. Bonner School District is also requesting a $56,887 safety mill levy to help pay for school safety and security costs, including counselors and mental health professionals.  East Missoula Rural Fire District is requesting a permanent levy increase of $222,000 to help pay for training, equipment and operations of the all-volunteer department. The fire district has a budget of about $78,000 annually and said more funding is needed to help maintain services, improve response times and upgrade equipment, according to its Facebook posts.  If approved, the levy increase would cost the owner of a $100,000 home $47.07 in the first year, $141.21 for a $300,000 home and $371.62 for a $600,000 home.  The department is holding a pancake breakfast and open house from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at 315 Montana Ave. Residents are welcome to meet firefighters, tour the station and learn more about the levy proposal. Voters who need to register or make changes to their registration must do so in person at the Elections Office Building B. A list of ballot drop boxes open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day is available online. Voters can check their registration status and address information and view sample ballots at myvoterpagemt.com. 5 Things to Know in Missoula  The Missoula County commissioners Thursday approved $150,000 for a fire needs assessment in the Wye area. The study, recommended by the Wye Infrastructure Plan, will assess the existing capacity of the Missoula Rural and Frenchtown fire departments to respond to the Wye I and Wye II targeted economic development districts and identify improvements needed to keep up with expected growth. That includes evaluating necessary infrastructure, facilities, staffing and funding needed in the near- and long-term, said Lauren Ryan, a county community and economic development specialist. The two fire chiefs and the Missoula Office of Emergency Management will be involved in choosing a consultant to complete the study, Ryan said. Tax increment financing generated by the Wye districts will pay for the study, which will be completed at the end of 2026 or early 2027.  The watercraft inspection site at Clearwater Junction opens Saturday at the intersection of Highway 200 and Highway 83. Inspectors check all watercraft to ensure they are cleaned, drained and dry before entering a new body of water to prevent invasive species from spreading. The station is staffed by Missoula County’s aquatic invasive species district and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. The inspection station is one of the busiest in the state, with more than 30,000 inspections each year, according to the county.  The city of Missoula is seeking volunteers for multiple boards and commissions. The 14 vacant positions are either appointed by the mayor or the city council. Boards with openings include the new city planning commission, the historic preservation commission and the impact fee advisory commission. The city and Missoula County previously shared a planning board but recently established separate commissions as required by state law. Some positions have application deadlines, while others will remain open until filled. A list of the positions and application directions are available on the city’s website.  The Missoula County Public Schools board last week appointed Cory Beckham as the assistant superintendent for high schools for the 2026-2027 school year. Beckham has been the Arlee Schools superintendent since 2024 and was previously a principal and middle and high school math teacher. Amy Shattuck, the former MCPS high schools superintendent, was appointed the executive director of human resources to replace Trevor Laboski, who is leaving at the end of the school year. Beckham was selected from a pool of 14 applicants.  “I’m thrilled to be returning to Missoula, where my journey in education began,” Beckham said in a press release. “I graduated from the University of Montana and started my teaching career at Hellgate High School, so coming back feels like coming home.”  On Thursday, the Missoula County commissioners approved a new 20 mph speed limit around Seeley Lake Elementary School. The current speed limit is 25 mph, and signs are minimal, according to the county public works department. There have been several accidents in the area due to speed, and there are no sidewalks for students to walk on, Superintendent Christina Hartmann said last month when the commissioners opened the public hearing. The school district requested a permanent speed limit because the school’s playground is the community’s main park, Hartmann said Thursday. The county public works department will add multiple new signs indicating the speed limit and school zone limits, said Erik Dickson, a county engineer. The changes will allow the Missoula County Sheriff’s deputies to enforce the lower speed limit with a double fine, he said.  Verbatim  “The university that this university was in 2019 cannot be the university that it is in 2035. We have to move, we have to change, we need to adapt, we must evolve. And I believe that it’s in this university’s DNA to do just that and to retain what’s unique about the University of Montana.  “Higher education nationally is facing significant headwinds: a decline in public trust, an affordability crisis for our students, and also the expectation that we’re far more workforce aligned than ever before. I believe that when we are creating value for our students, when we are workforce aligned, I believe that public trust increases, and I think we’re positioned to do that here at the University of Montana.”   —Jeremiah Shinn, finalist candidate for University of Montana president, during a public forum Monday on campus.  Shinn, the current interim president of Boise State University, visited UM earlier this week and met with staff, students and the public. Shinn is the only named finalist to replace Seth Bodnar, who announced his resignation in January and filed to run for U.S. Senate as an independent candidate. Before becoming interim president last year, Shinn was Boise State’s vice president of student affairs and enrollment management.   Montana Commissioner of Higher Education Clayton Christian said Shinn rose to the top of the list of “quality” candidates because of his experience at Boise State and in student affairs.  Read more about Shinn and the process to replace Bodnar here.  Snapshot Credit: Courtesy of Missoula Art Museum A student takes pictures with a Polaroid camera as part of the Missoula Art Museum’s Fifth Grade Art Experience program, which brought more than 340 fourth and fifth-grade students from eight Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribes schools to the museum in March.  Artist and photojournalist Tailyr Irvine (Salish and Kootenai) guided students through her exhibition in the museum and helped them explore identity, storytelling and representation through instant photography, drawing and collage. “Working with kids every day has been the highlight of my month,” Irvine said in a press release. “It fills my cup seeing the world through their photos and art.” Before visiting the museum, students completed a virtual curriculum that explored insider/outsider perspectives, studied primary and secondary sources, including the Hellgate Treaty of 1855, and learned how photojournalists construct narratives and challenge stereotypes. Irvine expanded on these concepts and shared how her work centers Indigenous voices and complicates narrow depictions of Native America. The museum’s Fifth Grade Art Experience welcomes every fifth-grade class in Missoula County and within 70 miles. The program is free for schools and pays for transportation for rural and CSKT schools.  Might be Fun  Registration is open for the Run for the Trees race Saturday benefitting the Trees for Missoula program, which supports the city’s urban forest. The event, organized by Run Wild Missoula and Missoula Parks and Recreation, starts and ends at Silver Park. A free 1-mile fun run starts at 9:30 a.m., followed by the 5k and 10k runs at 10 a.m. Registration and course information are available online. All participants will receive a tree sapling.  Ahead of the event, organizers are holding a 5k bike ride in honor of Ethel MacDonald, an avid biker who participated in Run for the Trees for years before her death in 2025. The bike ride starts at 8:30 a.m. at Silver Park.  The post School election ballots in the mail next week appeared first on Montana Free Press. ...read more read less