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Comparative Constitutional Law Keyed to Sutton, 5th Ed.
Columbia Falls Elementary School District Number 6 v. State
Citation:
109 P.3d 257 (Mont. 2005)Facts
The Coalition brought suit challenging Montana’s public school funding system under multiple constitutional provisions. After a three-week trial, evidence demonstrated systemic problems including: school districts budgeting at or near maximum authority limits, growing accreditation problems, qualified educators leaving for higher salaries elsewhere, program cuts, deteriorating school buildings with inadequate repair funds, and increased competition between special and general education for limited funds. The current funding system was created by House Bill 667 in 1993, using a regression analysis and general fund formula. The Legislature did not undertake any study to define “quality” education when passing HB 667, nor did it link funding formulas to educationally relevant factors such as teacher pay, accreditation standards, fixed costs, or special education needs. The system provided no inflation mechanism, and state funding as a percentage of total education costs had declined significantly while local tax burdens increased substantially.
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