Billings Public Schools is asking voters this spring to approve roughly $5 million a year in new homeowner taxes to support instruction and safety in the city’s schools.  Ballots for the all-mail election will go out Monday, April 20, and must be returned by May 5. Proponents say the money is necessary to fully fund the district by closing a budget gap created by inflation. The state has paid its share of an inflationary adjustment, but the rest will be left to local school districts.  Still, the levies may face voter reluctance. Just three of the nine ballot measures the district has put before voters over the last 10 years have passed, according to county elections data.  The $2.7 million high school levy being sought now would increase taxes on a house with a market value of $300,000 by $19.20 and on a house with a market value of $600,000 by $41.01.  The $2.5 million elementary school levy would increase taxes on those same homes by $22.59 and $48.27, respectively.  State law requires districts like Billings to separate elementary and high school finances. That’s due to the many outlying elementary districts, such as Blue Creek, that feed into the city’s high schools. If passed, Superintendent Erwin Garcia said the money would allow the district to continue replacing decades-old intercom systems and install new visual monitors — both of which are critical in building-wide emergencies, he said.  The district experienced one in January, when Billings Senior High locked down after a teen stabbed a teacher. Garcia said the money would also help attract and retain qualified teachers and staff. Last year, with four vacant speech pathologist positions, the district was forced to contract those services out of Colorado. While the district has no shortage of infrastructure needs, too — including $88 million in deferred maintenance at the high schools alone, according to Garcia— that would not be paid for by the mill levy being sought now. If passed, this levy would cover only operational and safety costs.  In Montana, public schools are funded primarily by the state, with an additional portion coming from local taxpayers if they choose to do so. The state sets a maximum district budget and pays 80% of that. Districts are then free to ask local homeowners for the other 20%. In Billings, voters agreed to pay that other 20% decades ago.  The ask now is simply to keep pace with inflation, according to Laurie Kwamme, the district’s chief financial officer. Kwamme said the inflationary adjustment works the same way as the district’s main budget: The state pays the bulk, but the rest must come from local homeowners, with voter approval. Garcia said his mission is to get the public to take ownership of their schools.  “People have to realize that you’re impacting your community,” he said. “I mean, the more dropouts you have on the streets, the more crime you have. …If you don’t invest in education, that’s exactly what happens.” In his pitch to the public, Garcia offers several points of progress in Billings Public Schools.  The number of Advanced Placement classes (which offer college-level coursework) that students choose to take has climbed steadily over the past decade, from 650 in 2014 to 2,252 in 2024, according to data from the school district.   “People have to realize that you’re impacting your community. I mean, the more dropouts you have on the streets, the more crime you have. …If you don’t invest in education, that’s exactly what happens.” Billings Public Schools Superintendent Erwin Garcia  Students are also scoring better on those tests. Each of the past six years has seen higher rates of passing scores, from 57% in 2020 to 79% in 2025.  Since Garcia took the superintendent position in 2023, the district has added 13 career certification options, such as website design and a course to prepare for the Federal Aviation Administration’s drone pilot license exam. More students are taking advantage of those offerings, too, according to district data. In 2023, students earned 902 certifications. In 2025, they earned 1,203.  The district also boosted starting teacher pay, from $42,720 in 2023 to $50,100 in 2025. “We’re generating better outcomes,” Garcia said. “So we want to continue doing the work, and we need to be made whole to provide those services.”  In-depth, independent reporting on the stories impacting your community from reporters who know your town. The post Billings schools ask voters to approve $5 million in new taxes appeared first on Montana Free Press. ...read more read less